Opinions Please! Help Me Decide On A Certain Meet!

[powerlifterjay]

Well as some of you know (most do not) i will may, or may not attentd the WPO BB for cash this Nov. My wife is actually pissed about it. Imagine that! Anyway i have battled a couple injuries that i feel have kept me from about 50plus pounds on my bench that i should have had by now. Well i want them!

I am qualified at 220lbs. I KNOW i will win some money. I do. BUt last year I dropping 20lbs to make weight was no biggie , it was tough but i gotter done. BUt i decided to bulk up and increase my bench to see where i coudl get it. Mass moves mass! That is a fact. Well in June i dropped about 12 lbs to do the full power meet and actaully came in at 235. From 250. The rest of the month i stayed at 240lbs. Well 3 weeks ago i started my bulking phase and am 260lbs as of now. Wheni wake up i am 255. I am gonna go up to 265ish. I feel i could really pack some strength on and with my new westside routine working like it is i think big numbers are coming.

Heres is my question that i would like to here opinions on. If say in Oct (early) i am really making ground breaking PR's , should I stop what i am doing and drop to 220lbs for Nov? Or should i stay on my quest for 700lbs. Believe me i will drop back down to 242. If i dont do the WPO i will still do the bench Nationals in Oct and will come in at a slim 242lbs. But 220 is just a long way away. And seems like it would be really tough to get too with out altering my life style to become that size. I will use water tricks to make 242 so i will compete heavy. In fact my Sept meet where i am gonna test my new strength i will be in the 275's.

I just think going up and coming down to 220 would really cost my some progress i made. Thats alot of weight to lose on me and my bench. I can always do the WPO next year and go for 700 at 242. Or more!!

I am just not a 220lber. I would have to not squat (Kenny Patterson told me he did that) to make weight. I am building a squat as well. So Jimmie dean nor myself would not allow that. Now before you answer keep in mind i CAN drop to 220lbs. I will go 600's at that weight. So since both options are do able give me what YOU would do?

[k1401]

tough decision Jay
sounds as if you've really weighed the options as well, I think YOU need to decide how important it would be to do that meet, you know what would be involved in dropping the weight and potential strength you are now building
sorry I don't have an answer for you, I want to see you next year at the Arnold, kicking 700's ass so I can't help you with this.

[musc2002pa]

Jay, why don't you come into the WPO @ 242. Remember, KP's record is 701@242 so shoot for that. Or is it that since you qualiftied in the 220s, they wont let you compete WPO in a higher weight class? I would make your decision based on how you do in Sept as a light 275. At this point, it seems counterproductive to go all the way back down to the 220s.

Chad T.
www.CarolinaPower.net

[Cubanito17]

well this is tough bro and really it's all up to you. I mean do you want the money and do you know you can win it???? Is it worth dropping all that weight after you put soo much $$ into it to get stronger and better training??? Also don't you think dropping 40lbs will mess with your shirt at the same time it can MESS YOU UP in many ways? what are you gonna be in when you go to nationals in DEC??? is it worth dropping weight real quick then putting it back on then dropping again for nationals and risk a health hazzard(sp???)??

[bigokie]

Well Jay, if it were me I can tell you exactly what I'd do. I would gain the weight and hit the 700. That's a fucking huge number. If you can get up to 260 solid, then next year you can lean out and then try to come in as a 242 at the WPO and possibly hit a 700+. If you drop the weight now for the meet, then your bench will also lose some ground. Then it might take a long time to come back on. If you wait and gain the weight and hit the 700, then take a long time to cut the weight, instead of a few weeks, you should be able to maintain more of the strength and possibly stay in the 700 range.

But in the end, it is up to you. You should do what you will be happy with. Hope this helps

[powerlifterjay]

Good advice guys.

Musc2002 i dont know if i could do the 242's. BUt since i am not gonna hit 700 there this year no point. At 220 i may not win but i will win some money. At 242 unless i hit 702 i win ziltch. Even with sponsers help its gonna cost me to go. And not that i am worried about losing the money but it would be nice to place. If i wanna Pr i will do it here in a meet. The WPO is 125 to enter, plus travel. Last year it was in Daytona it cost me 300 for the entry and hotel and i won 500 so it was a free vacation!! Theres more WPO's!

Cubanito i dont knwo if i would hurt myself shirt wise. I got so many that i have one for 220 to 300 lbs!! I thnk i will just stay heavy and get to 700 quicker. Then i will drop. After the Nationals i wont be 242 for awhile.

[solidj55]

Jay, IF it was me, and I was making good gains at a heavier weight then i would continue to keep training and setting PR's. Then if it came meet time and I thought I could do well in a class that I was close in weight to then I would compete in it, if nothing else just to see where I was. Then I would hop back on training at the heavier weight again and prepare for a BIG bench meet the next year. Thats just my opinion though.

