The old fat guy work out!

["ronnybench"]

Raw Nationals July 27,2008
BWT 116 K/ 255lbs

squat
147.5 K/325 lbs
175 K/386 lbs
185 K/408 lbs

bench
147.5 K/325 lbs
160 K/353 lbs
167.5 K/369 lbs

deadlift
185 K/408 lbs
210 K/463 lbs
225 K/496 lbs

total
577.5 K/1273 lbs

Stuck to my game plan and went 9 for 9. I think I had one red ligth on my third squat. I will have to review the videos to confirm that. No other lifters @ M4 so I took the Gold with my openers. All four final numbers will go down as Raw National records for M4 275

All the Virginians did a great job.
Bill Lindsey injured his shoulder on his opening bench press and withdrew from the meet. The Virginian I did not know was Jacob Walker, and I left Greg Mendoza off my list, no slight intended. Greg had a good meet. Jacob Walker battled Jake Pope down to the last deadlift with Jake Pope coming out on top. I was really proud of him.

I would like to thank Jim Pope and Jake Pope for the Sunday squat clinics. Their help, friendship and encouragement have enabled me to improve as a powerlifter and grow as a person.

[John Shifflett]

Great lifting Ron 369 Raw Bench is excellent. Are you staying 275's for Bench Nationals?

I have entered the Bench Nationals in Raw and M-2 @ 220 I am really looking forward to the going to Charlotte.

["ronnybench"]

It is going to be a lot of fun John. I will probably be a light 275. I am not cutting weight any more for meets. My personal fitness program is now based on my waist size which is 39 now down from 47. However I stopped the creatine Sunday and will not be taking any for bench nationals, which should bring me in somewhere under 250. I will be opening raw and then putting on the shirt. Joe Marksteiner says you can do that and enter both classes if you wish.
Everybody in St Louis was already excited and talking about next years Raw Nationals in Charlottesville. I know I will be there for my last year as an M4.

["ronnybench"]

7/29/08 shirted bench night at the Freedom Center

flat bench
10xbar
5x135 close grip
3x175 close grip
3x225 close grip
1x315 wraps and belt


shirt (46)
425 x 3 did not quite touch
455 competition
475 torqued shirt up and it didn't quite touch

4 weeks to bench nationals had to get some shirt work in.

[al]

Great lifting Ron! Deadlifts were especially impressive!

["ronnybench"]

8/12/08
shirted bench night at the Freedom Center
out of town last week on assignment, it was good to get back in the gym.

flat bench
10xbar close grip
10xbar wide grip
10x135 close grip
5x225 close grip
1x275 wide grip
1x315 added wraps and belt
1x335
1x355

shirt (46)
2x425
1x455 competition
1x475 competition

reverse pec dec
10x80
10x100
10x120
10x140

standing barbell curls
3x10x65

[jimpope]

Ron,
It looks like you are still hitting hard for the Nationals. Best of luck at the Bench Nationals in two weeks. I will get in touch with you afterwards about workouts on Sundays. Good Luck!!!!

["ronnybench"]

8/19/08
shirted bench night at the Freedom Center

flat bench
10xbar close grip
10xbar wide grip
10x135 close grip
5x225 close grip
1x315 added wraps and belt
1x365 On Leigh's commands
1x385 couldn't get it off my chest

shirt (46)
1x455 On Leighs commands
1x455

reverse pec dec
10x80
10x100
10x120
10x140

standing 21's
3sets x45

["ronnybench"]

8/26/08
light bench at the Freedom Center, competition on Sunday so just wanted to keep the pump and mental attitude positive.

flat bench
10xbar wide grip
10x135 close grip
5x225 close grip
1x315 added wraps and belt,on Leigh's commands
1x325 on Leigh's commands

reverse pec dec ( to keep the impingement at bay)
3x10x80

isolation curls (so the guns look good walking back out to the car)
3x5x40 each arm

Leigh hit a Raw 135 pr and a shirted 175 in prep for her AAU meet. That is a new world record weight for masters 2 in the AAU.

