Whoa!

One of Mike's passions in life is lifting weights. It's a hobby, stress reliever, confidence builder, and a way to stay healthy. His area of strength has always been squatting. During his junior year of high school, he beat the school record by squatting 515 pounds. After his mission, he was set back, due to not being able to squat for two years. His goal has been to get back his old record, and some.

In one of Mike's classes, he had to set a goal with a deadline. He then had to create a reward and a punishment to go with that goal, depending on whether he succeeded or not. So, his goal was to be able to squat 700 pounds by April. I knew he would be able to do it, because it's not like he was starting from 0 and trying to work his way to 700! Still, it was a big feat. He practiced, when timing allowed, and decided tonight was the night to go for it! We went to my dad's gym and cheered him on! I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Doing 615 as a "practice" round. Mike says, "Come on, this is TOO easy!"

Okay, 700 pounds, round 1!

Is the bar really supposed to bend like this?!?!

Because of how severely the bar bent while Mike was squatting, Ryan and my dad, the spotters, had to help him with the bar. The bend in the bar made the wait distribute so unevenly, therefore making it impossible to do. Thank goodness, my dad had JUST gone a few hours prior, and bought a new bar. It holds about three times more weight then this old one. Mike was willing to give it one more shot using the new bar.

Sending himself positive vibes and getting in the mode! Round 2!

Ready, Set.......

Mission accomplished! He was able to reach his goal! My dad and Ryan had their hands ready to grab the bar at ANY second! Thankfully, he was able to do it this time around. I think this more durable bar was necessary for his success!