Keosawa's Powerlifting Log

[mdewey]

Glad you can bench again, brosiff.

Hey can you repost the link to your blog/site/whateverwe'recallingit?? It didn't save in my favorites.

http://kylekeough.com/

 

[LegioTitan]

See there's the problem. Do you see how sneaky that URL is? How would I have ever guessed that. Lulz. Thanks mane.

 

[Keosawa]

Modified Agile 8

Squat
95x8
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x3
325x9
325x9
325x9
325x9

Deadlift
315x1x2
430x4
430x4
430x4
430x4

Squatting felt a lot easier than last week; my goal is to get through this week with no missed reps, then bumping the weights up ten pounds for a brutal final week before a wrapped max-test week.

 

[Keosawa]

Glad to hear your pec is coming along nicely.

Thanks--benching begins today, and I'm (cautiously) optimistic that I'll be OK.

Also are you updating the progress of your team members there? You guys have some really solid developmental lifters.

I have been planning on doing a post on our first intramural powerlifting meet, and so I think I'll do that today. We're growing bigger all the time, and our lifters are getting stronger--we could have over a dozen competing in April for us, which is pretty big for a powerlifting team.

 

[Keosawa]

Modified Agile 8

Squat
95x8
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x1
325x1
345x7
345x7
345x7
345x7
345x7

Paused Bench Press
Barx20
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x7
225x7
225x7
225x7
225x6
225x8

Brutal, but I made it.

 

[N00bLifter]

What do you mean with "i am doing everything in my power to get stronger" and "I am making a lot of sacrifices"? I wonder what that looks like, for a powerlifter. How do you do everything you can to get stronger besides training a ton like you do?

 

[Keosawa]

What do you mean with "i am doing everything in my power to get stronger" and "I am making a lot of sacrifices"? I wonder what that looks like, for a powerlifter. How do you do everything you can to get stronger besides training a ton like you do?

There is obviously a lot more that goes into any sport than just training, and I'm not sure why I have to justify that to anyone. But, since I've been called out, I will.

First, you should know how I live. I eat the same foods every day, with almost no deviation, and operated on a pretty strict diet year-round; I've been doing this for nearly the last three years, with no extended break. I also keep a regular schedule, which means I get eight hours of sleep every night, which means that my late-night social life is non-existent. This isn't a major sacrifice to me, but I've grown further apart from the large majority of my friends here.

Then there's the time I put into recovery. I probably spend at least an hour every day between icing and SMR, and getting ready for the next training session is a constant process.

Tack onto that the two or three hours per day I'm training at the gym (with the walk, it's usually three hours, or more), and a considerably amount of my day is spent just working on training. And when I'm not working on training, I'm running a powerlifting team with 45 members and a full competition schedule. And when I'm not doing that, I'm trying to put out information on youtube. Every night for me is essentially the same: at 3:00, I start preparing for training with my SMR; at 3:30, I leave for the gym. I train from 4-6ish and get back home, usually, by 6:30-7:00. I edit together the footage from the day's session and post it soon thereafter. Lately, this is also time I'm using to ice and roll again. So, from 3-8, my focus is on training.

This means that I've had to choose between academic afternoon functions and training, and I essentially decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to be able to put in the hours necessary to pursue a professorship while training like I wanted. I was far less passionate about the former, and so I gave up a career for this.

In order to eat how I want to, I'm probably spending $700 per month on food. I make $1500 per month as a graduate assistant, and most of the rest goes towards bills, so I have virtually no disposable income in order to live this way, but it at least gives me plenty of time to focus on my training.

And I'm in a lot of pain right now. Chronic pain in my shoulder, a nagging pec, and pain in my ribs whenever I squat. It's always this way, though, if the training is difficult; training becomes a constant process of managing what hurts.

And on top of all of that, I spend time answering people's questions, including the ones like yours that call me out.

TL;DR version: my entire life functions so that training can come first.

 

[NurseKnuckles]

700$? Thats a ton, bro!

Professorship and social life will liekly be there in the future if you really want it, your strength is more or less finite! You do some amazing things, Keo!

 

[N00bLifter]

There is obviously a lot more that goes into any sport than just training, and I'm not sure why I have to justify that to anyone. But, since I've been called out, I will.
.

