Sebastian J. Baytan, 10975 Richardson Rd, Suite F, Ashland, VA (2026)

03/23/2026

2026 Arnold Female Raw Challenge Recap:

This was Heather’s second appearance on the Arnold stage and her first national level comp since Nationals last June. Fresh off a local tune up in November, this was a quick turnaround into a highly competitive roster.

Given the level of competition and the DOTS scoring format, attempt selection had to be tight from the start. She finished 8 for 9 on the day and secured 5th place in a stacked roster!

Squat 386lbs (2/3)
369 / 386 / 402 ❌

Bench 237lbs (3/3)
220 / 231 / 237

Deadlift 451lbs (3/3)
424 / 441 / 451

1074lb total at 141lbs BW
519.10 DOTS

Squats didn’t go exactly how we planned. We took what we believed was a very makeable PR on the third and it just wasn’t there on the day. Based on how prep went, I still like the call.

Peak week wasn’t perfect du to uncontrollable circumstances, and it mostly affected bench and deadlift, so we had to make some adjustments going into meet day. The approach shifted slightly to being more conservative while still trying to squeeze everything we could out of the day.

After missing the third squat, everything became a bit more calculated. No chasing numbers just to chase them. Every call from there was based on what was actually there on the day and how the board was moving, only taking a PR if it was 110% there.

Bench was executed well. The third moved really well which was honestly a bit of a surprise given how peak week went, but with the missed third squat we weren’t in a position to start gambling.

Deadlifts were where things got more strategic. We had a couple directions we could’ve gone depending on how things played out, but the priority was locking in the total and securing position. She finished with 451 which ultimately solidified 5th place.

No PR’s on the day, but we made the right calls across the board. In a meet like this, missing attempts trying to chase numbers can cost you quickly.

Good showing on a big stage. We’ll clean a few things up and keep building from here!

03/06/2026

2026 State Championships Recap:

Robert just competed back in November, so this was a quick turnaround into another prep for States building on what we had and cleaning things up.

He went 8/9 and finished with a 1587lb total at 237lbs bodyweight, resulting in 55lbs added to his total in 3 months!

Squat 540lbs (2/3)
Bench 413lbs (3/3)
Deadlift 634lbs (3/3)
430.279 DOTS

Robert’s work hours can be all over the place which makes training a moving target at times. We’d see it when RPE’s fluctuated more than expected depending on the week. Some sessions he’d be rolling, other sessions we were adjusting loads or volume on the fly. From a programming standpoint it’s been a challenge managing the time he has available and meeting him where he’s at week to week while still getting as much out of each session as we can.

Squats have actually been the lift climbing the most consistently in training out of the three, so missing the second for up down was a bit of a surprise. Although the jury challenge didn’t go our way we kept our conservative jump and he came back and nailed the third for a 22lb all time PR!

Bench has cleaned up immensely this prep with much more consistent competition standard pauses. Because of that we were able to call attempts much closer to his true on the day top end and get better insight into where his bench strength actually sits, finishing with a +22lbs ATPR.

Deadlifts were a win considering everything leading into meet day. During our last assessment before peaking his back was pretty fried from under recovery and long work hours, so we had to pull things back a bit. Fast forward to peak week and he hit a true solid RPE 8 single with no issues. On meet day we were probably right near his top end, despite having a bit of energy conserved from a more conservative 3rd squat.

We’ve got solid work to do to close the gap for the national qualifying total, so now we’re looking forward to a much needed offseason while we prep for Regionals. We’ll be continuing to get after it!

Another step forward. Back to work 🤞🏽

03/03/2026

Tested Gold’s Gym Winter Classic Recap:

This was Mike’s second prep with me, as he normally runs my app programming year-round, and when it’s time to peak we get together at and lock in for the final block. Originally, the goal was build a qualifying total, go 9/9 if possible, and establish platform consistency to set the tone for nationals.

Last year at USPA Nationals he bombed out, which is obviously not ideal. But, pivotal learning point - Mike needed to move up a weight class, we adjusted the peaking / taper accordingly, resulting in a night-and-day better performance than any previous prep he’s done.

He did exactly that, earning his first 9/9 performance ever with stellar PR’s overall.

Squat – 180kg / 397lbs
Bench – 135kg / 298lbs
Deadlift – 217.5kg / 480lbs
Total – 532.5kg / 1175lbs
76.85kg BW
404.43 age adjusted DOTS

Squats were disciplined. No forcing jumps. Just stacking good attempts and building momentum towards a solid total. Walked away with a 33lbs ATPR.

