Mune Competes in the USAPL

Mune performing a textbook low bar back squat with 115 kg (253.5 lbs)

Mune and I traveled to sunny Southern California this weekend to compete in the 2013 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) California State Championships. Mune went down there to lift and I was there as her coach. The USAPL is one of the largest powerlifting organizations in the country and it is affiliated with the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), one of the largest powerlifting organizations in the world. There are plenty of powerlifting events available locally, but successfully competing in this meet meant that Mune would be eligible to compete in the 2013 USAPL Raw Nationals which will take place in Florida in July. "Successfully competing" in this case meant that Mune needed at least one successful attempt at a squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Before we continue, I should provide a little context. Powerlifting meets are judged events where participants attempt to lift the maximum amount of weight in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors are given three tries at each lift. The sum of the highest successful attempt for each lift is calculated to produce a total. That total is often further manipulated via various equations to allow for lifters of different bodyweights to be more directly compared. In a meet, you can never call for less weight to be put on the bar. That is, you must declare an opening weight for the lift. If you miss that lift, you have two options - stay at the same weight, or add weight to the bar. If you cannot make at least one of your three attempts for the contested lifts, you are disqualified from the meet. Therefore, some strategy is involved in picking appropriate weights. You want to successfully complete your opening lifts because it won't get any easier going forward.

The evening before the meet, Mune and I came up with a plan for each of her three attempts on the lifts. She masterfully executed that plan and made eight of her nine attempts. Her best lifts were as follows:

Squat:  115 kg (253.5 lb)
Bench:  52.5 kg (115.7 lb)
Dead:  115 kg (253.5 lb)
Total:  282.5 kg (622.8 lb) 

Mune weighed in at 109 lbs and competed in the 52 kg (114 lb) weight class. She bench pressed 6 pounds over her bodyweight and squatted and deadlifted 2.32 times her bodyweight. Her opening attempt on her squat exceeded the third attempts of everyone in her flight up through the 60 kg (132 lb) weight class, or the two weight classes above her. That's pretty damn cool. Mune won her weight class and came very close to taking the best lifter award. The results from the meet have yet to be published, but I suspect she came in second or third overall. It was an impressive performance.

Having successfully totaled in this meet, Mune can now go on to compete in Orlando, FL at the Raw Nationals. Jennifer Thompson, who I wrote about earlier, has been a participant in that contest in years past. Best of luck to Mune as she prepares for that meet.