Christopher Dean

Obligatory comp recap post. Squat: 295/313.5 (PB, NR)/320 (PB, NR) Bench: 147.5/155 (PB)/157.5 (PB) Deadlift: 265/277.5 (PB)/290X 🥲 Total: 755kg (30kg PB) About an inch away from a perfect day, bar just started opening in my hand and couldn’t power through. Delighted with the day and it made up for a bit of a sub par Nationals performance. While happy with bench and deadlift, the obvious highlight was squat. Its been a goal for quite a while now to break the National record and was a large reason I swapped from the October comp to this, so to do it twice was just amazing. 3rd biggest squat in the IrishPF to date and first man under 120kg to squat over 700lbs is kinda cool. Can’t thank everyone @citygymlk enough for all the support every week, and especially always being there to spot my squats 😅. Thanks to the @irishpowerliftingfederation for hosting what was probably the most fun comp I’ve done to date, the set up was just class and a step above even Nationals. Thanks as well to all the volunteers, spotters and refs for what are not easy jobs but comps can’t be done without them. Special thanks to @catreenahh / @empower.nc for managing my nutrition for the past year, she’s made everything easy and helped me begin to fill out the weight class in the right way, and be fuelled for every session, and couldn’t be happier with the time to date working with her. Finally, and of course, massive thanks to @jackpjthornton . 56 blocks we’ve worked together now, and still showing massive progress, and to achieve the long term goal of the record is a testament to that. We ended up making some pretty late changes to lifts (each lift is actually different to what I did at Nats, sinking touch on bench, we switched to flats on squat 8 weeks out, and oh yeah we swapped back to conventional after 18 months not touching it 12 weeks out 😅). Things really started to click with the changes in the last 4 weeks of prep, especially on squat, so looking forward to developing these now that we’ve settled on technique and don’t need to change things. After essentially doing back to back preps, just without the first comp, looking forward to a decent sized off season now to build.

First Nationals done and dusted. Squat: 285/300/307.5kg (7.5kg PB) Bench: 145/150/152.5kg (5kg PB) Deadlift: 265X/265/280X (-10kg 🤦‍♂️) Total: 725kg (2.5kg pb, woohoo) If I’d been told these numbers a month or 2 ago I’d have been a bit disappointed but the last few weeks of prep were a bit rough, and we got every kilo we could with some good attempt selection out of squat and bench on the day which is all you can ask for so delighted to still be able to PB both on the biggest platform I’ve lifted on. Deadlift, all I can say is lol and whoops. We’ll work on these and be back, and it was cool to have a pull to go 3rd (which would have lasted about 2 minutes, it was super competitive for the bronze and it was class to be part of that and feel like I belonged there.) Thanks to the @irishpowerliftingfederation for putting on such a fund and well organised meet, to all the spotters and loaders for keeping me safe, to the refs and jury and all the table crew and other volunteers for giving up their time. And thanks to all the lifters I shared a flight with and made it a really fun day. Thanks of course to everyone @citygymlk for creating a great training environment and just being a great support over a difficult 12 months Special thanks to @jackpjthornton , 46 blocks we’ve put down together now and it all felt like it was building to this, having been an aim of mine for a long while now. It’s only the end of the first arc though, looking forward to the second and trying to hit a new gear (#onepiecepun) Special thanks also to @catreenahh / @empower.nc . When I qualified for nats I decided to leave no stone unturned around nutrition and Catriona stood out for me as the best person to go with, and everything since has only vindicated my decision. You are amazingly detailed, provide great feedback and made the whole process very easy for me, and helped massively during a period of craziness (you probably thought I was insane during my first few check ins 🤣). Thank you for everything these past 11 weeks, and looking forward to continue to build on this going forward. To anyone looking for a nutrition coach I genuinely can’t recommend Catriona more highly.

Actual video of my lifts 😅. Many thanks to the guys @kilo.cast for the great footage, this was my first time seeing anything outside of a couple of seconds of my squat 😂 300/147.5/275, 722.5 total. Really happy overall, nice to get the 300 on the platform, and couldn't be a better place than @citygymlk to get it with everyone cheering me on. Also delighted to get over the 600lbs mark on deadlift finally after getting 260kg in every comp except the embarrassing 240kg one I don't speak of. And got the 5 plates added in for a bonus. (better watch my toes though with such a wide stance sumo 🤣). And bench was slightly less embarrassing too, hurray. I failed 107.5kg my first ever comp so pretty happy to add 40kg since. I'll be back for that 150kg and more. @jackpjthornton @citygymlk @kilo.cast #squat #bench #deadlift #pbs #comp #milestones #yurt #decentdayout #irishpowerlifting #irishpowerliftingfederation #irishpf #citygymlk #ChristoTHOR

Cool edit of last week by @jay_sthetics . Back on program tomorrow, might be time to try build towards something beginning with an 8... 🤔

Silent Worker Open Recap & Photos Squat: 295/312.5X/320 (=pb) Bench: 152.5/157.5/162.5X Deadlift: 270/285/292.5 (PB) Total: 770kg (12.5kg PB) Fun day out on my temporary mini adventure to the 120 plus class, decided to just go in at my walking around weight for a few reasons and worked out well. Bit of a weird experience having to eat before weigh ins to make sure I made weight lol 🤣. Very happy with the day overall, had a pretty good prep outside of some pain issues that limited bench a bit, didn't put my leg through a chair this time and managed to reflect that largely on the platform. Messed up 2nd squat on depth annoyingly but decided to go up 7.5 anyway, corrected what I did wrong and finally hit 700lbs plus again, which has weighed on me for the past 2.5 years. Bench moved better than expected so we took a shot at a pb, messed up set up slightly though and just wasnt there, and deadlift continued the good run its been on. Felt like a lot of room to build on for both squat and deadlift too which is cool. Thanks as always to @jackpjthornton for all the coaching and handling on the day, 85 blocks in and we're still progressing. Thanks to @gar_benn for help with nutrition into comp and and to everyone @citygymlk for all the support and spotting, etc. during prep and on the day. Cool photos after lift videos courtesy of @jay_sthetics , black and white ones at the end go hard! 7 ish months out.

