There may be a few of you out there just like me. I’m 37 years old and I work full-time and have a seven-year-old son. I’ve been training on and off since I was 18. The problem with this list of things is the whole off and on training I’ve been doing. Well, all this changed about one and a half years ago when I found EliteFTS. It’s all about to change even more since I have a goal—1298 lbs.

The 1298 lbs is the total number of pounds I must lift in a raw powerlifting meet in the 165-lb weight class over the three lifts. My current PRs in all the lifts are a 350-lb squat, a 245-lb bench press, and a 425-lb deadlift. All these PRs were obtained in February 2010 at my first ever powerlifting meet. The Southern Powerlifting Federation hosted a meet in Nashville, and I made the trip to see where I stand among others. I finished in fourth place out of four lifters in my weight class of 181 lbs. The experience was incredible and now I have a goal.

The Road to 1298 will be a documented journey of my training and hectic life schedule in getting to my goal. Why a goal of totaling elite? Well, if you’re reading this article, I don’t even need to explain why. I think I just don’t want to be 60 years old one day wishing I would’ve tried to do something great. I’m going to do something great, and I’m going to start the struggle now. I can’t think of anything more challenging than trying to total elite. Being under the barbell for even this short period of time has made me a stronger person all around. More importantly, it has made me a stronger father to my son.

If you’re anything like me, you have jumped from training program to training program with limited results. The time is now to stop all that and commit to a goal. Use all the valuable resources on EliteFTS.com and work hard. Nothing in life comes easy, especially when you have to try and move heavy weight. The key to all of this is sticking to a program and finishing it through until the end. My end is 1298 lbs, and no matter how long it takes, I’m going to get there.

Looking at my current strength levels and discussing them with my coach, Johnny Davis, I have decided to follow a program that will give me more volume. The program is based on the Wichita Falls template and looks like this:

Monday

Squats, 5 reps X 3 sets, sets across (increasing 5 lbs per workout)

Presses, 5 X 3, sets across (increasing 5 lbs per workout)

Chins/pull-ups, 3 sets of as many reps as possible (performed from a dead hang and with body weight initially)

Tuesday

Power cleans, 3 X 5, sets across (increasing 5 lbs per workout)

Conditioning: Sled drags/tire flips/Farmer’s walks/hill sprints

Wednesday

Off day or skill day

Thursday

Squats, 5 X 3, sets across (increasing 5 lbs per workout)

Bench presses, 5 X 3, sets across (increasing 5 lbs per workout)

Friday

Deadlifts, 5 X 1 (increasing 5 or 10 lbs per workout)

Conditioning:Sled drags/tire flips/Farmer’s walks/hill sprints

My next meet is scheduled for November 13, 2010, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This will give me 12 weeks to build up my strength base—enough to PR on all my lifts from my last meet in February. What makes this such a challenging goal is the fact that life itself has a tendency to get in the way. As a rotating 12-hour shift worker and a single parent, I know that some training sessions are going to be more difficult than others. What drives me to succeed at this point is the desire to prove a point to my son. I’m what I consider a hard-working average guy, and I want to prove that hard work and dedication can get you places other traits can’t.

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” —Vince Lombardi