I attended LTT 6 last May and it was really great! I must say, that LTT 7 far surpassed LTT 6! The seminar got off and running on Friday afternoon with the presentation and roundtable portion. I thought the presentations were all fantastic and very relevant and informative to powerlifting. Usually I don't do well with sitting through presentations but I found the afternoon just flew by and I felt like I obtained so much valuable knowledge!
I loved the presentations, but for me, the real fun began on Saturday when we actually got to go to the compound and lift! I'll be honest, I was a little uneasy this time around because Brandon and I were in different groups. He got the opportunity to join the nasty group, which was too good of an offer to pass up! I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty introverted. More so than I would like. I'm most definitely a type B personality and frankly, I just don't really like to put myself in situations where I don't know people. It's not that I am by any means unfriendly, just the quiet, keep to myself type. So needless to say, being in a group without Brandon was going to force me to step out of my shell a little bit and meet people on my own.
I was in a really great group with some excellent coaches such as David Allen, Molly Edwards, Mick Manly, and Steve Goggins. I was most excited to work with Molly; I think it's really cool to meet other female lifters, especially ones who are as strong and talented as she is. We got underway with the squat portion of the seminar and I could immediately tell it was going to be an awesome day. Not only did I have great coaches helping me, I also had some really fantastic group members that I got to know a little bit and also get some good tips from. I hadn't really planned to go for PR's since I had just competed a few weeks ago and hadn't fully gotten back into training yet. Squats were feeling really good. I decided to take an attempt at 185 and then call it quits. Mick asked me what my current PR was to which I responded 187. He ended up sneaking an extra 2.5 lb. plate on each side without me knowing it so I could get a PR! Sneaky, sneaky. After successfully completing 190, I knew I could do 200 and finally achieve a big goal I've had. I took a few minutes to rest while the other group members lifted then squatted 200 successfully for the first time in my life!! I was so happy to have finally gotten that big squat and I was also really happy that Brandon had come over to check on me about that time so he got to see it too!
After squats we transitioned into bench. Bench press is a very hit or miss lift for me. I was really excited to get some good tips from my coaches to hopefully improve this so I can have more good days with it. I worked up to 115 lbs. and it didn't feel light but not terribly heavy. Molly Edwards seemed to take a special interest in me for this lift and helped me go for a PR 125 lbs. I missed the lift but she gave me some excellent pointers to implement from now on. I know 125 is very attainable in the near future.
After the benching we took a lunch break and I met up with Brandon. Turns out he and another guy in the nasty group were competing for a sponsorship with Elitefts! How cool is that? Whoever had the highest coefficient at the end of the day would be sponsored. I knew this had been a dream of Brandon's for quite sometime. He had smoked 500 on squats and still had the other two lifts left to complete. I couldn't wait to see how the rest of his day played out; I just knew he would come out on top!
After lunch we got back to it with deadlifts. My coaches did a lot of work on my form, which I greatly needed and appreciated! I only worked up to 155 and paid very close attention to my form and set up. Dave Tate joined our group for this lift and it was awesome to get one on one help from him! After we got done deadlifting there was some time devoted to accessory exercises. I wandered over to the GHR station for a bit to listen to Julia Ladewski talk about one of my favorite exercises. Then I went over and watched the nasty group deadlift. B stepped up to the platform and pulled 505 like it was nothing for a nice little PR. His next attempt was 525. He ended up missing 525 twice, but put forth an amazing effort, just like he always does. The nasty group finished up and B ended up having the lower coefficient for the day. I felt a little disappointed for him because I knew how much that sponsorship would mean to him but at the same time he walked away with a HUGE squat PR, an awesome number on bench, and a deadlift PR; that's certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Regardless of what the coefficient said, Brandon is always a winner in my book.
The day was getting ready to wrap up with the Q&A session with Dave Tate. Dave called Brandon and his opponent, Casey up to the platform and announced he would be sponsoring them BOTH! What a perfect way to end the day. I am so beyond happy for B and so proud of all he has accomplished. He has worked so hard and truly deserves this opportunity more than anyone I know. I am so thankful for all the help he has given me over the years and I am just so thrilled that he is taking me along for this journey with him.
LTT 7 was such a great experience and I am so glad I got to attend. Not only did I meet so many amazing people, but all the proceeds went to the Make a Wish Foundation, which is a cause I personally love. I'm so happy that I was able to be a part of making a child's wish come true. I took home a ton of valuable knowledge, a PR, and learned that even though I might be an introvert, I can still come out of my shell and make friends. My hope is that I can take the knowledge I have obtained from these seminars and pass it on to others. At the end of the day that's what it really is all about; live, learn, and pass on!
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