["ronnybench"]

Bench Nationals 2008 Charlotte North Carolina

Here was my plan going in:
Open low, take raw and the M4 medals, then put something stupid on the bar and go for it. Actually this is not that bad a strategy, but my second lift would be to beat my raw number from St Louis because it would set the raw record higher, and then put on my bench shirt and try to beat the M3 equipped lifters for a place on the World team.

Broken down here was my plan and how it worked out:

Open with a raw 325 and take the gold in both the Raw and the M4. I did not know that the final roster listed in the program would have Michael Belk in the Raw division. This would mean Silver for me for raw. Before the session I advised him to take a lesson from the 181 results, I don’t know that it was on my advice but he lowered his opener at the last minute. Had he stayed with the 579 as his opener (he missed it on his second and third attempts) it looks like I would have gone home with two golds. I hit the raw 325 with no problems.
For my second attempt I raised the weight to 375 and again lifted raw. This is 2.5 kilos over my last lift in St Louis. Unfortunately it was also 2.5 kilos too heavy.
At this point I put on my Shirt (46). Kevin Hutchison (M3) had made his second attempt at 210 k/463 lbs so I went 212.5 k/468 lbs. I set up took the lift off held it for the start command, took it to my chest, held it for the press command, pressed it up (it slowed at the top but I locked it out), received the rack command and then stared at the light tree, three reds. As I left the platform Robb Grisham told me he called me for having my hands outside the rings. I told Dave Doan what Robb said. (Dave put my shirt on and was calling my numbers for me.) Next thing I know, Devan Doan tells me that her dad has lodged a protest, on the grounds that I should never have been given the start command if my finger was not on the rings. Dave asked Robb what he gave me a red light for and Robb answered with the ring call. Johnny Graham said he called me for having my head off the bench. The third judge would not respond except to say he gave me a red light. Dave went to the jury and they said that regardless off what the judges called I had my head off the bench and they denied the lift. Se La Vie, had the lift been good I would have secured a spot on the World team, however I will now have to wait to see if I get an invite as an alternate.

Final results: The 325 raw lift secured me the Gold in the M4 and the Silver in the 275 raw. both earned by opening light.

[jimpope]

Ron,
Congrats on the raw gold and silver. That third bench had some strange judging.....WOW!

Good Job!

Stay Strong
Jim

I will be ready to start squat at Dino's on Sept. 14, if you are up for it at that point.

[al]

Good Job Ron!

["ronnybench"]

Thanks Al and Jim.

Started at Fitness 19 in Manassas ($19 a month)
speed bench night

10xbar close grip
10xbar wide grip
10x135 close grip
3(3x3x225) rack and wait 15 seconds between triplets
3x3x175 rack and wait 10 seconds between triplets
32x135

decline in smith machine (not the best set up)
5x225
3x315

seated rows
3x5xstack

reverse pec deck
10x85
10x115
10x145

alternate hammer curls and incline curls dumbbells
3x10x10 each

["ronnybench"]

SEPT 5, 2008

My shoulder is impinging pretty good so we layed off bench tonight and worked back.

Seated rows
10x80
10x140
10x200

lat machine
10x 80
10x140
10x200

lat pull downs
10x 100
10x160
10x200

dumbell rows
3x5x80
each arm

shrugs off hack squat rack- stood on plate to increase distance
2x2x315 dual overhand
5x405
5x495
2x5x600
5x500
5x600

["ronnybench"]

Sept. 7, 2008

squats (hack squat rack)
10xbar
10x95
10x135
4x5x225

Haven't done squats since St Louis (5 weeks). Shoulders were not happy after Frdiays work out. It made it really hard to get under the bar.

leg extensions
10x100
10x135
10x145

leg curls
3x10x90

20 minutes on the eliptic orbiter

I probably will be pretty tight come tuesday morning.