Letter of Intent Day

Justin and AC are traveling to Georgia today. I don”t know if he”ll get to comments and emails or not.

What are you going to do in 2010?

Today is 70s Big Letter of Intent Day where we commit to competition in 2010. It’s where we state our competitive goals for the coming year. If you’re already competing in something, stay the course. If not, browse the web, find a local comp, and circle the date.

I don’t want to hear any crap about how you can’t win. Competition isn’t all about winning at the amateur level as much as it is learning about yourself. Hell, I don’t win most of the stuff I compete it (in fighting, you have the added benefit of possibly breaking something or being choked unconscious), but I keep going back, and I get better every time.

Guess who did linear progression.

Guess who did linear progression.



Competition puts your training into focus. A date on the calendar forces you to taper your program (hell, HAVE a program), tweak your nutrition (especially if you’re in a weight class), and arrange your schedule (sleep comes to mind).

You also get instant feedback on your training program. You will quickly find out if you did too much or too little conditioning, spent too much benching and not enough squatting, or didn’t work your technique enough.

You also learn game day management. I’m talking about how to pick lifts, when to warm up, what and how much to drink before your event, and the myriad other things that don’t come up during training. This can ONLY be learned by competing. Most of it is learned by watching and asking other competitors, many of whom will become your friends.

Everybody reading this could at least do a PL or OLY meet. If you’re a CrossFitter, find (or host) a CrossFit Total competition (and make sure the damn thing is run correctly). If you’re not close to one of those places, find a training group, and enter a Tactical Strength Challenge. Find SOMETHING.

Finally, manage your expectations. If you’re squatting 400 in training, don’t open with 500. You probably won’t win your first time out, either. And that’s ok. But you’ll learn a lot that you can take back to the gym with you.

Consider Jared Allen your inspiration for the day.


I’ll go first:
• Win gold at the Texas Brown Belt Championships. I took silver last year, but I want the big prize.
• Get three scoring throws in the caber at a Highland Games. I won the novice division at a Games next year and threw the B caber for one score. I don’t expect to make any noise in the B’s, but I’d like to throw that damn pole.
• Go 100/130 at an OLY meet. This would force me to actually practice the lifts. Since I only do power versions of the lifts, this sounds pretty reasonable.
• Enter and finish a mountain bike race. It’s been four years since the last one.
• Schedule permitting, do either a Strongman competition or a Masters Track Meet.

75 thoughts on “Letter of Intent Day

  1. 1. Get BW to 175-185 (im 5”5””)
    2. Get Strong ( 400 Sq, 500 dl, 300 bp)
    3. Get into my 2nd Oly comp
    5. Avoid injuries (last 2-3 months killed my progress with a fucked up shoulder & one surgery. down to 145lbs from 160).

  2. Squat 400 (295)
    Press 185 (145)
    Bench 300 (230)
    Deadlift 475 (345)
    Keep BW around 200lbs
    Run a 5k every two months, shooting for a 25 min time.
    Row 2k in 7:15

  3. Cha0s/sushi –

    EAT THE DAMN FOOD. The skinnyfatness WILL go away, because you wont be so damn skinny. Eat the food. Read the book. STOP POSTING. Lift the weights.

    Please.

  4. I want to get to the 500 Dead 400 squat 300 bench/PC 200 press standard like everyone else. I”m currently about 100 pounds off of all those lifts. Is it still worth looking into Highland Games if I”m not that strong?

  5. Goals to be completed by the end of June 2010, I don”t think it makes sense to go as far out as a year because I just don”t know what will be possible:

    lift goal (current)
    Squat 465 (350×5)
    Press 205 (175)
    Bench 260 (315)
    Deadlift 465 (355×5)
    Power Clean 250 (220×3)

    I”ll do a CFT in June to get official maxes. I”ve taken a short layoff, so my plan is to re-run the linear progression and then proceed through the advanced novice and then texas method using singles and doubles instead of 5”s on the intensity days because the fives have never worked very long for me, so I am going to try using a more stark contrast.

    This is a great forum for everyone to be held accountable! Good luck to everyone!

  6. First and foremost, get through Marine Corps recruit training. 47 days until I ship out.
    Become an adult male, get my weight up from my current 155 to 200.

    Squats: 300x5x5 (Current: raw 205x5x5)

  7. Lifting goals:
    Squat-500 (currently 370x3x5)
    DL-600 (currently 400×5)
    BP-400 (currently 275x3x5)
    Press-225 (currently 182.5x3x5)
    Doing this all while whittling body fat off me to get to and maintain 225 lbs. (currently around 265 but probably 270 by xmas). Want to compete in PL meet this year, just not sure if Ill do one up here around the NYC area where I live, or do it back home in Florida. Just depends where I can find one that works out best.

  8. DL 500 (currently 440)
    Squat 400 (currently 330)
    Bench 300 (currently 230)
    OH Press 200 (currently 80, shoulder injury I”m rehabbing with Starr method).

    Also will enter a TSC, even if I have to hold it myself.

    Does anyone live-near or know about amateur strength events in the Northern VA or DC area?

  9. by next december I want to weight 200 lbs with at least a 1200 lb PL total of 500 dead 400 squat 300 bench

    currently 6”0″ 170 with a 1000 lb total of 405 dead 350 squat 245 bench

  10. Fucking Jared stole my line…”I like to party with two r”s”…he has been treading off my wit for years. His mullet is looking sweet for sure. I prefer the boogie nights Johnny Wadd look. It allows me to wear bell bottoms and party with two r”s.

  11. I thought Gant made this clear in his post, but training does not equal competition. Therefore, your training goals are irrelevant. In the WFAC, we have record boards for weightlifting and powerlifting. Those record boards display accomplishments in competition.

    You have your log book for training. You have competition for the important records.

  12. By years end i would like to weigh 225lbs (Currently 205) but keep a relatively in reason bf% (no higher than 25%). I would like to have a 1RM for these lifts:

    Squat: 410 (Currently at 255 3×5)
    Bench: 315 (Currently at 210 3×5)
    Dead: 500 (Currently at 355 1×5)
    Press: 200 (Currently at 130 3×5)
    Clean: 225 (Currently at 175 5×3)

  13. 1. DL 3X body weight (currently weight 170/DL 410)
    2. Play a season of super league rugby without major injury.
    3. Total over 230kg at a USAW meet while still in the 77kg class
    4. Wrestle a bear
    5. Have the players I train (UCD Men”s rugby team) be bigger, stronger and fitter than the competition.

  14. It”s not lifting, I know, but…
    I”m competing in the SoCal Crossfit Sectionals in March. I want to qualify for the Regionals in May.
    I have to get a lot stronger if I have any hope of showing.
    A lifting team invited me to join… dates may be coming…

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  17. My goal is a 1000 CFT by the end of this year. I am currently at 850 and my back squat is very weak compared to my deadlift, so I am using SS.

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