[powerlifterjay]

Big Okie, and Solid i think i will stay heavy. A long term goal is more important then winnig a few dollars! Besides i need to stay big new night club is opening up first of Sept i and i am gonna be the door man!

[Vegas Kid]

Kinda off the subject but what are the weight classes?

[solidj55]

Good call jay!!!

[powerlifterjay]

JJ you are right. But i can always up my last time. But dropping weight takes it out of you, and i have really decided then i am not in it. I will do it next year and get a huge bench!! I mean lets say i got down to 220lbs, and hit 625 ish, and won 1000 bucks or 2000, would i be really happy? I dont htink so cause if stay big i may go into the nationals and hit 650 at 242. BUt by staying big i can do th efull power meet in Dec and maybe hit a high 600 bench. If i drop down i will hav eto rebuild...again. Not into it.

[Imnotdutch]

Originally posted by powerlifterjay
JJ you are right. But i can always up my last time. But dropping weight takes it out of you, and i have really decided then i am not in it. I will do it next year and get a huge bench!! I mean lets say i got down to 220lbs, and hit 625 ish, and won 1000 bucks or 2000, would i be really happy? I dont htink so cause if stay big i may go into the nationals and hit 650 at 242. BUt by staying big i can do th efull power meet in Dec and maybe hit a high 600 bench. If i drop down i will hav eto rebuild...again. Not into it.

For what its worth, heres my opinion.

I'd stay heavy and aim for big(ger) numbers. Do the work now......and reap the rewards in the future. You know you have 700+ in you so just do what you have to do to get it. You said yourself that dropping to 220 and winning some cash wouldn't be much of a reward, so why bother?Besides that, I get the impression that you want to do well in full meets....again the weight will help you there.

If you don't do this I can see us having the same discussion this time next year.......and the year after that etc.

[powerlifterjay]

I like that at the end Imnotdutch. We will be having the same conversation every year!! True!

[musclehed275]

That is a tough decision PLJAY! I was going up to 275, could only make it to 265, and that was after eating like a freakin pig! I was eating 7 huge meals a day, Eating chocolate donuts and milk at 2 A.M., millions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and gallons of milk and not to mention all of the pizza! I felt stronger, but felt like pure crap, and started getting a balloon head, and a gut! You remember i just made a comeback to powerlifting, and was allways hard and lean, then all of a sudden, i didnt want to wear tank tops, or take my shirt off! I started cardio, and ate healthy, and now im around 250..I will go 242, and you have seen the pics i posted, everyone at the gym, and when i go out, thinks im a bodybuilder, and my strength didnt hardley suffer at all!! Ill still hit 600 or better, wich is good at 242. Yes, mass does push mass, but most of the guys you see that are "chubby" to be nice, were fat guys that started to lift and were strong, and dont care about health or appearance! Is 700 worth looking and feeling like shit?? I would rather be strong and look good, and be able to lift when im old! In the 80's I porked up to 315 to lift in the senior nationlas, I look back, and think...I was one miserable bastard! I think you look thick and hard at 242! and your still as strong as balls!

[powerlifterjay]

Good to hear from ya bro! I am gonna compete at 242 but i am currently just taking my off season weight a litttle higher. I am not doing the WPO. That i have decide on. BUt with all my cardio i am doing i dont feel quite so sluggish at 260. I dont feel lean but i dont feel like shit either. People think you look liek a bodybuilder cause you do look like one! Hell man , you got a huge BB back ground. Belive me i wanna look like a BB but be a powerlifter. Well...an offseason BB!!

[musc2002pa]

I am one of those 'chubby' dudes. Some of us do care about apperance. I just love food too much. I have lost 12 lbs though since my last contest.

/chad
carolinapower.net

[IrishPower]

play.... i think you should stay in the 275 and then nail that high bench. cut after that and your strength wont move that far. i have done it before (not with those numbers you are talking though). your body remembers what it could push. half of doing a weight is knowing you have already done it too.

good luck bro!

/t

[Tapout]

stay heavy bro
hit your goal of 700lbs
i know deep inside thats your true goal if you drop weight to 220lbs and hit a 600+ you will be going backwards from what you want

220 is dropping alot--you dont have that much fat so alot of that drop will be hard earned muscle which with hard earned muscle comes strength so in turn strength will drop.
and at 220lbs you may run around the gym doing ab shots and i'm not sure i'm ready to see that from you

[Cubanito17]

LMFAO about tapout and the ab shots reminds me of the guy JAY was talking about that called him out at the gym. STAY BIG JAY hit 700 so I can say I PERSONALLY know a 700lb bencher.

