One Year Since I Tore My Bicep
June 7th marks one year since I tore my bicep at RPS Nationals.
That meet was supposed to be my comeback. After tearing my pec in 2023 and undergoing surgery, then having hernia repair surgery in 2024, I spent two years rebuilding myself. I recovered, worked my way through prep, and finally made it back to the platform. Unfortunately, on my final deadlift warm up, the second I grabbed the bar, I felt a pop in my bicep. I couldn't straighten my arm, and I knew exactly what it meant. I kept my head up for the rest of the meet. I thanked everyone who came out to support me and did my best to stay positive, but when I got home, reality started to sink in.
I carried all my gear into the house one bag at a time using my good arm. I dropped everything just inside the front door. I managed to shower as best I could one handed. Then I got out and tried to get dressed. I couldn't put my socks on… I tried, but I couldn't do it. I sat there for a minute and started crying. Not because of the pain and not because I felt like I failed. It was because I knew exactly what was ahead of me.
Urgent care. Ultrasound. MRI. Surgeon consultation. Pre-op appointment. Surgery. Weeks in a cast and sling. Physical therapy. Starting over from scratch. Again. I was devastated. After this, I told myself that if I got injured again in any capacity, I would be done with powerlifting.
Then, six weeks later, while squatting with the SSB and a cast still on my left arm, I worked up to a heavy set of six with 525 pounds. On the third rep, I felt a pop in my quad and immediately collapsed. Another MRI…
Thankfully, it wasn't a tendon rupture. It was a Grade 2 muscle belly tear, which meant no surgery but at that point, I had to come to terms with something I never wanted to admit. My powerlifting training was over, at least for the time being. Once again, I was devastated. For a few weeks, I struggled. I was still out of work recovering from the bicep surgery and trying to make sense of everything that had happened.
Then I made a decision, I wasn't going to let this defeat me. If I couldn't chase one goal, I would chase another. I hired my friend and bodybuilding coach, Anthony Cecere, and got to work. Over the past year, I've gone from 250 pounds down to 205 pounds. I haven't weighed 205 since before I ever started competing in powerlifting.
Today, I'm eight weeks out from stepping on stage at the NPC Riverworks Bodybuilding Show in Buffalo, and I'm in the best shape of my life. This journey has given me a completely new appreciation for different styles of training and a fresh excitement for the process. More than anything, it reinforced something I've always believed…
You are in control of your own destiny. Life will throw curveballs, it will test you. Sometimes things won't go according to plan, but the journey is YOURS. You get to decide how the story is written. Looking back, that meet didn't go the way I wanted, but it taught me that I can come back and this time is no different.
If you're dealing with an injury, a setback, or a challenge that feels impossible right now, don't let it beat you. It sucks, it's frustrating, and some days are harder than others, but you're still in control. Keep moving forward, and if you ever need someone to talk to, send me a message. I'm happy to help.
I've been there, and I'm still here.
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