Before I even start reading. My question was more because I am interested what has to happen to get to the point where you are at now. Not sure if this part of your writing was meant in a humorful way or not, just wanted to tell you that it was not my intention to call you out on anything. I have no idea what has to happen besides training, and that's why I asked the question. It's not often I can get some insides from an athlete.

First, you should know how I live. I eat the same foods every day, with almost no deviation, and operated on a pretty strict diet year-round; I've been doing this for nearly the last three years, with no extended break. I also keep a regular schedule, which means I get eight hours of sleep every night, which means that my late-night social life is non-existent. This isn't a major sacrifice to me, but I've grown further apart from the large majority of my friends here.

Then there's the time I put into recovery. I probably spend at least an hour every day between icing and SMR, and getting ready for the next training session is a constant process.

Tack onto that the two or three hours per day I'm training at the gym (with the walk, it's usually three hours, or more), and a considerably amount of my day is spent just working on training. And when I'm not working on training, I'm running a powerlifting team with 45 members and a full competition schedule. And when I'm not doing that, I'm trying to put out information on youtube. Every night for me is essentially the same: at 3:00, I start preparing for training with my SMR; at 3:30, I leave for the gym. I train from 4-6ish and get back home, usually, by 6:30-7:00. I edit together the footage from the day's session and post it soon thereafter. Lately, this is also time I'm using to ice and roll again. So, from 3-8, my focus is on training.

This means that I've had to choose between academic afternoon functions and training, and I essentially decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to be able to put in the hours necessary to pursue a professorship while training like I wanted. I was far less passionate about the former, and so I gave up a career for this.

In order to eat how I want to, I'm probably spending $700 per month on food. I make $1500 per month as a graduate assistant, and most of the rest goes towards bills, so I have virtually no disposable income in order to live this way, but it at least gives me plenty of time to focus on my training.

And I'm in a lot of pain right now. Chronic pain in my shoulder, a nagging pec, and pain in my ribs whenever I squat. It's always this way, though, if the training is difficult; training becomes a constant process of managing what hurts.

And on top of all of that, I spend time answering people's questions, including the ones like yours that call me out.

Man. That's dedication. Are you also training people yourself? Or do you want to become a coach in the future?

 

[Keosawa]

Before I even start reading. My question was more because I am interested what has to happen to get to the point where you are at now. Not sure if this part of your writing was meant in a humorful way or not, just wanted to tell you that it was not my intention to call you out on anything. I have no idea what has to happen besides training, and that's why I asked the question. It's not often I can get some insides from an athlete.

Okay--then I completely misinterpreted the intention of your post. There is an assumption from a lot of people that powerlifting is a bunch of fat guys rolling into the gym three times per week to do a few heavy sets in between pounding donuts, and I read your post as if you were suggesting that there isn't much that goes into the sport besides training. So, I'm sorry for coming across as hostile, as it was unwarranted.

 

[Keosawa]

700$? Thats a ton, bro!

Professorship and social life will liekly be there in the future if you really want it, your strength is more or less finite! You do some amazing things, Keo!

Yeah, it's fine--I have the Babyeater, and we keep each other sane. It's very difficult to have a social life here, since so much of it revolves around later-evening times--and alcohol. But yeah, it will get better, and I love my life, so I certainly feel it's worth it.

 

[N00bLifter]

Okay--then I completely misinterpreted the intention of your post. There is an assumption from a lot of people that powerlifting is a bunch of fat guys rolling into the gym three times per week to do a few heavy sets in between pounding donuts, and I read your post as if you were suggesting that there isn't much that goes into the sport besides training. So, I'm sorry for coming across as hostile, as it was unwarranted.

It's cool. I have been following your videos since I joined this forum and every video I hear you say you are hurting. I also didn't know there are people who have that assumption + It's the internet, lots of idiots plus people being rude. 1 + 1 equals 2, I understand you got a bit defensive there.

 

[LegioTitan]

Every. Single. Fucking. Day.

I swear to all that's good if my room mates ask one more time what I'm cooking I'll turn into a super-nova of hate and rage. THE SAME THING I DID YESTERDAY.

Know that feel brah.

Hey, at least your good at it and highly ranked

 

[Keosawa]

Man. That's dedication. Are you also training people yourself? Or do you want to become a coach in the future?

