twoheadedboy
03-04-13, 6:10 pm
I spent a considerable amount of extra time in Columbus this year, my 2nd, as I decided to ride in with Josh (Standing Guard, prev Poptarts or something, though he never posts anymore) on Tuesday.
Rolled in to town around lunch time, and since I didn't sleep the night before so that I could get in one last training session and still be ready to leave Joliet, IL by 5:30...I took a long hard nap, then ordered some room service, then went to bed again.
Wednesday was still pretty chill, met up with the Universal crew for lunch at Thurman's. Their burgers are definitely worth the trip and the wait, though I daresay Kuma's in Chicago is better :o Also trained with the guys that evening at Metro, hitting back and biceps mostly.
Thursday was the day the rest of the Chicago crew rolled in to town. Due to some communication snafus, I ended up not training with them as they unexpectedly spent a ton of time setting up the Cage in the afternoon/evening. BD's was still destroyed by us and some others after a traditional Raising Cane's lunch (that was preceded by Cracker Barrel for Josh and I!)
Friday was where the madness began. This was my day to be an intern, and I served as "crowd control" for the merch line, which was insane due to there being only one "side" open this year and of course everyone looking for the free T-shirts/anything. Working with C. Coronado, Rage, and others was key to preventing the social engineers of the world from cutting in line and pissing off everyone else but we got it done. The most frequent comment I heard was "I'm just here to buy a t-shirt" and then an incredulous look when I informed them that this WAS the line to do that. That is how I spent the first half of my day, which required CONSTANT (to the second) attention...is the line in order? Which "cashier" is about to open up? Is there space for them to get in? Is someone trying to scam their way into line? I constantly cycled through these thoughts.
As a result of this part of my duties, I missed out on Higa vs. P Diesel and Seath's exhibition, among other things, but as always Animal makes the sacrifice worth it, as I will explain later. I spent the 2nd half of my day doing the same thing, but in the slightly less intense (for purposes of crowd control) area of the event side/Box.
Friday night was training at Beyond Limits, the home of Trebin. This was a great little gym with strongman implements and a welcoming atmosphere. I'm going to be honest here - I far preferred it to Metro, which I will get to later. I hit shoulders and chest with some mobility work, tested out my squat motion...up until recently my concern has been my knee, though I tweaked my back doing deads a couple of months back and retweaked it a couple of weeks ago. Seemed like it would be ok. Foreshadowing... Dinner was at the Brazilian steakhouse, and that was one of the more impressive group eating displays I have ever been a part of or witnessed.
Saturday was the zenith of the experience for me last year, and this year was no different. The Efferding/Lillebridge squat demo was absolutely insane. I think I may have been more impressed by Ernie Sr.'s 800 than Eric's 906 because after seeing Ernie Sr. do 700, I thought he was done...that he added 100 lbs, blew out his nose, and got it done was just an amazing effort that can't be described. And Eric's 906 was less amazing to me only because it was semi-anticlimactic - Dude had more in the tank, despite the bar wobbling like a bamboo bar. I could see him being a 1,000 lb raw squatter at 308 or maybe even 275 if he continues as he has. I got to talk to Ernie Sr. at the ABC that night and was thrilled to find out what an incredibly nice and humble man he is, and also that he is thrilled at the idea of holding a Chicago ABC at his gym (Pro Gym) in Oswego, IL, not too far from another place we routinely train. In fact this will be happening SOON so anyone not already aware of this from Chicago metro, central IL, NW Indiana, eastern Iowa, or southern WI needs to go check out the Chicago ABC thread to follow this development as it's going to be awesome.
Saturday night was great, but a little disappointing on a personal level. I was selected to train with an Animal - Ben Seath, on the squat. Squats have been going really well recently, including a new PR of 275 a few weeks ago...but that was prior to tweaking my back. I've generally been able to squat even when I couldn't pull and figured I'd be fine. Nope - maybe because I had been on my feet for most of 2 days, with limited sleep for 5 days, but my back was REALLY bothering me, even at 135. Nevertheless I got great tips from Ben and Higa both that I will be able to put into place once my back calms down a little. Ate some BBQ post-training/socializing and headed to the hotel...which was a little scary because there was a HUGE wreck at an intersection near our hotel, and the Chicago folks were in 2 cars. Thankfully a quick call determined that the other car wasn't involved, hopefully everyone was ok.
