Fantastic work with the deadlift PR! I love the simplicity and consistency of your training ActivitiesGuy, it’s great to see you reaping the rewards for all of the hard work you are putting in.
Saturday 2/13 (PM)
KB Press 1x62
KB Press 1x62
KB Press 2x62
KB Press 2x62
KB Press 3x62
KB Press 3x62
KB Press 4x62
KB Press 4x62
KB Press 5x62
KB Press 5x62
KB Press 6x62
KB Press 6x62
KB Press 7x62
KB Press 7x62
KB Press 8x62
KB Press 8x62
Long day in the car, so when I got here to spend the weekend with my fiancée, we did a quick pre-dinner workout.
Tomorrow we’ll go to the gym, where she’ll keep working on her deadlift & I will get to play around with the strongman log 
Sunday 2/14 (AM)
Hot Yoga Class (75 Minutes)
Sunday 2/14 (PM)
Log Clean-N-Press
5x145
5x145
1x165
1x165
1x165
1x185
1x185
1x185
1x185
1x185
1x165
1x165
1x165
5x145
5x145
Deadlift
15x225
Monday 2/15 (AM)
KB Swing 4x20x62
KB Press 4x5x62
KB Swing 4x20x62
KB Press 4x5x62
KB Swing 2x20x62
KB Press 2x5x62
Monday 2/15 (PM)
Hot Yoga Class (75 Minutes)
Tuesday 2/16
Deadlift
5x135
5x135
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x315
1x315
8x315 (rep PR)
Wednesday 2/17
Deadlift
5x135
5x135
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x315
1x315
1x315
9x315 (rep PR)
Normally, I wouldn’t deadlift two days in a row, but I will be traveling the next 4 days and unlikely to find myself in a gym where I can lift heavy…the hotel does have a fitness center so I’ll just work the beach muscles with dumbbells and/or do some easy cardio.
Also…I am surprisingly enjoying the addition of a high-rep deadlift workout. It feels like my twice-weekly deadlift plan of working up to a couple heavy singles once, with a second day that tops out with a high-rep set at 315, is working well.
Thursday 2/18
1-Arm DB Press
1x50 (each hand)
2x50 (each hand)
3x50 (each hand)
4x50 (each hand)
5x50 (each hand)
6x50 (each hand)
7x50 (each hand)
8x50 (each hand)
9x50 (each hand)
10x50 (each hand)
1x50 (each hand)
1x50 (each hand)
Friday 2/19
Deadlift
5x135
5x135
3x225
3x225
1x295
1x295
1x345
1x345
1x365
1x365
1x385
1x385
1x415
1x415
1x295
1x295
1x295
1x295
1x295
21x225
Walked past a CrossFit box near my hotel yesterday and decided that I would be much happier getting at least one deadlift session on this trip rather than just 3 straight days of fiddling with dumbbells at the hotel. I was quite happy that I hit 415 twice and then did a big repetition set with 225 to close it out.
I was also excited to deadlift with real high quality bar and plates. Man, you can really feel the difference IMO. So much smoother.
Saturday 2/20
DB Clean-N-Press
48x1x50
Sunday 2/21 (AM)
Deadlift
5x135
5x135
1x225
2x225
3x225
4x225
5x225
21x225 (ties rep PR)
5x225
4x225
3x225
2x225
1x225
Got back fairly late last night…I will be heading to a yoga class this evening but wanted to do something before lunch, so I went to the gym and did some high-rep deadlift work at 225 just to move around and work the body. I’m starting to love rep deadlifts…to the point where I should be careful about overdoing this stupidly. I can get away with it for now because I’m not strong enough to hurt myself, but doing this multiple times per week at heavier weights would be kind of idiotic.
Sunday 2/21 (PM)
Hot Yoga Class (90 Minutes)
Monday 2/22
Elliptical (15 Minutes)
Tuesday 2/23
Deadlift
5x205
5x205
5x205
1x275
1x275
1x275
1x275
1x275
15x275 (rep PR)
Pull-ups
1x10
Hyperextensions
1x15
Did I mention that I like deadlifting for reps now?