[powerlifterjay]

Thats funny shit Tapout!! LOL man i wouldnt give ab shots if they looked like Lee priest! I am gonna stay heavy for off season but i ma gonna continue to drop to 242 a couple more times for meets. I am actually fixing to order me a closed neck shirt. I am tired of having it it or miss in these open backs. I hti a 550 in one beofre at 230lbs so i think i can manipulate the shirts to fit me for big weight.

One thing for sure is i am addictied to cardio , so thats now always in my regimen. I guess it means i can eat more!!

[IrishPower]

i hate to tell you this pljay, but if you still need cardio you are not training hard enough

are you guys going back to back on your workouts? we did today for ME low back day and i felt like puking the entire time. total workout length: 45 minutes

[powerlifterjay]

Irish, bro you will rarely find anyone that trains harder then we do. For me the Cardio is fun and i dont feel as sluggish wheni am actively doing it. That was my main reason for doin it to start.

Back to back? Days. Like ME one day and another the next? Not sure what you mean. But i will send tonights workout in and we trashed our low backs. We do speed , ME , off, ME, speed,

[Cubanito17]

HEY JAY how have you seen your strength increase or drop doin the cardio. And are you doing light cardio or intense like for how long?? And about the cardio do you do it on off days or lift days??? I've been wanting to throw it in to lean out a bit but I don't wanna lose strength.

[Tapout]

cubanito you are pretty cut now or at least you were when i saw you---why lean out more

[powerlifterjay]

Hey Tapout He is bigger now then before.

Cubanito i do it when i feel like it. Idont do it on Dead or leg day. Defintily the day after both. Last week idid cardio Sun,Mon,Wed,Thur.
It will be the same this week too. Except i may hit it on SAT instead of Sun. It last about 45min on average. I ride my mountain bike, or walk.

[bigokie]

Hey Jay. I think Irish means that are you not taking any extra rest between sets? Or are you going, then your partner, then you both take a minutes rest? Or is it just you go, he goes, you go, he goes and so on. I think this is what he means.

Are you going to get a closed neck shirt from Karins?

[powerlifterjay]

We take minute rest between sets. But since there is usually three of four of us we go in order back to back.

I am thinkin of geting a closed back denim. We'll see. I am torn on what to get. New squat suits, or shirts. I got shirts, and i need suits. I think i am looking for the magic shirt that really doesnt exist. If its tight and rebounds well its gonna be awkward. I need to just work in what i got i guess. BUt i still may get a new one to play with.

How are yours going? You got quite a little collection now yourself!

[Cubanito17]

TAPOUT jay is right i'm bigger now, when you saw me i was 176lbs @8-9%BF right now i'm 203 @10-12%BF the only thing that's stopping me from being back at 8% is my stomache when you saw me I didn't have a cut 6 pack but in the mornings it'd be noticeable now I can't even see my top 2 in the morning b/c i've been a lil sloppy on the diet. BUT hey fro strength wise it's workin for me but I do wanna cut it down a lil so I can stay in 198 and not have to go 220.

Thanks jay I think i'm start doing some cardio I hate running so i'll do walkin. Do you think boxing will be intense cardio if I do it for like 10 min(heavy bag) then walk for 30 min then go back and do like speed bag for 10 min? See the thing is i'm not all that much worried about the weight I just don't wanna lose the lil strength I have.

[powerlifterjay]

Hittin the heavy bag would be great cardio. Anythign to get your heart rate up.

And no havent lost strength ever doing cardio....urban legend!

[Cubanito17]

hey thanks man well i guess i'ma go ahead with the cardio and I was thinkin bout this today when i was at work and i thought to myself the best way to do the cardio and bring up my lat work was like right after school durin the week do lats/cardio lats first and then at night later on about 6 -8 hours after is when i'll do my regular workout.

Do you guys think this will affect my ME days by doing cardio/lats before my ME movement or will the 6-8 hours be enough time to recover within that time i'll probably go through 3 or 4 meals. I LOVE MY HUNGER FOR FOOD AND TO GET STRONGER!!!

[powerlifterjay]

Try it man. Be a inovator! I dont think it would hurt it. BUt it may leave you fatigued. I say try it, if it saves time and works with your schedule, do it. If it hindors in any way drop it.

[Cubanito17]

thanks bro, I guess the only way I'll know for sure is if I try. I thought about it last night talkin with the ol lady b/c I know she wanted to start doin cardio too,(a new ol lady) and I told her after school to come to my house we'll go out in the garage and box and then hit up the speed bag for about 30 min then walk down and back up my dirt road for like 15 min to cool off, but I will be doing lats on MON light(60%) WED heavy(90%) and then FRI lighter(30%) I use the percentages meaning how light i'm gonna go just to hit up my weak spots. And then after recoverin hopefully my lifts won't get hurt I might just skip the cardio on WED since it's ME SQ/DL days I don't think it'd be a good idea to fatigue my legs before a ME leg day.