Rain has been putting up a good fight lately. Some days I have hit the barbell in the morning to beat the clouds, other days training in it has been unavoidable. Like today. Waited until 11pm, then faced the facts and set up for squats in the drizzle. Fired up the halogen and the apt AC/DC's Thunderstruck. 6x5@80% was on the menu, but once I got up there and removed the rain coat during the sets... FLUSH! The weight always feels heavier in the rain, but when it comes pouring down like crazy the weight on the bar seems to increase by 20%. That's when nature must win. Other workouts, like two weeks ago when I was doing paused squats with chains on DE day, you just train through it. There is something primordial about an outdoor gym, and I love it. Come sun, rain or snow... me, nature, barbell. Win most, lose a few.

That's it, apropos nothing, from the trenches of meet prep. The bar is still left in the rack. De-rusting and prep damage control tomorrow. But for now, time to tuck in next to my warm son and drift off listening to the rain hammering down on the tin roof. Life is good. Hopefully everyone else is also having a blast preparing for the meet.

Pretty Hardcore! Looks like it would be a blast. Why not put some plywood on top of the rack to at least keep you somewhat dry under the barbell. Plus you could still bench in the rain.

Why not put some plywood on top of the rack to at least keep you somewhat dry under the barbell. Plus you could still bench in the rain.

Benching in the rain is bad, really bad... been there, done that. The thought of some protection overhead creeps up from time to time. The forecast promises rainy weather up until Tuesday at least, so might indeed need to put up some modicum of protection. A tarpaulin might work best since wind often drives the rain in sideways beneath the top of the rack. I can't afford to lose another meet prep workout, that's for sure. Perhaps I should just encase the whole rack in clear plastic and call it "The Cube". 

That said, it seldomly rains 24 hours straight, so most of the time I can get a workout in but not always at my preferred training hour. The heavy rubber mat gives excellent traction even when wet, so water in the rack is no longer the problem it used to be. The trees overhead also offer reasonable protection against light rain, but a bucket load is always a bucket load...

The rainy weather has continued big time! Read an article in the local paper the other day about July being exceptionally wet this year; it also cited Swedish research on how this correlates with sales of anti-depressants (July being the most common vacation month here in Northern Europe).

Today the weather finally took a turn for the better. In the nick of time too, since it was a big day for outdoor powerlifting here in Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia! In a former pigsty some 35 km/20 miles south of Toffe's Gym (my outdoor gym above) lies Pighouse Gym, home of 24-year old IPF bencher Fredrik "Freddi" Smulter (4th in the 2005 IPF World Bench Press Championships). Only today the bench had been dragged outside the barn for an official bench press meet sanctioned by SFI, an umbrella sports organization for us Swedish-speaking Finns. Twenty-two lifters had arrived for this very special event, including the big guys from Åland Kenneth "Kenta" Sandvik (five-time IPF Bench Press World Champion) and Ove Lehto (2006 IPF Powerlifting World Champion and current IPF European Powerlifting Champion). With Smulter touted as the challenger for the two champs, it was set out to be a spectacular single-ply lifting fest with openers of 300kg/661lbs or more in the +125kg weight class. When push came to shove, Sandvik had regrettably been forced to throw in the towel due to health issues while Smulter was left at his 300kg/661lbs opener with two failed PR attempts at 317.5kg/700lbs and 320kg/705lbs respectively. Lehto went one further with a successful 320kg/705lbs lift, but he too failed his PR attempt of 332.5kg/733lbs. Superb action!

The crowd was not your regular powerlifting meet audience either. Locals of all ages sat there cheering enthusiastically with coffee and warm sausages or delicious-looking homemade buns made by the Smulter family. It was a big local happening and knowing something about benching was not a prerequisite to fully enjoy it. I'm sure all the lifters felt very warmly welcome, both the novices and experienced lifters alike. With the Smulter guestbook being passed around for everyone to sign, this was certainly not your ordinary bench press meet! Hopefully these photos catch at least a glimpse of the positive energy, I for one am fired up for DE Bench tomorrow...