Sunday this year, as last year, was a day I was less excited about overall because I am tired and I've seen most of the demos I wanted to see, and have a 6 hour car ride to look forward to afterward...it's a short day at the expo but a long day overall. However, this day turned out to be at least as good as the two prior. First things first, I was humbled again by the Animal crew for hooking me up with a new customized black jersey because mine "disappeared" (whether lost or stolen, unsure) at Metro the previous evening...they wouldn't even take my money when I tried to pay. The Fields' family powerlifting demo was incredible, with husband and wife attempting to outdo each other in effort (I'm going to call it a tie). Then Jesse Norris, as a 198 lb-class 19 year old walks in and, with little fanfare, pulls 775 off the ground fairly easily and came close to his "bonus time" 800 attempt...I think he would have had 790 or 795 honestly. This dude is as raw and simple as it gets. He had no training partner with him, just an iPod nano that he fiddled with on occasion. He wore blackout Chucks, had a belt, used wrist wraps and chalk, and that was ALL. He worked VERY quickly (maybe more quickly than any other exhibition I saw this year) and is like a Richard Hawthorne type who gets very calm and centered before lifting, not the type that yells and stomps around to get pumped up - nothing wrong with either technique, I'm just painting the picture. He's definitely someone I hope to see in the future at the Cage - what's he going to be doing at age 25 if he manages to avoid injury?!
After Jesse was Pro's vs. Bro's when my boy Phil AKA CLUTCH banged out 19 reps of 315 on the deadlift for the (wasn't even close) victorious red team. What's-his-face's 50+ reps of 225 on bench (Josh Holliday?) for Team Universal was a sight to behold, as was the dude (someone please fill in the name for me) who about passed out after...29 reps of 315 on the deadlift? It was a lot.
Prior to the Pro's Vs. Bro's event, the athletes, staff, and interns were recognized for the efforts put in toward another successful Arnold/Cage experience. It felt really good to be a part of that, and it was awe-inspiring to be given not only a free 15-pak of Pak but also a can of the new prototype Stak. I am DEFINITELY going to put this through its paces starting next week, so stay tuned for that. I've ran the current formula 2x prior, though with Test both times, so I'm excited to see how this will do on its own.
I saw the sun for the first time for the entire week upon walking out of the expo. We headed home, first stopping at a Hardee's and then a gas station a ways out of town that turned out to be a pretty shady area, so we GTFO ASAP. We returned to Joliet and then I continued on home to Naperville, winded down for a bit, then crashed for 10 hours.
Special thanks to Sam, Jason, Eric, and Greg for being so kind and helpful the entire weekend...not that the others weren't, I just had a lot more interaction with these four in particular than the others. And I feel remiss in not calling out every single demo I watched or interaction that I had, but it would be impossible...every part of the Cage experience was awesome.
I know Animal is always looking to make things better for the next time and welcomes constructive criticism...the only topic I can come up with here is the National ABC. I will say last year's was better than this year's (I've only been to two) and that it was overcrowded this year. I still got in great instruction and socializing time, and would have gotten in great training if I wasn't injured, but if I wasn't doing deadlifts or squats it would have been very difficult. I think the "right" number needs to be determined, probably somewhere between 2012 and 2013's tally and probably closer to the former, and that it needs to be limited to that in some way. Some people wondered about fire code limitations and I also wonder about that. It seems like it was almost more of a banquet than a training session, and taken from that perspective it was awesome...however, I think the training aspect needs to be reemphasized. I'm honestly a little disappointed in Metro's facilities, as the bar clips were once again missing or poor, and a lot of the cardio machines were down upon arrival early in the week. Considering that they were charging $15/day or $40 for the week to use the facilities, I would expect everything to be top notch, as Arnold weekend is probably their biggest of the year. Trebin's gym, on the other hand, was fantastic, though it certainly can't handle the number of people a National ABC will attract. Again, I still had a great time, I just wonder how someone new to the brand/ABC's would have reacted to the things I've mentioned.
Such a great great week overall. Great to see some of the same faces from last year and meet new ones. Humbling to learn what effort and performance really means in the area of weightlifting in The Cage. And the theme (30 years of Pak/10 years of The Cage) was very poignant because there were a number of prominent industry names that were missing, reduced, or completely changed compared to last year, while Animal just gets bigger and thrives. I just hope they are already thinking about next year, because it may take that much effort to outdo or even match the experience that was had this time around!
