More ALKI Meet Pix !

Robo with Joe Mickelson---he laffs now--but later Joe will have to stand for 2 hours while Robert tries to pee for the drug test...can you embroider EMBARRASSED on my sox??

Another angle of the Great James Crawford !!
I 'warmed up' on the platform with my opener--
Jody Cranston --my son Zach, in the middle --and Nancy !
Great lifter Donna Delleree, Brian Baertlein, Steadman Mathis and Jungle Don James !
The Wieners and still Chimpanzees !!!
"Adjil" Deadlifts
Brian B. judged --he too, got up at 3 am to travel to Alki !
Is it Ita Pantilat?
what kind of "eating " grin??

the main website is up with the alki report unless you just came from there...the biggy is at MY UPDATE SITE click it

Yes, and scroll for more alki pix you may have missed below--plus the 562 video below loads and plays faster than the big one, up at power web main !

The 562 Video

My son Zach, shot this at Alki June 28th my smoothest and heaviest lift ever !!


click to play

Pictured is Jody Cranston with the lift off --and Champion Don James as head Judge.

(Zach Monroe camera)

562 Falls to the Bozo !!!!!!!!!!!!

Robert O. (Bench Bozo) Smith hits a perfect 562 WABDL World Record- !!
James Crawford got a MIND BOGGLING 804 LB Bench
Jody Cranston powered up a great 557 --triple bodyweight deadlift !
Nancy Carpenter was 148 class 47-53 Masters Canadian record breaker with an EASY 192 bench--she's lost 7 pounds at her new job--and is JUST as strong as when she was a 165'er...
This is the meet tee--for the LUCKY 12th annual ALKI meet --I've been to all of them..There were FANTASTIC Lifts by everyone at this meet yesterday--I have LOTS MORE Pictures and details at my POWERWEBSITE (click the Blue)

Elated BOZO (bench)

Last pre Seattle, Heavy Workout !

Sunday I went to Nancy's place for a heavy workout--the final one before Saturday the 28th on Alki beach in Seattle--the workout was for both Nancy and I as we needed to tune up our form and get an idea of our openers...

I warmed up with the usual boring dance card --but I concentrated on setting up --pausing more and trying to put some speed on the bar..
225 X 12
260
285
308
330
330
350

then I put on my loosest Katana--and benched a nice and easy 507 which might make a good opener...then rather than struggle to put on the 'serious' shirt--we strung up reverse bands AND I stayed in the loose shirt--then I did easy
550
562
and 573 singles...

Yes, I know with both a shirt and reverse bands I'm getting a TON of assistance--but again it was to feel the heavier weights with confidence and give my hand off stalwart, Bruce Everett, a break from having to shrug all that poundage at 6 pm on a Sunday...
I finished out with reverse bands alone for heavy weights and higher reps...

Nancy warmed up raw, to what her Shirted lift used to be --and then she put on her shirt and worked her way to a PR 205 pounds (her WABDL CDN record is 198) so she is set for ALKI--except for an injured hand (happened at work) she will tough it out for the meet...and I'm sure, have a great lifting day !

Thanks to Bruce for coming to help on a day where he had already worked out...and didn't get the 'bonus' of using the great calibrated IVANKO'S in Nancy's gym...

Jody Cranston is going to deadlift huge !!! JODY'S SITE
Jane Smith, an IPF Masters champ is Benching.
Nancy Carpenter is benching.
and I might go for 562 as a WABDL world record IF the day is right !!

You'd think I'd 'pour it on' in Seattle, as that was a 2nd hometown for me--I did bad things to RADIO in that town for 17 yearsMy daughter and son were born in Seattle --and some of my favorite radio, TV and stand up gigs were in that town...
Funny--MOST of my lifting friends down there had never heard my radio days--one time I wondered why?---explanation mostly given...they were not IN Seattle in those early years (they migrated) and EEK--2nd most embarrassing reason ... "They weren't BORN yet !!

who's an OLD DOG??

Who is??

good robo--fetch--roll over--

I wasn't always...as you see me now !

'Self Porktrait' by me
One of the greatest lines in movies, and it has been used in many...is when an older person, or a 'Bemonstered creature' will turn to another character, and say...
"I wasn't always...as you see me now !"
Well, I now get to say that too..when comparing my recent contest photos and videos to my youth I guess I'm in the same boat--no, hell, I'm the CAPTAIN of that boat.

As indicated by me at 16 ---Gee what is this? me with an Elvis, Bodybuilder complex??--yeah--i guess --but I really was only a lifter...I had a 310 continental Clean and Jerk at the time of this photo...this was an 'after' photo...I had been 240 pounds 3 months earlier--I think I was 185 lbs here...

Then at 44 --I tried to come back to lifting as a powerlifter...believe it or not ...I was PROUD of a 400 squat 280 bench press and 500 deadlift at 220...hah...
can you say weasel??
Now I understand why someone once mistook me for Officer Columbo (Peter Falk) when I was visiting Los Angeles---anyway it's odd to be a geezer at 65 and not even recognize yourself in your "previous life"--question is...is a 556 bench press worth being 306 pounds and the Lord of the Girdles???

for the time being --yes...
but the health risks do bug me.... "He Died of Cheese "


Thursday, I did speed benches up to 345 pounds--Sunday nite I workout at Nancy's Place and will hit maybe 5 or 6 500+ singles in preparation for Alki on the 28th

Today's Heavy workout, and more Arizona Pics !

