Yesterday I competed in the 2021 USAPL Winter Games of Texas at Texas Strength Systems in San Antonio.

This was a powerlifting meet of many firsts. It was my first meet since July 2019. It was my first meet during COVID. It was my first USAPL meet. It was the leanest I've been for a powerlifting meet, weighing in at 86.5 kg (with a same-day weigh-in). It was my first meet in Texas. It was my first time competing without my coach physically there (though Jane filled in), so it was the first time having to determine my own attempts. It was my first time getting 100% white lights.

Squat

My best squat was 227.5 kg (502 lb) at RPE 9. I probably could have done another 5-10 kg, but it would have made my deadlifts more difficult. This is the first time I've squatted more than 500 lb, and it was a big improvement over my gym PR or 480 lb and meet PR of 474 lb.

Bench

My best bench press was 155 kg (342 lb) at RPE 9.5. Prior to this, my gym PR was 330 lb, and my meet PR was 331 lb.

Deadlift

My best deadlift (and last attempt) was 242.5 kg (535 lb) at RPE 9. Prior to this, my gym PR was 525 lb, and my meet PR was 518 lb. After my second attempt of 232.5 kg (513 lb) was a little harder than I expected, I decided to play it safe to lock in a new PR. I probably could have squeezed out another 5-10 kg.

Total

My total was an easy 625 kg, for a 25 kg jump over my previous total. I'm pretty happy with the results, especially given that I competed more than 10 lb lighter than at my previous meets. My only regret is not going for a bigger deadlift PR.

This year I plan to cut another 10 lb to further improve aesthetics and to fall comfortably into the 83 kg weight class.