Totaling Pro

On June 30th, Lee competed in the Battle of the Champions, a powerlifting competition sponsored by the Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate and held in Hartford, Connecticut.  This was his first competition in over six months and it was huge - more than 80 lifters overall, including some of the biggest names around.  Lee did not have the day he wanted to have - aside from trying to win his division, he enters every competition with certain goals in mind.  Despite the fact that he had what he considered to be a medicore day, he put up some great numbers - 525 lb. squat, 380 lb. bench press, and 575 lb. dead lift, for a total of 1480.  He not only set RPS state and world records in each lift (and his total) and won his division, but he also took home the award for best lifter in the amateur division.  Perhaps the biggest thing that happened that day was that his full power total was good enough to catapult him from amateur to professional status in the RPS federation.*  The Refuge is one of the strongest gyms in the region and with Lee's new status, they now have four lifters that have attained the elusive pro status.  We are extremely proud of Lee's accomplishment, especially considering that it happened on a "bad day".

Squatting 525 lbs. 

 Waiting for benching to begin.

On deck... 

Benching 375 lbs. 

The foam roller is the 30-something athlete's best friend; keeping his back loose while waiting for dead lifting to begin. 

Dead lifting 575 lbs. 

I took almost 500 photos at the meet on Saturday - this one is, by far, my favorite.  Whether he has a good day or a bad day, the girls give him unconditional love...

*Not all powerlifting federations distinguish between amatuer and professional lifters, although some of the larger ones do.  This was Lee's first effort to attain pro status.