When in Arizona, I ran into my brother...he hadn't seen me since the 'Bisontennial'

Today was the first time in the gym since my 556 lift in Phoenix--I did some good warm ups --225X10 308X3 330 330 350--

then the shirt...
did an easy 500 then 518 --
this was to test what opener I should use in a few weeks at the ALKI meet...

These lifts were pretty easy --BUT not rockets...

I figure I'm still recovering from the sleep deprivation on my trip to Phoenix...the rest of today's workout was reverse band benches with varied reps and weights--in total, I had a workout that went into 'recovery' more than progress...next Sunday we work at night one more heavy workout before the 12th annual Bull Stewart WABDL meet on the beach in Seattle.

My travel to Phoenix was primarily planned to get a chance to visit my daughter, Grand daughter, Son in law, and other family, in the mountains 4 hours from Phoenix--
Here's my Daughter, Justine, and my Grand Daughter, Ashly, in front of a classic Studebaker Avanti from the 60's --there was a big celebration in town...so I'm lucky enough to see my two Favorite people in the world and my favorite (or ONE of them) CAR of all time !

Another show car !...and it's people..

I was interviewed on the radio...on Barbara Bruce's show on KVWM--the interview went very well...with me being funny, and only very slightly, making an ass of myself.

More car show --but this was right outside the hotel in Phoenix
This is art work that my daughter created that is showing in the Two Raven's Gallery in her town !--I'm very proud of her work !!

All in all, it was a great trip with my daughter, and family seeing me hit my 556 lift in the National Push Pull Championships... and then great timing, as I hit the big yearly town celebration, in her home community in the White Mountains.

more meet stuff below...and on the web link to my main website power page !

Phoenix VIDEO with notes

Titan Katana the secret of my success !

Yes, that and my training crew in Vancouver, Bruce, Nancy and Jody !
and my helpers in Phoenix the day of the meet, Gene Knight and his son Zak--Zak took care of my nervousness by getting the shirt in place, helping with warm ups and lifting off perfectly !! Thank You Zak !!


556 WABDL World Record

Before I have you play the clip, I have a raft O' Splainin' to do !
The rules of the day were altered due to missing safety bars, so Gus allowed the middle spotter to stay with the bar (hands around-not touching) this is a no-no normally --but some heavy lifts were attempted 650-750 and without the supports we had to relax the rules for the safety of all..

What you see and hear in my clip is me rocketing the bar off the chest..getting to within and inch of lockout, locking out and the rack signal (not heard on recording --due to enthusiastic encouragement ) the bar being taken crookedly ...you'll hear my daughter, Justine Wintersmith camera woman, seeing one red light--moaning--then seeing 2 whites and saying yay as the crowd happily cheers...but I had told her to turn the camera off when the bar was racked...so the audio playback missed the celebration...

556 it was a good lift -2 to 1

-but this video is confusing with the spotters allowed on THIS day to stay so close to the bar...

more on this meet at my website NOW

CLICK HERE

...some good pictures and more info--then it's training for Seattle in just 2 weeks !!

BTW --I weighed in at 303 !! (helping me win the best lifter masters sword below--54 plus masters)

556 Is my New World Record !!

I made the big lift I was after in Phoenix !! 556 was my 3rd attempt and a 2 white one red success ! Here's a shot of my Trophy and Best lifters sword and my measly 485 Opener--Next stop --Alki on the 28th more when I get home !

Syncro your Scales...5 days n' counting !

" No room for dinner... there are Trophies here !"/photo BY Bert Merriman
Last week I 'made weight' and some room to spare (tire?)
306.4 in the 308.5 class...for the WABDL Bench Press Championships in Phoenix.

But for last Saturday's workout I added carbs to my diet to try to replicate my conditions at the meet...IE: swell up to fill out the shirt...after DEPLETING.
Next day I was 307.8 --hmmm--too close to the limit for my taste..
so I went back to a strict Atkins induction format...next day...307.4
then today indications had me at 306.8
BUT, the scale I use is an inexpensive digital scale, that has ALWAYS been 3 pounds heavy --so when I say 306.8--the scale is reading 309.8 and I mentally subtract 3 pounds --this has always worked and been bang on....but today, I thought what if the battery in this scale is getting weak and the scale is erroneous?? so I thought--go to a place near me..
any place that might humor me...
and say "can I step on your scales?" first idea on the street would be the gym --they don't have one, or they think I'd break it..
or a doctors office or clinic...
WAIT !!! WHAT IF I go to Doctor Bernstein's weight loss clinic and pretend to be interested in the 'program' then they'd let me use the scale...
remember I just wanna know how outta wack MY scale is...
by comparing it to a calibrated one..
so after I do my speed workout--fully clothed with shoes, wallet, keys, suntan goggles etc. I enter the office and timidly ask to try the scale..and they sweetly oblige....so 306--310--it ends with 311.8 --(like on America's Biggest Loser)-
AHA--311.8 --
I thanked them very much and glanced at a brochure and it said $27.00 an injection.. WHAT??
an INJECTION????
you mean this Bernstein thing is a drug diet?? Holy Von Moley and The Arched eyebrows !! Ya learn sumpin everyday !
When I got home, I syncronized my scales by finding that MY scale was off by 2.5 pounds NOT 3...
so now I know to cut it closer and be careful with the last minute fatitude...

Speed bench was really good--No Bands today--warm up with bar 50 reps fast
135 12
205 4 reps 3 sets VERY FAST
275 4 reps 3 Sets VERY FAST
325 4 reps 2 sets..still VERY FAST
345X1
365X1 feather light--
most of my workout was really based on the set up and proper arch technique...

makes me feel like it will be an easy meet after all !
might blog from Arizona IF the results are worthy !