Plagiarized from the desk of Darrell G. (Your honesty and accountability are nothing less than inspiring.)

On this date one year ago, November 14, I started the Strength Class at CrossFit on the Square. I had to “unlearn” a lot of things I thought I knew. To help me get my form right, the coaches (who are very knowledgeable about proper form and injury prevention) had me squatting with a kettlebell before I ever put a barbell on my back. So my squat has gone from a 12 kg kettlebell (26 pounds) to 120 kg (264.5 pounds, my PR in competition) in one year.

I’ve lost some weight over the past year, but the number on the scale is far less important to me than some other numbers:

1. Blood sugar levels. Powerlifting is keeping my type 2 diabetes under control, to the extent that my doctor is having me take my prescribed medication on a much less frequent basis. By keeping my diabetes under control, powerlifting is also keeping my diabetic retinopathy from progressing or getting worse.
2. Clothing sizes. Men’s sizes 2XL and 3XL are not standardized, so I still have 3XL shirts that are too tight and 2XL shirts that are too baggy. But there are several shirts and one jacket that I could not wear last year because they were way too tight on me, and now they fit just fine. I’ve had to donate several shirts and more than a few pairs of pants that are now too large for me. I’ve gone down a few pants sizes, from a 48 waist to 44. I blame CrossFit on the Square for my clothing expenditures over the past year!
3. The numbers on the bar. “Instead of focusing on the weight of your body going down, focus on the weight of your barbells going up.” My gym PR’s are currently 270 pounds for the squat, 200 pounds for the bench press, 340 pounds for the deadlift. Not bad for a 51-year-old Deadhead!

Over the last year I’ve competed in three powerlifting competitions and I’ve won medals at each of them. My medal at the November 9th meet was for Fifth Place in the Men’s Masters (age 40+) division. I’ll be competing along with several of my PrettyStrong teammates in a deadlift-only meet on December 14th.

I just registered for the powerlifting competition at the 2014 Gay Games next August, a huge event expected to draw 11,000 participants in 35 sports from around the world, along with an estimated 30,000 additional guests, performers, spectators, and volunteers. I’m looking forward to meeting some of my online friends at the games.

In this season when many of my friends are writing Facebook posts about what they’re thankful for, I am writing this note to express my gratitude for Vanessa and Dave, my wonderful PrettyStrong coaches, and Ivy and Mario, the supportive owners of CrossFit on the Square – as well as for my teammates on the PrettyStrong Powerlifting Team. I can’t adequately express how grateful I am for you all.  Thank you.

Warmup
Speed Ladder

3-4 Sets
10 Kettlebell Swings
10 Ring Push-ups
10 Goblet Squats
10 Butterfly Sit-ups

Lift
10 x 2 @ 80%
Jerk

Split Jerks only unless you have a mechanical issue that prevents you from getting into the stance.

Conditioning
Sled Push/Sprint