Bench continues to trend in the right direction. Positions were tighter, pauses were controlled, and he executed commands clean. This was where we had to clean up most of the technique work and not cheating pauses, which paid off with a 27lbs ATPR.

Deadlifts this go around peaked beautifully with more in the tank. Given his history showed squat tended to take out more than anticipated on deadlifts, to walk away with our top end choice was a huge dub - final pull gave us a + 33lbs ATPR. Finished 9/9 and a solid +93lbs all-time total PR.

The biggest win here was ex*****on. After a bomb out on a national stage, most wouldn’t handle it well. We built the day lift by lift and walked away with a 42.5kg all-time total PR.

Given that Tested nationals is no longer happening, it’s time for a switch up…👀

Solid bounce back, now we keep building for June 🤝

01/31/2026

Assessment week

Bench: 336lbs x 7. Happy with this given my pec issue still lingering (but getting better!)

Deadlift: 557lbs x 7 (Camera cut off so perks of being a trainer at is getting the ring camera footage. Plz don’t ask or if your camera cuts off tho)

Squat: 518lbs x 6. Cap was set lower due to prior shoulder issues leading to last assessment

Not bad for getting a ridiculous amount of steps in this past Sunday & Monday shoveling, condensing the training week into two days, and comp lift frequency still low. BW trending back down so we’re about to get nasty with it soon 😤

Project in full effect. Watch me work 👊🏽

01/08/2026

Last week’s AMRAP’s

Deadlift: 557lbs x 7
Bench: 336lbs x 7
Squat: Didn’t happen - a bit of underlying pec irritation got in the way but we’ll get right

Time to keep building and getting into the strongest, fastest, best shape of my life 🤝

12/01/2025

Holiday Havoc Recap:

This was Robert’s first ever competition and also our first block together. Thirteen weeks of coaching going into his debut meet and he hit all nine lifts, PR’d every event with cleaner competition standards, and closed the day with a 1532lbs total. A hell of a start while also finishing 6th out of 18 in men’s overall, and 9th overall amongst men & women.

He works in security and his schedule can get a bit wild. Shifts move around, long / late hours, and training often had to happen either right before or right after work. Managing fatigue versus recovery meant adjusting accordingly, but he still showed up and stood ten toes down on meet day.

This meet wasn’t even part of the plan at first. It landed on our radar about nine weeks out and we put together a fast eight week prep. Our main targets are State Championships in February and closing the gap toward a national qualifying total. Since this meet was close to Manassas, it gave us the perfect low-stress opportunity to test the waters and let him experience meet day pacing.

Every first meet with a new athlete is about learning their patterns. How they respond to training, how they peak, how they execute on the platform, and what their day-of tendencies look like. Robert exceeded expectations across the board. Based on peak week, he ended up hitting roughly a 60lbs jump on squat, about a 22lbs jump on bench, and about a 44lbs jump on deadlift. To be fair, he undershot a *tad* in training which made it tough to gauge his true ceiling 😅 but now that we’ve seen where he lands on meet day we’ll push a bit harder in the next prep and dial things in.

Now it’s on to States in February. Time to level up and take another big step forward!
training
 

12/01/2025

Holiday Havoc Recap:

This was Heather’s first meet since Nationals four months ago and we needed a tune up heading into next year’s Arnold Sports Festival. Once they announced a cash prize at a local meet the timing lined up perfectly! She finished 8 for 9 with a squat PR, deadlift PR, total PR and walked away with $1000!

Scoring was based on Z-Score which meant men and women were all in the same pot. It made attempt selection a lot more dynamic but the goal didn’t change: stack & make attempts to build the biggest total we could.

Heather came in lighter than expected which changed our squat plan but it ended up being the right call. The third attempt was a grind but she stuck with it and secured a squat PR while still trying to leave enough in the tank for deadlifts. Huge moment for the day.

Bench was a headache this prep. Heather missed 242lbs during peak week which came out of nowhere, so we played it safe and took 237lbs on her third. On the platform it looked like 242 might’ve been there, but building the total was the priority.

