I clearly remember my first powerlifitng-related workout.  Needless to say, it was humbling on numerous levels.

I had just finished up a semester-long internship with the Ball State University athletic teams, and I realized that if I wanted to go anywhere in the industry, I needed to get stronger.

A lot stronger.

After being surrounded by behemoths for the past four months, I was serious about getting stronger and refining my craft.  My first day of powerlifting practice, I had a whopping 185 pounds on the bar, and I was doing sets of ten.

My knees caved, my back rounded, and the lactic acid pooled in my thighs – and this was only the first set!  It was single-handedly one of the worst training experiences of my life.  Then, it got a lot worse.

“Damn, look at Squat-o-saurus” bellowed AJ, a 300+ giant who had aspirations of playing in the NFL.  Needless to say, it was hard to come back with a rebuttal, as he had just maxed out at over 600 pounds the week before.

Unwilling to let someone like AJ get in my way, I finished my second and third sets.  My legs were absolutely smoked; and I knew the workout had only begun.

As I started to regain my bearings, I heard plates rattling in the rack next to me.  I was glad to know someone else was going through the same pain that I was.

Then, the humility really settled in.

In the rack next to me, 123 pound Michelle “Hamstring” Amsden was squatting 225 pounds for some of the cleanest ass-to-calves squats you could imagine.  Now granted, this girl was a freak and went on to squat 369 pounds and a bodyweight of 123, but it definitely didn’t boost my male ego.

By the way, 369 at 123 is 3x body weight for all you math majors out there.

I think I was literally sore for a week after this workout, but I kept coming back for more.  Almost 10 years later, I still love the feeling of a great squat workout, and I firmly believe that one workout started laying my training foundation for years to come.

What about you all?  Any classic “cut-your-teeth” training stories for the group?

Next up, I’ll discuss the most sore I’ve ever been after a training weekend.  Two words will help build the suspense: Westside Barbell.

Stay strong
MR