Greetings!
Once again, it was that time of year. Last weekend, Team Protocol made its annual trip to compete in the 100% RAW Powerlifting American Challenge. This was our third time competing as a team and we were very excited to defend our Master’s National Championship from last year, as well as add to the total of state, national, and world records that have come out of our facility.
Now before we get started, one of the most important things to note is that we have exactly zero elite lifters at The Protocol. Neither Nike nor Adidas called any of us at the end of the meet to offer an endorsement deal. The people who train here are your typical run-of-the-mill desk jockeys who came to us to learn how to move a little better and become a little stronger. As their strength and skill increased, so did their confidence. Soon their desire to get onto a competition platform grew as well. As you read this month’s post and look at some of the numbers, please understand two things: Powerlifting records are separated by each federation and are based on age and weight class. Also, the federation we compete in, “100% RAW”, does not allow any supportive lifting gear (bench shirts, squat suits, knee sleeves, etc. are not allowed). Some of this gear can add significant amounts of weight to one’s totals. The only gear our lifters are allowed are wrist wraps and a belt… and some don’t even use that. I’m not here to argue about the differences in federations and geared vs raw lifting. All I’m saying is that in my studio we only teach raw lifting.
In a world of ‘muscle confusion’, ‘constant variety’, and ‘random acts of exercise’, it’s not particularly easy to zero in on a few key exercises and practice them until proficiency is attained. In this month’s post, I’d like to take some time to honor the hard work, discipline, and dedication that these students from our facility put into their training to accomplish these awesome feats.
All weights at the competition are in kilograms, so some of the numbers may look strange because they have been converted into pounds.
Let’s start with ladies first…
Dennise Larios has been competing on Team Protocol for three years now. At a 95 pound bodyweight, she squat 88 pounds, bench pressed 66 pounds, and deadlifted a world-record 215 pounds! That’s more than double bodyweight! You can see from the photo below she was quite happy…
Roxanne Chance had her first experience on the platform and set state records in all three lifts as well as lifting total. She is 61 years young and weighs just over 100 pounds. She squat an impressive 105 pounds, benched 66 pounds, and deadlifted an awesome 154 pounds!
Ashley Seeber is a young lady who joined us to train specifically for this meet. She is a fitness instructor and was already a knowledgeable lifter before coming to us. She wanted to take her skills to next level, which she did, setting 3 personal bests! She squat 171 pounds, benched 94 pounds, and pulled a big 265 deadlift!
Lu Ann Posey has been with The Protocol for a little over a year now and has become incredibly strong in a very short amount of time. She took state records in all three lifts and a world record in the squat and deadlift! She squat 116 pounds, benched 83 pounds, and pulled an awesome 204 pound deadlift! She also had a fun day back at the office the next day…
Lydia Crain also had her first experience on a powerlifting platform. I’ll let her tell it in her own words…
It’s been a few years since I attempted any athletic competition wholeheartedly. And if you had asked me last year if this was going to go down, I would have laughed — too old, too fat, too busy, too tired, too afraid, too broke, too “hell-no” to even think about training and competing in a powerlifting competition.
And then, I just got tired and maybe a little desperate for something about myself to be different, better, or stronger. The past 10 months have really been just ME-v-ME in the gym week after week, and then on the platform. While the battles to fight were my own, I never fought them alone. My home squad and dear friends have cheered on every moment, asked with interest about my progress, and encouraged me when I was frustrated or dispirited. My gym team is fun, hard-working, inspiring, and knowledgeable.
I have been inspired by lifetime lifters; athletes who have overcome unbelievable injuries, chronic medical concerns, or personal obstacles; “mighty mites” who weigh in at 100 lbs soaking wet; and rookies just like me. Most of us have more miles on the odometer than a Toyota. Everyone here is just trying to be a little better every day than the day before and help make the world a better place. Ironically, that doesn’t happen by being soft, it happens when we are strong.