It's not something I talk about much on here because I don't feel good about spouting off about how dedicated I am. If it's true, people will see it without my saying so.

I don't train anyone, and I don't have any aspirations of being a trainer. But a coach? I like coaching, and I do a fair amount of it already. We have a lot of newer lifters, and I spend time working with them. My training is usually not straightforward and simple like the training of others: when I go to train, I'm inevitably spending some of my time working with someone else. When Babyeater started, I did her programming and walked her through all of the training; now, I'll help out the other members of our team when they need it. It's not a burden on me, but it does mean that I can't simply go into a training session and expect to be focused entirely on myself. That just isn't possible for me anymore.

But yeah, coaching is very rewarding. I'm not getting paid for whatever it is I do currently, and I don't need to get paid. My dream would be to form and/or be a part of a powerlifting team in a privately-owned gym.

 

[Keosawa]

It's cool. I have been following your videos since I joined this forum and every video I hear you say you are hurting. I also didn't know there are people who have that assumption + It's the internet, lots of idiots plus people being rude. 1 + 1 equals 2, I understand you got a bit defensive there.

Well, sometimes I can get overly sensitive. Powerlifting is an extremely petty sport filled with a lot of extremely petty people, and sometimes I read things pessimistically.

 

[Keosawa]

Every. Single. Fucking. Day.

I swear to all that's good if my room mates ask one more time what I'm cooking I'll turn into a super-nova of hate and rage. THE SAME THING I DID YESTERDAY.

Know that feel brah.

Hey, at least your good at it and highly ranked

I know. My mom will always ask me what I'm eating tonight, and iI want to say, "the same thing I've been eating for the last year, mom."

It can be lonely, because people on the outside don't understand it, and the large majority of my friends and family constitute "people on the outside."

 

[KnuckleSangwich]

Powerlifting is an extremely petty sport filled with a lot of extremely petty people

oh what ever do you mean?

 

[LegioTitan]

I know. My mom will always ask me what I'm eating tonight, and iI want to say, "the same thing I've been eating for the last year, mom."

It can be lonely, because people on the outside don't understand it, and the large majority of my friends and family constitute "people on the outside."

For sure man. They just don't get it.

Like last night I get in at midnight from training due to a late start. Well... I have to eat. So I'm up til 2:30. Thankfully my day job was called off due to weather so I could sleep.

People don't get it. As soon as you leave the gym from training you're getting ready to train again. Even way down here at my level if you want to make any real progress anyways.

And the second you skip something silly like SMR or something you'd normally eat and training isn't just the best thing ever that little thing is then in the back of your head saying "well, if you hadn't been slacking". COME ON.

Sorry, venting.

Is the PLing community very petty as well?? It's one of the major turn offs to the WLing community for me. I've intentionally avoided a lot of PL chatter though so...

 

[Keosawa]

On another note, powerliftingwatch released all-time raw rankings yesterday. These include every lifter, from every nation, from every documented competition, since the beginning. They ranked the squat, bench press, and total, but not the deadlift, since I guess unequipped deadlifting is too hard to verify.

So, this will give me something to shoot for. They missed including me for whatever reason (compiling this list is a massive undertaking, and it isn't perfect), but when that gets remedied, I'm going to be somewhere around #11-13 for the squat and #14 for the total. The list at the top for the total was about what I expected: Tony Conyers (1580), Rick Gaugler (1521), Rickey Dale Crain (1494), Joe Morrow (1482), Hsieh Tsung-Ting (1411), and Don Blue (1410). So, six lifters have broken 1400, which was about what I expected. I could have guessed five of the six, but I have no idea who Don Blue was (born in '34, lifts were done in '74).

It's a cool group, because three of these come from the 70s, one (Conyers) from '99, and Morrow and Tsung-Ting from the last few years. Tsung-Ting actually won IPF Raw Worlds with this total last year. His is the only total of the six done without knee wraps, though Conyers has totaled 1400+ without them on a separate meet.

So, this gives me a new standard with which to measure myself; it is weird to start to think about where I stand "all-time" in a weight class, but perhaps that new perspective will help me push my total higher.

 

[Keosawa]

oh what ever do you mean?

lol

I've been reading the Outlaw forum this weekend to get some of the multi-ply updates. That place is absolutely ruthless.