Rolled in to town around lunch time, and since I didn't sleep the night before so that I could get in one last training session and still be ready to leave Joliet, IL by 5:30...I took a long hard nap, then ordered some room service, then went to bed again.
Wednesday was still pretty chill, met up with the Universal crew for lunch at Thurman's. Their burgers are definitely worth the trip and the wait, though I daresay Kuma's in Chicago is better :o Also trained with the guys that evening at Metro, hitting back and biceps mostly.
Thursday was the day the rest of the Chicago crew rolled in to town. Due to some communication snafus, I ended up not training with them as they unexpectedly spent a ton of time setting up the Cage in the afternoon/evening. BD's was still destroyed by us and some others after a traditional Raising Cane's lunch (that was preceded by Cracker Barrel for Josh and I!)
Friday was where the madness began. This was my day to be an intern, and I served as "crowd control" for the merch line, which was insane due to there being only one "side" open this year and of course everyone looking for the free T-shirts/anything. Working with C. Coronado, Rage, and others was key to preventing the social engineers of the world from cutting in line and pissing off everyone else but we got it done. The most frequent comment I heard was "I'm just here to buy a t-shirt" and then an incredulous look when I informed them that this WAS the line to do that. That is how I spent the first half of my day, which required CONSTANT (to the second) attention...is the line in order? Which "cashier" is about to open up? Is there space for them to get in? Is someone trying to scam their way into line? I constantly cycled through these thoughts.
As a result of this part of my duties, I missed out on Higa vs. P Diesel and Seath's exhibition, among other things, but as always Animal makes the sacrifice worth it, as I will explain later. I spent the 2nd half of my day doing the same thing, but in the slightly less intense (for purposes of crowd control) area of the event side/Box.
Friday night was training at Beyond Limits, the home of Trebin. This was a great little gym with strongman implements and a welcoming atmosphere. I'm going to be honest here - I far preferred it to Metro, which I will get to later. I hit shoulders and chest with some mobility work, tested out my squat motion...up until recently my concern has been my knee, though I tweaked my back doing deads a couple of months back and retweaked it a couple of weeks ago. Seemed like it would be ok. Foreshadowing... Dinner was at the Brazilian steakhouse, and that was one of the more impressive group eating displays I have ever been a part of or witnessed.
Saturday was the zenith of the experience for me last year, and this year was no different. The Efferding/Lillebridge squat demo was absolutely insane. I think I may have been more impressed by Ernie Sr.'s 800 than Eric's 906 because after seeing Ernie Sr. do 700, I thought he was done...that he added 100 lbs, blew out his nose, and got it done was just an amazing effort that can't be described. And Eric's 906 was less amazing to me only because it was semi-anticlimactic - Dude had more in the tank, despite the bar wobbling like a bamboo bar. I could see him being a 1,000 lb raw squatter at 308 or maybe even 275 if he continues as he has. I got to talk to Ernie Sr. at the ABC that night and was thrilled to find out what an incredibly nice and humble man he is, and also that he is thrilled at the idea of holding a Chicago ABC at his gym (Pro Gym) in Oswego, IL, not too far from another place we routinely train. In fact this will be happening SOON so anyone not already aware of this from Chicago metro, central IL, NW Indiana, eastern Iowa, or southern WI needs to go check out the Chicago ABC thread to follow this development as it's going to be awesome.
Saturday night was great, but a little disappointing on a personal level. I was selected to train with an Animal - Ben Seath, on the squat. Squats have been going really well recently, including a new PR of 275 a few weeks ago...but that was prior to tweaking my back. I've generally been able to squat even when I couldn't pull and figured I'd be fine. Nope - maybe because I had been on my feet for most of 2 days, with limited sleep for 5 days, but my back was REALLY bothering me, even at 135. Nevertheless I got great tips from Ben and Higa both that I will be able to put into place once my back calms down a little. Ate some BBQ post-training/socializing and headed to the hotel...which was a little scary because there was a HUGE wreck at an intersection near our hotel, and the Chicago folks were in 2 cars. Thankfully a quick call determined that the other car wasn't involved, hopefully everyone was ok.
