It’s amazing how quickly twelve weeks of your life can come and go when preparing for a large sporting event. I can remember being twelve weeks out from the 2006 GPC world championships, thinking twelve sessions of each lift left, I have bags of time. How wrong was I!

I had sweated blood leading up to this event. I put everything in to my training to get as strong as I possibly could at my weight class 90kgs (14 stones 2 pounds). I had cut out all boozing for 11 weeks, I lived and breathed powerlifting. Everywhere I went, work, shopping, you name it, I’d have my Extreme whey with me, some water and jacket potatoes or whatever I was eating on that day.

On preparing for the worlds a training partner and good friend of mine Peter Chooch, had said something to me that just stuck in my mind. A lifter named Oleksander Kutcher (http://www.kutcherstrong.com/) was the current WPO lightweight world champion. I saw Kutcher lift in the WPO semi-finals for the Arnold Classic in Helsinki, Finland. After watching him deadlift 360kgs at 75kgs, I was in awe of the Ukrainian lifter. My training partner knowing what to do to get me fired up said to me 'when you look at yourself in the mirror everyday can you honestly say you are training harder and doing everything that Kutcher would be doing'. At the end of my training cycle I could face myself and say I had.

The time just goes so fast, when your trying to get the numbers you want to hit in the gym before a powerlifting meet. I had put all the hard work in. I had eaten right, taken the right supplements in the right amounts. Before I knew it, my twelve weeks had cruised on by and I was packing my lifting gear and was out the door leaving for Heathrow airport with my training partner 110kgs masters Welsh champion Alan Gilbert.

On my arrival to Brussels, I noticed how friendly the people where and the climate is pretty much the same as the UK. It was quite a comfortable journey and I wasn’t concerned about affect the travelling would have on my performance.

I had travelled abroad lifting in the past to places like Vienna and been stung by taxi fares so we decided to catch a train in to Ghent. Are home for the next week would be the hotel Europa.

Every time I compete I always have my trusty digital scales on board. My weight on arriving to Belgium was 93kgs, so I had a drop of around 3kgs. I used a local sauna and dropped the weight pretty easy. The weigh in is always an experience for me, as I’m always bang on the limit so its always a naked weigh in with the crown jewels on display!

With the weigh in all done, I had 24 hours to replace my 3kgs. I start with fluids, usually sip some water, then come the jacket potatoes.

The morning of the comp I was up at around 6 am. I’m really relaxed the night before a competition, I try and take my mind as far away from competing as possible so I can get a good night sleep. As soon as the alarm goes early in the morning I’m getting my mind prepared for the battle ahead. I hop out of bed, zip my hoodie up and go downstairs in the hotel and gorge myself with carbs and a little Extreme whey. After breakfast I checked and double checked my equipment, knee and wrist wraps, chalk, ammonia caps, lifting boots, bench shirt etc. The day that I had been waiting for, had finally come.

I arrived at the venue early at around 9am, I was greeted by some of the Genesis gym boys. I was calm, relaxed and not wasting any energy and just listening to Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way”. For me, music seems to take away any negative thoughts that creep in and always gets me in the mood to compete.

My warm ups on the squat went really smooth, I started with an empty bar, no belt or equipment, just to stretch my legs and get a little blood flowing. Before every comp I always take a week off from the gym and just completely relax. I like to start light, with an empty bar and take my time. The next jumps went, 60kgs for 3 reps, 100 for 3, 140 for a single, 180 for a single, 220kgs for a single with briefs and my final attempt of 260kgs with briefs and Inzer Iron wraps (wraps loose).

Now, the fun part. I slipped in to my Inzer Leviathen canvas suit ready for my opener of 315kgs. I like to open light on the squat so as I don't put pressure on myself should I fail the lift for any reason, in this meet it was lucky I did, as the judging was very strict. Usually in the Global powerlifting committee and the world powerlifting congress, the legal depth required to pass the lift is to just break parallel. But this was not the case at the world championships. The judges wanted 2 inches below parallel! A very deep squat indeed!

My first squat of 315kgs was given two red and one white light, NO LIFT. It was just below parallel, but not what the refs were looking for. The lifting platform was not world class standard to say the least, the usual 25kgs bar that's used at world championships was replaced by a 20kgs bar. I took a conservative jump to 330kgs for my second attempt. Three lifters out I began to wrap my knees, then finally my name was called, "BAR LOADED FOR CHRIS JENKINS". AC/DC's thunderstruck bellowing out around the venue, I came up to the bar and knew how deep I was going to have to sink the squat.

I let out a raw and bombed down gluteus to the grass. Two white lights, one red, good lift. I was shocked for the one red light, I was even going to show the ref. the ass print on my calves. I got the lift and put it to the back of my mind I didn't want to waste energy or let it affect me mentally for the rest of the meet.

On my third and final attempt I jumped to 360kgs. Before you begin a squat, the head referee holds his hand up, then when you are completely still holding the weight on your back he gives the command for you to squat, 800lbs on your back can get heavy at times especially knowing how deep I was going to have to drop. I was a little anxious and dropped before the refs command, I made the squat comfortable but a no lift was given as I did not wait for the call, what a waste.

On the bench I was a little more confident as the set up seemed really good and my bench training had gone a lot better this time around. I warmed up the same as the squat, with the empty bar, Olympic bar for 5 reps, 60kgs for 5, 100kgs for 5 reps, 120kgs for 3 reps, 140kgs for 3 reps, 170kgs for a single with a long pause. I put my bench shirt on ready for my opener of 180kgs on the platform, The funny thing was, after putting my shirt on I
pretty much had to run out to bench my opener. Gary Bamsey (Welsh Masters 125kgs champion) lifted me off, I waited for the command and smoked the weight for a good opener. I then jumped to 200kgs, tightened my Rage x bench shirt a little and pulled the front down clipping my belt tighter. Same again, the 200kgs came up easier. I took a third and final bench of 210kgs; I didn't fill my lungs with air on my last attempt though and felt flat at the bottom of the lift. I just missed 210kgs at the lockout. I really enjoy the bench press but I really have to fight for the kg. It’s only over the last year since I've changed my diet with the help of Dougie Black that it’s really starting to shift. I'm hoping to break the British record of 227.5kgs held by Marc Cullimore in next years British championships.

After the bench press there was a short break before the deadlift, I really wanted to finish the competition strong. A lot of the lifters from my class had bombed out; some decided not to compete because of the conditions. I was going to open on 310kgs but dropped the weight to 292.5kgs after seeing the deadlift bar, it was a shock, it looked like Apollo’s wheel from the Arnold Classic with less knurl.

My 292.5kgs went easy, I felt confident for a little more. So, I went to 310kgs next. I find the deadlift a very mental lift for me. You really have to be confident to get big numbers on this lift. I was close to tears before the lift, listening to Eminems “8 Mile” it spurred me on. It came up nice and smooth and I ended the day with an 840kgs total, not a bad day’s work considering the conditions and how everybody lifted.

I was very happy to win my first senior world title in Ghent, Belgium. I have been blessed to have good friends and family that have always been very positive towards me. I would like to thank first and foremost Mr. Dougie Black, whose diet, help and advice has let me get better in my training and helped me lift a total of TEN times my bodyweight at the recent British championships.

I'd like to thank my training partners Peter Chooch, Richard Brown, Alan Gilbert, Karl Rogers, Pete Sutton (BDFPA world masters champ) my friends and family, take care everyone.

Consistency is the key to success.

Chris Jenkins.
Welsh, British and World Champion powerlifter.