Deadlifts were where things got real strategic. The difference between walking away with $1000 and $700 came down to final attempts. After openers Heather was sitting in first. Two of the male lifters I expected to push for the top spot had already missed key attempts, which left one female lifter we had to keep on the radar. We loaded 451lbs for her 3rd which would either lock in the win or force her into a tougher jump. We unfortunately didn’t have it on the day and she was definitely more taxed from her second than expected.

I’ll be real once we missed I thought we were sliding into second. I fully expected the lifter behind us to lower their third to the number they needed to out score us - but they didn’t make the adjustment and when they missed their 3rd attempt too, that sealed the win for us.

Proud of the work as always. Time to iron out the kinks and get ready for Ohio in 2026!

11/19/2025

W3D2

Bench: 347lbs x 3
Back downs: 303lbs 2 x 5
Tons reps of unilateral Lower Body accessories 🥵

11/17/2025

W3D1 - Preparatory phase type

Floor Press 8’s - 286lbs, 292lbs, 303lbs
Deadlift Top Triple - 595lbs
Backdown 5’s - 523lbs, 507lbs
Upper body accessories

Rebuilding the engine before we add some horse power. Operation best shape of my life before 30 in full effect.

Watch me work 👊🏽

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10/29/2025

Fright Night Recap:

While Jason said the VA Ice Storm was his last meet, once I announced Fright Night in Manassas he was all in. He ended up going 8 for 9, taking 1st in the 125kg Men’s Open!

Training this time around came with its own set of challenges. Between work schedule changes, life getting chaotic, and a week-long Disney trip before the peaking block, the main goal was just finding rhythm and hitting the gas where we could.

For a long stretch, squats and deadlifts were the biggest obstacles because of a recurring lower back injury that always seemed to flare up right when we’d start gaining momentum. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out his threshold for volume and intensity. But once we found that sweet spot, things started clicking again. He finished squats just 5lbs shy of his all-time PR from 2022, which is something we’ve been chasing since the original back injury.

Bench man... The 400lb milestone is right there, and he peaked beautifully for it. Bench was at an all time high this prep, but we missed it again on the third attempt. It’s only a matter of time before he smashes it.

When you look at the big picture though, this was a massive win. We finished just 5lbs under his best total from three years ago. Despite the back flare-ups, reduced training frequency, and all the curveballs life threw at him.

Big s/o to for being there on the day, keeping Jason locked in, and lining him up perfectly to close out the day just shy of his PR total.

Whether this really is his “last ride” or not 👀, I’m proud of how he showed up, trusted the process, and proved he can still perform at a high level even when the odds aren’t ideal.
training

10/29/2025

VA Fright Night Recap: .lifts .lifts

Josh made his competition debut this weekend, going a perfect 9 for 9 and taking 1st place in the 90kg Men’s Open - an incredible showing for his first meet, especially considering he was down nearly 20lbs from his SBD assessment back in December 2024.

We’ve been working together for a few years now, from undergrad to full-time life, and this prep was about making the most of limited time. Training 3x/week has been the new normal since he started his first job, and that consistency is what carried him through.

The biggest curveball this prep was a weeklong trip to Europe three weeks out from the meet. We hit some heavier singles before he left, then came back with RPE-based work to rebuild momentum fast, and it ended up setting him up perfectly.

Squats have been one of the biggest challenges over the past year because of recurring elbow flare-ups tied to shoulder mobility. Some weeks we just had to get in what we could without aggravating it. Thankfully, things started clicking again toward the end of prep, and we closed out with a hard but smooth 430lb squat that probably had another five pounds left in the tank.

Bench has been the most volatile lift since dropping to 3x a week training. Between limited frequency and the elbow issues carrying over from squats, RPEs were bouncing up and down every week, with missed/failed lifts becoming more frequent than we’d hope for. We made small adjustments week-to-week to find consistency, and playing it safe on meet day paid off with a clean 270lb finish.

Deadlifts were the strongest part of prep. Things really started to come together during the peak, and we matched his best from his December mock meet at 557lbs, except this time, he locked it out with control instead of losing it to grip. It was the perfect way to cap off the day.

9-for-9 in your first competition, after travel, work, and the chaos of balancing life, is a big win. This is just the starting point.

Major s/o to the great for taking care of business and guiding Josh through his first meet!
training

Sebastian J. Baytan

03/23/2026

03/06/2026

03/03/2026

01/31/2026

01/08/2026

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

11/19/2025

11/17/2025

10/29/2025

10/29/2025

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