Sunday this year, as last year, was a day I was less excited about overall because I am tired and I've seen most of the demos I wanted to see, and have a 6 hour car ride to look forward to afterward...it's a short day at the expo but a long day overall. However, this day turned out to be at least as good as the two prior. First things first, I was humbled again by the Animal crew for hooking me up with a new customized black jersey because mine "disappeared" (whether lost or stolen, unsure) at Metro the previous evening...they wouldn't even take my money when I tried to pay. The Fields' family powerlifting demo was incredible, with husband and wife attempting to outdo each other in effort (I'm going to call it a tie). Then Jesse Norris, as a 198 lb-class 19 year old walks in and, with little fanfare, pulls 775 off the ground fairly easily and came close to his "bonus time" 800 attempt...I think he would have had 790 or 795 honestly. This dude is as raw and simple as it gets. He had no training partner with him, just an iPod nano that he fiddled with on occasion. He wore blackout Chucks, had a belt, used wrist wraps and chalk, and that was ALL. He worked VERY quickly (maybe more quickly than any other exhibition I saw this year) and is like a Richard Hawthorne type who gets very calm and centered before lifting, not the type that yells and stomps around to get pumped up - nothing wrong with either technique, I'm just painting the picture. He's definitely someone I hope to see in the future at the Cage - what's he going to be doing at age 25 if he manages to avoid injury?!
After Jesse was Pro's vs. Bro's when my boy Phil AKA CLUTCH banged out 19 reps of 315 on the deadlift for the (wasn't even close) victorious red team. What's-his-face's 50+ reps of 225 on bench (Josh Holliday?) for Team Universal was a sight to behold, as was the dude (someone please fill in the name for me) who about passed out after...29 reps of 315 on the deadlift? It was a lot.
Prior to the Pro's Vs. Bro's event, the athletes, staff, and interns were recognized for the efforts put in toward another successful Arnold/Cage experience. It felt really good to be a part of that, and it was awe-inspiring to be given not only a free 15-pak of Pak but also a can of the new prototype Stak. I am DEFINITELY going to put this through its paces starting next week, so stay tuned for that. I've ran the current formula 2x prior, though with Test both times, so I'm excited to see how this will do on its own.
I saw the sun for the first time for the entire week upon walking out of the expo. We headed home, first stopping at a Hardee's and then a gas station a ways out of town that turned out to be a pretty shady area, so we GTFO ASAP. We returned to Joliet and then I continued on home to Naperville, winded down for a bit, then crashed for 10 hours.
Special thanks to Sam, Jason, Eric, and Greg for being so kind and helpful the entire weekend...not that the others weren't, I just had a lot more interaction with these four in particular than the others. And I feel remiss in not calling out every single demo I watched or interaction that I had, but it would be impossible...every part of the Cage experience was awesome.
I know Animal is always looking to make things better for the next time and welcomes constructive criticism...the only topic I can come up with here is the National ABC. I will say last year's was better than this year's (I've only been to two) and that it was overcrowded this year. I still got in great instruction and socializing time, and would have gotten in great training if I wasn't injured, but if I wasn't doing deadlifts or squats it would have been very difficult. I think the "right" number needs to be determined, probably somewhere between 2012 and 2013's tally and probably closer to the former, and that it needs to be limited to that in some way. Some people wondered about fire code limitations and I also wonder about that. It seems like it was almost more of a banquet than a training session, and taken from that perspective it was awesome...however, I think the training aspect needs to be reemphasized. I'm honestly a little disappointed in Metro's facilities, as the bar clips were once again missing or poor, and a lot of the cardio machines were down upon arrival early in the week. Considering that they were charging $15/day or $40 for the week to use the facilities, I would expect everything to be top notch, as Arnold weekend is probably their biggest of the year. Trebin's gym, on the other hand, was fantastic, though it certainly can't handle the number of people a National ABC will attract. Again, I still had a great time, I just wonder how someone new to the brand/ABC's would have reacted to the things I've mentioned.
Such a great great week overall. Great to see some of the same faces from last year and meet new ones. Humbling to learn what effort and performance really means in the area of weightlifting in The Cage. And the theme (30 years of Pak/10 years of The Cage) was very poignant because there were a number of prominent industry names that were missing, reduced, or completely changed compared to last year, while Animal just gets bigger and thrives. I just hope they are already thinking about next year, because it may take that much effort to outdo or even match the experience that was had this time around!