While the fellas were weighing in on Friday, Jennifer Thompson was busy with a World Record performance in the NAPF Raw Challenge. This is a video of her final deadlift, but she had alreadysquatted 142.5/313.5 and benched 136.5/300.3. That’s right, a woman weighing right under 132 lbs benched 300 lbs. Sounds like some of you need to step up your bench game, huh? This video is of her final deadlift at 195kg/429lbs. Amazing.

The Pro GNC Deadlift Competition is an invitation only event where the only contested lift is the deadlift. 15 men are selected along with 8 women. There are two scoring categories: 1) absolute weight and 2) Wilks formula. The criteria for selecting participants are:

 Men’s Competitor Criteria: Minimum 320kg Deadlift and Minimum 200 Wilks Score
 Women’s Competitor Criteria: Minimum 200 Wilks Score

The event occurred on the main stage inside the expo and was fantastic. The seating was good yet there was plenty of standing room. The music was loud, the announcers were solid (they were the same guys at the NAPF Raw Challenge that our guys lifted in), and the energy was high. Here are some notable lifts (I wasn’t able to record everything).

Kimberly Walford pulled 512 weighing 136 pounds! (not my video)


Ian Bell pulled an amazing 810 pounds at 19 years old and 196 lb body weight!


Brad Gillingham, who is a living legend, wrecked shop as usual. Here’s his second attempt at 826:


And Gillingham’s third attempt at 837. He’s 45 years old! Seeing him lifting in person was an experience.


Other notables include Carl Yngvar Christensen (pulled 832 on third, Gillingham went up 2.5kg to beat him) and Alyssa Hitchcock (who is attractive, here’s a vid from 2011). Everyone was notable in this competition; they wouldn’t be in it if they weren’t.

As most of you know, the Arnold Sport Festival occurred this past weekend. This post will be a quick synopsis of the weekend and focus on the event instead of our experiences. Chris, Mike, and Alex (the three friends who I coached in the raw powerlifting meet) got there Wednesday, Brent, his lady friend, and I got there Wednesday. Ellee Carlson (who is head of the 70’s Big Chicago Chapter) also got in on Thursday. Jeremy Wolfe and friends (Mel and Bijan) got in late Thursday night. This was our hang-out nucleus throughout the weekend but it would split apart depending on the schedule.



Overall, it was a fantastic weekend, albeit busy. Any time spent with my friends was a good one, but there were many events and spectacles that were very fun. I would highly recommend that everyone actually make plans to attend next year (many of you were unable to attend because of work or cost). If you read this website, then you have an invested interest in all things strength, power, fitness, training, and having a good time. “The Arnold” portrays all of that and more. There simply isn’t an event that has what The Arnold has: powerlifting, professional deadlift, professional strongman, Olympic weightlifting, various products to purchase, and every big name associated with every sport and activity.

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PR Friday
Post your weekly training updates or PR’s to the comments.

Chat Room
This is the link to the chat room we’ve used in the past. Feel free to loiter and hang out in it during the various Arnold meets and competitions. Keep an eye on Facebook but mostly Twitter for updates.

Weekly Reading List
This is stuff that I read this past week that I think you will enjoy.
[spoiler]
John Welbourn weighs in on slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.

Rudy from Outlaw CrossFit talks about his CrossFit programming.

Interesting article by Eric Cressey on how the lats can be too tight and cause problems. It’s not relevant to everyone, but understanding what tight lats do is important. Also, hitting up MobilityWOD.com regularly can alleviate these systems, especially 5 Way Shoulder.

Good post by my homie Dr. Michael Hartman about overtraining and under-recovery (from the Pendlay forum).

Prilepins Chart can help you determine rep ranges in training if you’re unsure what to do.

Dave Tate Periodization Bible Part I

Dave Tate Periodization Bible Part 2
[/spoiler]

Onward to the Q&A…
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Mongol General: Hao! Dai ye! We won again! This is good, but what is best in life?
Mongol: The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
Mongol General: That is good! That is good.

We all know the quote well and good. But do you UNDERSTAND it? Do you GET it?
I DON’T THINK YOU DO.

No, it just doesn’t mean you try to win. No, it just doesn’t mean you try to do your best. You go out there, and you find that fucking dog!

You aren’t supposed to just have another day, walking in circles. Nay, good sir, you step to the challenge of the day, kick in the door, toss a flash bang, sweep your sectors and put two precision rounds in the brain or heart of that THING, that fucking THING, that stands in the way between you and success.

CHOP YOUR FEET — that fullback is comin’, he’s comin’, he’s gonna meet you in the hole. WHO’S GONNA WIN? YOU OR HIM? WHO’S GONNA GET LOWER? BLOW THAT ISO UP, SON!

Hmm, what I’m trying to say is that when your horse isn’t doing his job because he catches the scent of a mare in heat, you un-sheath your glistening broad sword and CUT HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF. Wait, no, that doesn’t explain it.

Arnold voice:
There are doubters, naysayers. They say that you shouldn’t break the rules. They say you should be afraid to fail. You can’t always win, but don’t be afraid of making decisions. Believe in yourself to keep pushing. NEVER LISTEN TO “YOU CAN’T”. ONLY LISTEN TO YOURSELF WHEN YOU SAY “YES, YOU CAN.” Muhammad Ali was once asked, “How many sit-ups do you do?” He said, “I don’t count my sit-ups, I only start counting when it starts hurting, because that’s when it really counts. That’s what makes you a champion.” Someone out there is working harder, and someone out there is getting smarter. They are winning. Just remember that. SLEEP FASTER, I WOULD RECOMMEND, AUUGHHHAUUGHHHH!

What is it that you want to do? What is it that you want to accomplish? What the FUCK is standing in your way? Why are you letting it stop you? The 500 pound squat? The dream job? WHAT EXACTLY IS STOPPING YOU FROM DOING IT? A horde of 10,000 Uruk-Hai, no less. Better to just sit this one out, right? After all, it’s safer. Oh, uh, excuse me sir? Kindly leave. Because WE’RE BUSY SHARPENING OUR SWORDS!

You will have to fight every god. damn. inch. You are all on your own. You will be beaten bloody. You will hang by a thread. But in that moment when you think you are too weak to continue, when you lie in a handful of dust, and when you have all but given up hope…you will rise. You will grit your teeth. You will clench your fists. And you will continue fighting. Because it’s too easy to die.

So, c’mon you apes! You wanna live forever?