December is approaching...

This December I will be competing at an AAU powerlifting meet in Las Vegas. It will be a deadlift only meet for me so it is time to begin focusing on it.

Powerlifing is a new venture for me - I lifted in two meets in California and have set some personal goals for myself. In powerlifing most lifters will try to achieve what is known as an Elite total. This is a total of the three lifts which represents a high level accomplishment. Well - they have released Elite totals for the Raw lifter (lifting Raw is using a belt only). And that is my goal - Raw elite.

Raw elite for the 181 weight class is a 1396 pound total for the Squat, Bench press and Deadlift. This will breakdown into a
500+ pound Squat, a 350 pound Bench, and a 550+ pound Deadlift.

Why - you ask?

Well -reason #1 - to have a goal.
Something to focus my training and provide definable markers for achievement. Humans perform better when there is an expectation or goal in front of them. Once we leave competitive athletics these goals become harder to find and we tend to drift in our physical lives. This tends to be when people either do not workout or there only goal is to "workout".

I am not after a workout - I am after results.

Where to focus my efforts and what result to focus on- are the only questions. Once determined - the path begins to lay itself. My job as a trainer is to assist in defining the goal and then guide the person along the path to their goal.

Right now I must focus on the deadlift and begin to prepare for the December meet. Next goal after that will be to find a "full" meet (meaning all three lifts) and once I know my total - I know what I need to do to get to the ultimate goal of Raw Elite.

So - What is your goal? Do you have one?

If not and you find yourself drifting - maybe you need one!