Mark Rogers is a personal trainer and president of Austin Simply Fit in Austin, TX – he doesn’t mess around with fitness. He played collegiate level and semi-pro football and now competes as an elite powerlifter.
He recently competed in the APF Texas Cup in Waxahachie, TX where things didn’t quite go as planned. He learned a valuable lesson as it relates to hydration and rest but fought through to set a new PR. He was kind enough to share his experience with us, so we hope you enjoy!
Heading into the APF Texas Cup, I felt stronger, bigger and more confident than ever. Then, there was the unknown; REST. To make a long story short, two major events (Lucas Orosco’s MMA Fight and The APF Texas Cup) were scheduled within 15 hours of each other, which were supposed to be 8 days from each other. A huge congratulation goes out to Austin Simply Fit’s own Lucas Orosco for winning his second fight and remaining undefeated in MMA action. The fight was in Humble, TX, and the powerlifting meet was in Waxahachie, TX.
After a combined total of 8 hours driving and only 5 hours of sleep, I started warming up for the squat at about 11:00am. All of the usual weights felt fine until I did 495lbs. At that point, I realized that this may be a long day. The opening attempt for the squat was 600lbs, and I grinded it out as if I was taking my third attempt. Unfortunately, it was my first one, and it would be my only successful attempt as 660lbs held me down the following two tries. To this day, I cannot shake the echoes of “your performance will be at least 10% less if you are dehydrated and/or not rested,” by Adrien Paczosa of iLivewell Nutrition Therapy.
Moving on to the bench press, her words continued to ring true. I was feeling weaker than usual. The first attempt was 407lbs, and the third attempt was also 407lbs. The first was stalled. The second dipped a little, and then I was able to lock it out. The third attempt soared as if it was an opening weight. Oh, wait a minute, it was an opening weight. Paczosa’s 10% rule wins again, as I was predicting 445lbs on the bench press. At this moment, I was wondering why I had even showed up to lift.
Competition and beating the odds are exactly why I registered. There were some extenuating circumstances that assisted in the subpar performances on the first two lifts, but I managed to find a fire and desire for what I was doing. By the third lift, I had had four 32 ounce bottles of Gatorade and as many ounces of water. I stepped to the platform for an opening deadlift of 500lbs and ripped it clean. Determined to break a personal record, I asked for 567lbs, which was 5 pounds more than my previous competition best pull. Again, with little effort, it was a solid lift. Six hundred pounds was a number that has beaten me the last two competitions; it has left me hanging just above the knees each time. I called for it, bound and determined, and I smoked it. The silver lining was added to the dark cloud that hung around all morning. Apparently, the 10% hydration and rest rule has solid evidence and proof, since my numbers reflect exact percentages.
To sum it up, it was a fairly solid day under the bar, and I know that there is a lot more potential left. It’s time to re-evaluate training, nutrition and recovery in order to get ready for the next meet in San Antonio December 17th. A huge thanks to all of my corporate sponsors: Austin Simply Fit, CryoStudio of Austin, Muscle and Brawn, iLiveWell Nutrition Therapy, and Athlete’s HoneyMilk.
- Mark Rogers
Have you had a similar experience where life’s circumstances effected your game-day performance? What happened and how did you overcome it? Let us know in the comments below.
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