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natural-mike
New member
This story may spark some nostalgia, maybe a memory or 2, maybe nothing.
I just completed my first month of powerlifting (Westside style) after almost 3 years of bodybuilding, I'm all natural, whatever you want to translate that too, I mean the only supplements I use is Tuna fish.. ha..and a multi.
Here is what Powerlifting means to me.
The pump, the self centered staring in the mirror, the concentration curls, hi reps, moderate weight its all gone away. replaced with power, joint pain, biceps tendonitus, chains, 1 rep max's, hatred from all in my GYM, Chuck Taylor Converse, heavy ass back breaking Good Mornings and the infamous Inzer Z knee wraps.
My life has changed, my outlook, I know lift weights, I do not bodybuild, I dont care about the pump, I dont need chiseled abs, I eat for power, for strength, I constantly challenge myself, I love the feeling of the ME day and breaking last weeks max on a lift. I love being solo, hated by my peers, not respected by other members of the GYM while they use there chrome dumbells and do endless sets of curls. I dont even curl anymore, yet my biceps get sore. At first, well I was unsure, I wasnt pumped all the time with powerlifting, I wasnt always sore, I didnt murder myself each workout and feel like throwing up and I was scared, am I losing muscle by powerlifting? is it worth it, all of my joints, my wrists, my bicep tendons, my lower back, everything hurts, I feel like I am destroying joints. But damn it now, I love it. I was a 200 pound bodybuilder, never deadlifted, squatted at most 315 for high reps, because I was a bodybuilder so I trained like one.
Boy has life changed. Now these lifts are small to you guys, nothing to brag about, I wont lie because I am online, I can lie but why, why lie to my bretheran here on this site. Last Monday I pulled my sumo deadlift 490 I havent deadlifted in 3 years of training, until.....until powerlifting, 1 month of powerlifting, only 1 month of teaching myself the movement, 1 month Westside training, need I repeat it again, just 1 month. The feeling I felt inside after that 490 deadlift, the win, the accomplishment, it was better, better than looking in the mirror at a bodybuilder physique, the taste in mouth was better. And oh yeah, the Chuck Taylors, I even get flack in my GYM for wearing them, but they are perfect, perfect to deadlift i, perfect to squat in, the difference from using a basketball sneaker is immediate. Now the squat, I always did high reps, bar high on my back bodybuilder squats. I dropped the bar a bit on my back, sufferd 2 major bicep tendon problems, and realized I was a bullshit bodybuilder squatter with a half inch rep range, now I take the ass to the floor, I look for the wet spot on the floor left by my ass, I took 435 deep , no big deal for you guys I know, but it was my first real probably competition legal squat. Went out and bought some INzer Z wraps, never used them before, used them yesterday first time, I read an article from Fred Hatfield, he say learnt o use your wraps right, you have to wrap them so tigh they hurt. So I did, but I wrapped them and had to wait about 5 minutes before I got a spotter (my gym has no pwer rack but charges $500 a year..go figure that one out) my legs went numb, I decided with the wraps I would try more weight , probably stupid I should have practiced using the wraps...So I load the bar 490, figure if I can deadlift it I can squat it. I backed out of the rack, my legs were wobbly I was all over, not used to having the wraps on and of course about 6 minutes had passed with zero circulation in my legs I couldnt even feel them, dangerous (maybe) stupid (absolutely) I took the 490 low, I actually had to fight to go low the wraps were so good, I flew out of the bottom like it was 135 on the bar only, maybe it was me, maybe it was those 335 x 3 Good mornings I have been doing, no..it was my gear, my wraps, holy shit I flew out of the hole like it was a joke, I was not mentally ready for that squat, I was not set, my foot position everyhitn gwas wrong, but it was a joke. Thats when I realized your gear i.e. wraps, squat suit, bench shirt, is key to powerlifting, they are useful tools we must master, they make a huge difference. I suddenly pictured what bench shirt must be like ( I dont own one), Now I must master this gear, I know that may sound strange or retarded to some of you but yes, I must master using my wraps, they hurt, they are hard to control your legs with and they are downright different. To let you know how pathetic my GYM is, and I have big dudes there, real big dudes, but they are bodybuilder dudes, I drew quite a crowd for that little 490 squat, so if guys like dawg or powerlifterjay came and busted a descent squat , people would probably shit themselves.
The point of this long drawn out boring story is, powerlifting hurts, theres no massive rippling muscles, no beauty, instead there are sore joints cumbersome equipment like chains and very few of us in my GYM. But I love it, I love the challenge, every time I eneter the GYM now to powerlift I am ina meet, my own power meet, a mental one where I must win, I must be the best lifter all this and its only been a fucking month..this shit is some addicting stuff, move over crack and heroin, there is a new drug on the block = POWERLIFTING
Peace to all my brothers out there.
