Conventional Deadlift: 290x3
320x5
340x5 PR
Deficit Deads (standing on about a 3" platform): 200x6
250x6, 6
260x6
High Pulls: 110x5
160x5, 5, 5
3 sets of GHR and Rainbow Dragonfly Ponies to finish.
Historically, conventional has been my stronger stance for DL, so I wanted to try it out again. The 340 for 5 went up pretty easily, and when I pulled that hard 335x5 sumo, I was wearing a suit. Dave told me to train conventional for the Feburary meet, so that's what I'll do.
The main problem is just my strength off the floor. If it moves, its going up, but it gets to be an issue with heavy weights. My back is still stronger than my legs. UCLA Rowing FTW.
4 comments:
Kyle, try squatting more than 1x a week to improve off the floor. Instead of Squat Day and Deadlift Day, try something like:
Monday:
- Heavy Squat (triples/doubles)
- DL Assistance (Stiff-leg DLs, 3x8)
Thursday:
- Heavy DL
- Medium Squat (5 rep sets)
This can be worked pretty easily into Dave's system. Working the squat will vastly improve your power off the floor.
That sounds like a good idea Phil, but I won't have too much time to work it in.
Next week is finals week, so I will probably get in one day for squatting/deadlifting and one day for bench.
After that, I will be training at Diablo Barbell for a couple of weeks. I will do whatever they tell me to. Since they are a Westside-style gym, most likely I will be squatting a lot.
I will get back into Dave's system after winter break.
I think the only way to really work strength off the floor is to pause between each rep of the deadlift. Never bounce or use the stretch reflex to help you lift. The only way to build starting strength is to break the eccentric/concentric chain. I suppose box squats can help too, but pausing between reps is your best bet.
I like Phil's recommendation of increasing the frequency of your deadlift training, but RDLs aren't going to help you off the floor. You'd be better off with sets of 70-80% squats on the light day with a pause after every rep.
I have also read that deficit deadlifts will help your lockout, but I don't think they will help you off the floor much. You'll pull from a deficit, which is a different position than you acutally start at. When you get to the same anatomical position as your actual start the bar will have momentum and will be "lighter" than from a dead start. One solution is to pull from a deficit and hold the bar isometrically when you get to your start position to work strength there. Then, finish the pull (pull, 6sec. hold, finish the rep). Do it for singles; I wouldn't rep the isometrics.
The reason that deficit deads will help the lockout is that you are holding the bar longer. I guess it's kind of an endurance thing.
Don't decrease lifting time during finals week. Make the time to go to the gym.
Finally, ask about all these suggestions at Diablo and get some feedback. Doing what they say is fine, but you should learn while you're there. You need to learn to make adjustments on your own (and inform us of their opinions so we can learn as well).
Jake, the only time that I do not pause between is rep is on Stiff-legs. Everything else is done from a dead stop (or a roll if I feel like it and I am using bummper plates).
As a pretty wet-behind-the-ears lifter, I am learning a lot just by doing what the experienced guys say. I know that I have weaknesses at specific points (just out of the hole in squat, depth in squat, off the floor in DL), and the big guys tell me what to do. In case I ever have that problem again, I will know what to do from then on.
I expect to learn a ton from the guys at Diablo (most of it in the above fashion), and will most definitely be posting golden delicious nuggets of knowledge on the blog.
And for finals week, I have a crapload of studying to get done. The 1 squat/1 bench is a minimum. I will try to make it to the gym more often than that, but it would be a very, very brief session (more like a 1/3 workout).
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