2014 World Champion Masters II 83 kg



Wesley Kipp IPF Masters II 83 kg weight class World Champion

On Friday April 18, 2014, I achieved a goal I have been striving for since my first National Title win. I won the IPF Masters World Championship Bench Press Meet.


It is interesting, the fact that the weights you hit in the gym don't always equate with what you will hit in a meet at this level. Things like time zone differences and changes in sleep patterns can make a big difference. Judging also tends to be more strict at a meet of this caliber.


My USA Team coaches were fantastic and it is with great thanks to them I achieved this goal.


I also should thank my lifting coach, John Bogart, who has assisted me in hitting heavier and heavier weights in my training sessions. Then there is former World Champion, Sean Culnan, who gave me some great advise regarding my opener. Sean advised me, as did my coaches, to lower the weight for my opener.


As it turned out, just my opener at 200kgs would have won the meet for me. I am so thankful for the valuable advice and assistance from both of these men.


My training partners were also key to my being able to win this event. This is where I want to address the importance of surrounding yourself with great people. My people include my training coach, John Bogart and my training partners, Johnny O, Johnny Z, Dan Howsman, Hope LaFreniere and, of course, my girl Jeannine Trimboli. These people are my strongest supporters yet also give me honest lifting critiques. When you are lifting and looking to compete you don’t want people to only tell you "how great your lift looks". You want them to tell you what you did wrong, even if you completed the lift.


For example, there have been lifts I made in the gym that were some pretty heavy lifts. Instead of simply being impressed, my training partners would be the first to tell me it looked like crap, and I was lucky to even get the weight up. This type of constructive criticism is very important. Yes, I want to hear how good a lift is, but I also want to know when I am doing something wrong.


I was lucky enough that my opening lift won the meet and my second lift simply secured the win. However, what weighs on my mind is that I missed my third attempt. I did not transition my left elbow under the bar fast enough and missed a lift that I have hit easily over the past 2 months.


There is always something to learn from every meet. If you watch my lifts in the video below you will see my first lift was not as clean as my second. This is because I stayed tighter in my second lift, even though the weight was heavier, it went up easier. My coach was messaging my team mates while he watched the live stream and made a point of telling them to tell me to stay tight.


Lastly I want to thank all the people who helped me to actually travel to this meet. It gets expensive traveling as a member of the USAPL World Bench Team. My friend Jim Kelly, when he found out I was on the World Team, took it upon himself to put together a benefit concert for me. While he was disappointed that the turn out was smaller than he anticipated, I was just thrilled that someone took the time to do this for me. I also want to thank those who helped me out through the GoFundme website. I am a blessed person. The money raised was enough to cover my hotel expenses.


Thank you all.

Vid

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvfrz7NTF38

Your toughest competition is yourself

Training last night consisted of hitting an easy opener in a loose bench shirt.

I did this in case I discover that I'm having an off day during warm ups, the day of the meet.

Let's just say my opener in the last night's loose shirt is still more than what won last year’s world meet.

Also, at this point in training, with the meet date quickly approaching, it is important not to over train and have my central nervous system shut down.

It looks like I will peak just right.

With your help and support, Gold medal here I come.

That was my lifting update for you, now for the quote of the day. 
 

 Quote: " I view my strongest competition as myself. You're always trying to top yourself, rather than worrying what other people are doing"  by: John C Riley.

John C Riley is an American actor, and while I don't normally like to quote and actor, I totally agree with this statement.

I am always competing against myself whether it is in the gym, at work, or in a competition. I want to best my previous performance. My workouts consist of weekly PR's, at least that is the goal. I strive for a personal record as small as half a pound. Yup you heard me half a pound. One week it may be a 5 rep max, the next a 4 rep max and so on. I always try to keep pushing.

If you are training just to be more fit you can apply this to your workouts as well. Each work out attempt one more rep, or half a pound more. If you are a cardio enthusiast then try to beat your time by a few seconds or go a little longer if you are a time person. Whatever the case may be simply push yourself a little bit.

OK OK now you going to say, "Let's see Jim apply this to diet" 

 You know every day when you wake up you have a goal to keep to your diet. Make this a competition to get through the day without cheating on your diet. If you do cheat, plan on doing better the rest of the day, and the next. 

If you're one of those people that never cheat, like me when I first went on a low-carb eating plan, you are still in a competition of maintenance. You will have family and friends telling you, that you are doing fine and it is OK, to cheat a little, the competition is still within yourself to adhere to the principles you set for yourself.

Tip: I have noticed lately how important it is, when I train people to teach them to stay tight. Sometimes especially when training a teenager it is even more an issue of coordination. Sometimes they grow out of their body, meaning they lose some coordination due to growth spurts. It is important to keep this mind with teens as they go through these growth spurts.

Reflection is key

" The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection."- Thomas Pain

"Thomas Pain was an American Political Activist. One of his principal contributions was the powerful, widely-read pamphlet Common Sense (1776) that advocated colonial America's independence" (Thank you, wikipedia)

He literally had a common sense approach to things. I find personal reflection extremely important. I even apply it to diet and exercise.

As for my diet, I often take the time to review and reflect what made me successful in staying on course or why I may have failed in my attempt to be consistent with my diet plan for that day. 