Natural Mike
I just completed my first month of powerlifting (Westside style) after almost 3 years of bodybuilding, I'm all natural, whatever you want to translate that too, I mean the only supplements I use is Tuna fish.. ha..and a multi.
Here is what Powerlifting means to me.
The pump, the self centered staring in the mirror, the concentration curls, hi reps, moderate weight its all gone away. replaced with power, joint pain, biceps tendonitus, chains, 1 rep max's, hatred from all in my GYM, Chuck Taylor Converse, heavy ass back breaking Good Mornings and the infamous Inzer Z knee wraps.
My life has changed, my outlook, I know lift weights, I do not bodybuild, I dont care about the pump, I dont need chiseled abs, I eat for power, for strength, I constantly challenge myself, I love the feeling of the ME day and breaking last weeks max on a lift. I love being solo, hated by my peers, not respected by other members of the GYM while they use there chrome dumbells and do endless sets of curls. I dont even curl anymore, yet my biceps get sore. At first, well I was unsure, I wasnt pumped all the time with powerlifting, I wasnt always sore, I didnt murder myself each workout and feel like throwing up and I was scared, am I losing muscle by powerlifting? is it worth it, all of my joints, my wrists, my bicep tendons, my lower back, everything hurts, I feel like I am destroying joints. But damn it now, I love it. I was a 200 pound bodybuilder, never deadlifted, squatted at most 315 for high reps, because I was a bodybuilder so I trained like one.
Boy has life changed. Now these lifts are small to you guys, nothing to brag about, I wont lie because I am online, I can lie but why, why lie to my bretheran here on this site. Last Monday I pulled my sumo deadlift 490 I havent deadlifted in 3 years of training, until.....until powerlifting, 1 month of powerlifting, only 1 month of teaching myself the movement, 1 month Westside training, need I repeat it again, just 1 month. The feeling I felt inside after that 490 deadlift, the win, the accomplishment, it was better, better than looking in the mirror at a bodybuilder physique, the taste in mouth was better. And oh yeah, the Chuck Taylors, I even get flack in my GYM for wearing them, but they are perfect, perfect to deadlift i, perfect to squat in, the difference from using a basketball sneaker is immediate. Now the squat, I always did high reps, bar high on my back bodybuilder squats. I dropped the bar a bit on my back, sufferd 2 major bicep tendon problems, and realized I was a bullshit bodybuilder squatter with a half inch rep range, now I take the ass to the floor, I look for the wet spot on the floor left by my ass, I took 435 deep , no big deal for you guys I know, but it was my first real probably competition legal squat. Went out and bought some INzer Z wraps, never used them before, used them yesterday first time, I read an article from Fred Hatfield, he say learnt o use your wraps right, you have to wrap them so tigh they hurt. So I did, but I wrapped them and had to wait about 5 minutes before I got a spotter (my gym has no pwer rack but charges $500 a year..go figure that one out) my legs went numb, I decided with the wraps I would try more weight , probably stupid I should have practiced using the wraps...So I load the bar 490, figure if I can deadlift it I can squat it. I backed out of the rack, my legs were wobbly I was all over, not used to having the wraps on and of course about 6 minutes had passed with zero circulation in my legs I couldnt even feel them, dangerous (maybe) stupid (absolutely) I took the 490 low, I actually had to fight to go low the wraps were so good, I flew out of the bottom like it was 135 on the bar only, maybe it was me, maybe it was those 335 x 3 Good mornings I have been doing, no..it was my gear, my wraps, holy shit I flew out of the hole like it was a joke, I was not mentally ready for that squat, I was not set, my foot position everyhitn gwas wrong, but it was a joke. Thats when I realized your gear i.e. wraps, squat suit, bench shirt, is key to powerlifting, they are useful tools we must master, they make a huge difference. I suddenly pictured what bench shirt must be like ( I dont own one), Now I must master this gear, I know that may sound strange or retarded to some of you but yes, I must master using my wraps, they hurt, they are hard to control your legs with and they are downright different. To let you know how pathetic my GYM is, and I have big dudes there, real big dudes, but they are bodybuilder dudes, I drew quite a crowd for that little 490 squat, so if guys like dawg or powerlifterjay came and busted a descent squat , people would probably shit themselves.
The point of this long drawn out boring story is, powerlifting hurts, theres no massive rippling muscles, no beauty, instead there are sore joints cumbersome equipment like chains and very few of us in my GYM. But I love it, I love the challenge, every time I eneter the GYM now to powerlift I am ina meet, my own power meet, a mental one where I must win, I must be the best lifter all this and its only been a fucking month..this shit is some addicting stuff, move over crack and heroin, there is a new drug on the block = POWERLIFTING
Peace to all my brothers out there.
Natural Mike