Only a few days out from the Silent Worker meet and the hype is REAL ❤️‍🔥 Our lifter @_christothor_ who’s competing in the sw open gives us the run down on what to expect coming into this weekend from both himself and his fellow team mates It’s going to be a big weekend for our crew and we’re excited to see them back on the platform 🎥: @jay_sthetics #citygymlk #silentworker #swmeet

292.5kgx3 squat pb to finish off first block post comp. Only 10kg less than nearly killed me at Nats 😅. Was unexpected based on 1st few weeks of the block but turned a block midway through. Massive thanks to @rob_lynch04 and @denissemenov__ for trusting me enough to 2 man spot a pb 😅. Gym: @citygymlk Coach: @jackpjthornton

3rd Nationals completed, to sum it up, well I tried lol. Squat: 295/302.5x(jury overturn)/302.5 Bench: 145/152.5/160x Deadlift: 260/275/290 (pb, somehow) Prep was to sum it up a disaster for externals. Put my leg through a chair needing 11 stitches in my calf, with the wound still healing (hence the dressing under my right knee sleeve), couldn't squat or deadllift for close to a month or wear sleeves for another few weeks. Then early in the taper week got hit with a bug that hit me like a train and left me wrecked afterwards for days to the point that I was set to pull out Friday evening and only made the call to compete about 10pm. Happy in the end I showed up, even if my performance was complete meh, but at least I can say I gave it everything I had on the day. And no idea how I came away with a deadlift pb with room in the tank but I'll take it lol. Thanks to all the spotters, refs and all the volunteers for putting together such a class comp and of course thanks to everyone @citygymlk for all the support all prep. Special thanks as always to @jackpjthornton for all the coaching (81 blocks together now), and @gar_benn for handling on the day and help with nutrition in the build up to comp. Thanks as well to @cremedel_lacreme and @liammalone___ for all the help in the back. Till the next one (hopefully 5 months ish). Might get one of those giant bubbles for prep then too.

Block 77 complete lol. Some block highlights: Squat: 280kgx5 (5kg PB), 290kgx3 (=pb) Bench: 140kgx3 3ct, 132.5kgx5 comp Deadlift: 265kgx2 paused (5kg pb) Decent 1st block after comp. Squat was OK for 2 weeks, then kind of exploded. Bench was affected by elbow pain for parts so down on what I'd like. Deadlift basically carried on as was. Roll on Monday. And hopefully no more life stuff that stops me doing these posts going forward 😅. Gym: @citygymlk Coach: @jackpjthornton Nutrition: @empower.nc #powerlifting #irishpowerlifting ##irishpowerliftingfederation #irishpf #citygymlk #Christothor

Cool edit of the Summer Open by @jay_sthetics . Even caught my little pre lift ritual 😅. Now to just add more kgs next time to make it look even cooler (extra red on Squat to depth would be nice 😅😭). @jay_sthetics @citygymlk

Guess I might as well do a comp recap 😅. Squat: 290/312.5/325X 😢 Bench: 152.5/157.5/160 PB Deadlift: 262.5/275/285 PB Total: 757.5kg PB Prep was a bit mixed and hadn't got to test the top end of lifts properly so had no idea what was there going in. On the heaviest week of prep my godfather/uncle passed away so everything took a massive hit. Squat was an improvement on Nats, although I was not happy with my overall execution, and just squat about an inch high on my 3rd so 2 reds on depth. We already had plans in place the next day to address these issues so next time (and more). On the plus side I completed a random side mission of the platform running out of reds for a lift which made me break down in laughter before I came out. That and the 3rd Squat included at the end. Bench was a pleasant surprise. 2 weeks out I had to change from the max grip I had always used to a closer grip I had never trained due to severe pain on my left side that left me struggling to bring 100kg to my chest. Hit 160kg out of nowhere Monday before comp and repeated it on the day and even had something to spare, so guess this is how I bench now. Deadlift was decent most of prep but took a hit around that heaviest week of prep, and failed 285kg. Got it on the platform though with room to spare 🤷‍♂️. Massive thanks as always to @jackpjthornton for all the coaching and handling, and everyone in the back for the help in warming up (genuinely too many to mention, people were appearing out of nowhere 🤣). Thanks to @empower.nc for all the help in making sure I was always fuelled for comp and easily making weight on the day. Sitting above a weight class is relatively new to me but Catriona made everything very straightforward (and then proceeded to smash her own comp a session later). And of course thanks to everyone @citygymlk for all the support (and spots) in training and on the day. And thanks to all refs, spotters and volunteers on the day for making the comp happen Special thanks to my sister, brother in law and little niece for travelling down to support me (and to everyone with a dog for making my niece's day with petting them 😅). Till the next time (either November or December)

@_christothor_ competes this weekend at the IPF June Open and is ready to put down some big numbers We have watched Chris’s training leading into this competition and are looking forward to seeing what he’ll put together and of course a monster squat Best of luck to all our athletes competing over the weekend at both the masters nationals on Saturday as well as the June open on Sunday, we’re excited to see the CREW perform and showcase their hard work yet again