Sometimes it is due to poor planning on my part that I may fail, other times it is even simpler than that. LACK of willpower. Yes, willpower is sometimes a challenge even for me and I have been eating clean for a few years now. 

My exercise schedule is constantly changing as I reflect on my goals. Each training cycle involves a time for reflection on how successful it was or was not. I make a point to speak to my training partners all the time. I also engage in discussions with the people I train. I am consistently asking them how they feel certain exercises are affecting them and what they thought of their training sessions.

I was thrilled to hear one of my younger trainees recently say how he has gotten stronger in the two months since he started working with me and that he has seen greater gains in that short time than he had in the past year and a half working with his team at school. 

This shows his reflection on his training and in this case it was very uplifting for him. Sometimes this is the true benefit of reflection. The boost in confidence in knowing that what you are doing is successful.

Tip: Set aside time each week to reflect on your diet and exercise program and it will benefit you in many ways.

Do not surrender to past habits!

Rant and Tip for August 1, 2013

Quote: "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." ~Vince Lombardi~

Vince Lombari has had many quotes over his career. I found this one and thought this is where I am now when it comes to my way of eating and exercise. I find it very hard to surrender to eating a less than healthy diet and hitting a new personal best when I lift. I am always striving to get better and better. The harder the work the greater the reward, as you change your lifestyle and work hard to be successful in your lifestyle change, you will find it harder and harder to surrender to any unwanted urges or cravings you encounter. Work hard and you will be successful.

Went it comes to exercise as you work hard to achieve your goals you will find as you go along it will be harder and harder to give up on that last repetition. I recently was working out with a friend and hit some great person best in the bench. I made a miss-calculation on the bar and instead of hitting 315 for 1 rep I pressed 335. I forgot we were using 100 lb plates and 5 pound collars. This added 20 pounds to a bar I thought was 315. Anyway the weight went up easy. My training partner at the time was John Bogart a master bench press world champion. He immediately put 345 on the bar for my next attempt; again it went up with speed and confidence. We made a bold jump at that point to 355. I was excited to make this attempt. I hit a sticking point at just before lockout. I held that bar there and continued to try to lock out the weight. I did not want to surrender to the bar. Ultimately I missed the lift but, I fought it all the way. We dropped the weight to 350 and I did hit that weight.

As the weight went up I hit the stick point and t was at this point and I pushed harder, I was not going to surrender to the weight. I wanted it to go up. I needed it to go up. I would not surrender to the bar. When you strength train consistently you will find this will happen to you in your workouts. As you get stronger from your training and you find that you are able to do things you have not done in years, you will find it hard to surrender to the life you had before training. Whether you are a cardio aerobic type person or a strength training individual like myself you will not want to go back to you previous lifestyle.

It is funny as a young adult or child you do not realize what a gift being fit is. You almost take it for granted and you allow yourself to eat anyway you want and you do not take in consideration the affects it could have on the rest of your life. As a mature adult we have experienced the side effects of an unhealthy lifestyle and for many of us it took that for us to pull ourselves together.


Through this blog I have raised about $100.00 towards the National and World meets. I have a long way to go but I will get there. Thank you to those who have made donations to help me get there.

Tip: Make your new lifestyle fun. If you do not enjoy the exercise you are currently doing mix it up and find something you enjoy. Now I do know some of you may think UGH I don’t enjoy any physical activity, this you will just have to overcome. You can do it and you will find something you enjoy. Maybe it is just a matter of going with someone you enjoy spending time with.

Exercise and Endorphins

Rant and Tip for June 4, 2013

Quote: Exercise and application produce order in our affairs, health of body, cheerfulness of mind, and these make us precious to our friends.- Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is more than just one a great politician and one of the Fathers of the United States, he was also a very wise man. The quote above is true on a chemical level as well. It is known by that exercise releases endorphins, which can put you in a better mood. You may have heard many a person say I need to work some frustrations off in the gym. What they are really doing is releasing endorphins into the body. Researchers are even looking into how the release of endorphin can improve the body’s insulin action. It is believed that the hormone can actually help control diabetes.

Exercise also aides in the reduction of stress through the releasing of endorphins. Stress produces the hormone cortisol which is known to reduce the fat burning process and slow down your metabolism. When you feel stressed, don’t reach for that piece of cake, go for a walk, jog or run. Whatever you body, and time will allow of you at that time.

Those of us who have struggled with our diets can also train our brains with exercise to eat better. I know for myself when I exercise I do not want all this hard work to go to waste. If I exercise daily instead of thinking to myself, “Oh I exercised now I can eat that piece of pizza”, I think, “Man I just worked hard in the gym, why would I want to sabotage that work by eating that slice of pizza.”

I hope my little rant has inspired you or at least give you something think about.

Tip:  Dumbbell Fly

1. This exercise should be done slowly, focusing on the stretch and contraction of the pectoral muscles.
2. Don't pause or let the dumbbells touch at the top of the exercise.
3. Use a full range of motion by lowering the dumbbells as far as comfortably possible.
4. Always use a wide semi circle motion when doing this exercise, and don't allow the dumbbells to come too close to the body.