Thank you, Jerry. It was an honor to participate with Team Protocol.
You have changed the trajectory of my life.
To borrow a phrase from a master, Pavel Tsatsouline, “Strength has a greater purpose.
Lydia hit PRs while simultaneously hitting state records in all three lifts and total. She squat 132, benched 99, and deadlifted 226.
Pam Ferree already captured the world record deadlift in her age/weight class last year, but was red-lighted (term for a “no-lift”) for not squatting deep enough when she tried to beat the world record squat of 187. Not this year! She squat 209 and broke her old deadlift record with a new record of 320!
Linda is also a veteran of The Protocol as well as a long-time competitor. She had an all-time best performance on the platform this year capturing state and world records in all 3 lifts and total! She squat 226, benched 127, and deadlifted 298!
Now on to the men…
Even coaches need coaches. For me, it’s my friend, training partner, and best man at my wedding, Aaron Maddox. He and I trained together for this meet and he hit some awesome PR’s. He squat 320, benched 215, and deadlifted 358.
Stephen Portell had a rough year personally with injuries and the loss of several close family members. However, he was able to find strength in the gym that carried over into daily life. Here’s Steve…
With my first meet completed, I find myself emotionally overwhelmed. I brought home some hardware for my age/weight division, but the real gifts were the camaraderie and genuine love on this team.
You don’t “win” alone. Thanks to Coach Chad Robinson for his support, inspiration and guidance. Your words before the meet struck home for me. Thanks to Coach Jerry Trubman who whupped monkey *** in this meet and helped me come back from injuries and personal losses that crippled me for a time. Thanks to my teammates, and a special thanks to Chris Goodwin who helped me train and is one strong and kind dude. And Ruth Coak, you are my guardian angel.
Peace & Love,
STP
Steve squatted 303 on a knee that was surgically repaired a year ago, benched 232, and deadlifted 380.
Protocol coach Matt Santucci also had his first experience on the platform. He squat 281, benched 204 and pulled a big PR deadlift of 408 pounds!
Big Chris Goodwin posted the largest total in our gym’s history of 1229 pounds! He squat 452, benched 303, and deadlifted 474.
Last and certainly least, I broke the state record in the squat at 298, benched 193, and deadlifted 330.
We set a total of 15 state and 9 world records last weekend, bringing a total of 57 state, 26 national, and 23 world records in RAW Powerlifting that have come out of our facility!
And, as always, I can’t end this post without saying a huge “thank you” to Chad Robinson. For the third year in a row, his organizational skills and leadership afford me the ability to take off my coach hat and become an athlete for a weekend. Chad, we can’t do this without you. Thank you!
Words cannot begin to express how proud I am of Team Protocol. The work, dedication, and persistence was nothing short of incredible. Our team went out of their way to never miss practice… even if it meant finding a gym while on vacation! Also, several team members seriously cleaned up their eating and lost weight so they could be more competitive in a lower weight class. It’s amazing what one can do when there is a clearly defined goal to shoot for.
I hope these stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things inspire you to find goals of your own to shoot for. In our facility, barbell training is not given, it is earned through our kettlebell classes. Everyone starts out by learning the basic movements with kettlebells before advancing to a barbell class. We perform well because we do the basics well. It’s literally that simple.
As we’ve been growing into our new facility, we now have some openings in our kettlebell classes, including evening classes which have historically been full for some time. Do you think you have what it takes to be part of our next success stories? I encourage you to reach out to me.
Until next time,
Jerry Trubman
Jerry Trubman is the owner and founder of The Protocol Strength & Conditioning,
a facility and coaching program specializing in teaching people how to move better
and be stronger. With over a decade of experience in a fitness world filled with
nonsense and contradiction, Jerry has devoted himself to seeking out better answers,
and distilling those answers into practical programs that produce great results.
He writes “The Healthy Addiction” which has thousands of readers all over the world.