Wednesday 2/24
Hot Yoga Class (60 Minutes)
Thursday 2/25
Deadlift
5x135
5x135
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
1x225
15x275 (ties rep PR)
5x275
Hyperextensions
1x15
Pull-ups
1x10
Two observations:
-
I’m starting to follow what the ThePunisher was doing pre-injury: warming up to one giant set of deadlifts, then a second repetition set afterwards.
-
Previously, part of the reason I had avoided high-rep deadlifts was a fear of form breakdown as I fatigued. However, the reality is, I feel that my technique is actually quite good on the high-rep sets, because as I start to tire, keeping solid technique is what allows me to close out those last couple reps. Anyone else observe a similar thing?
I’ve seen similar, yeah. I put it down to the fact that if I can lift it for over 10 reps, its light enough for technique not to be an issue. My biggest issue with high rep deads was the monster lower back pump that affected me for days.
I definitely feel once I get past 3 reps on Deadlifts my form tends to get better and better just because I am actually thinking less and letting my body do what is natural. That said because I am bracing so hard into my belt on every rep I sometimes forget to breath and my head will do some goofy things. If I breathe correctly I can usually get a few more reps at a heavy weight. Of course I have become the loser that believes 5 reps on a deadlift is high reps!! Sort of the same thing with Kettlebell Swings. When I was doing reps for time, once I got to around 35 straight swings my body seemed to go on auto-pilot and next thing I know I’m at 100 unbroken. Then once I realized I was past 100 and haven’t stopped my body seemed to get off rhythm and I would realize I’m pretty tired and need to sit it down for a second or two. Anyhoo… awesome job on the Deadlift PRs!!
I’m still forming my opinion on high-rep deadlifts, having broken the double-digit rep barrier just last week.
That said, if I was ever going to hurt myself on any deadlift I have done, it would probably have been on rep 10 of that set. Fatigue, light-headedness, shaky legs and a stream of spittle exiting my mouth is not what I’m accustomed to when holding something heavy in my hands. The last three reps of that set were grinder gut-checks for me. I feel like technique went out the window and brute force kicked in.
Not that I’m going to stop on account of that. I feel the risk is still relatively small given my familiarity with the movement. I’ve also done enough sloppy grinder pulls to have confidence in my body when I decide to dig deep and keep pushing.
For now I think high-rep deads will be good for me and all systems are go. Everything felt great the next day and I’m already chomping at the bit to get out of work and pull tonight. Hoping to hit double digits on my top set.
Oh and I’m pretty sure you’re good for 455 right now AG! I’d bet on it, in fact.
Glad that my note on high-rep deadlifts has inspired a little chatter from some of the other pulling enthusiasts here. Obviously dagill hit a key point that I’m doing it with a light enough weight that technique doesn’t have to go to hell just to get the weight up, so I should probably clarify that I might feel differently if I was red-lining it with 15 reps at 400 pounds, but a set of 15 at 275 feels pretty darn good - it leaves me gassed but not “on the floor dry heaving” just yet. The most striking thing to me was how locked in I’ve started to feel as the reps crept upwards. Like I said…something about the accumulating fatigue seems to make me focus MORE and let the technique do the work. However, if I pushed it like twojarslave just described and ended up in that state - lightheadedness and shaking legs…I might feel differently.
I wouldn’t call 275 “light”, at least not in the context of your bodyweight and the potential for a mishandled barbell to mangle your body.
What you describe is what I’m getting with my KB swings with the 88. Locked-in, sucking lots of wind and putting my body on auto-pilot like jblues85 described. I want to hit 50 swings with that and I’ll need to find that place if I am going to do it.
I could see the same thing with deads if I dropped it down to a weight I could hit for 15+, but that’s not something I’ll be trying anytime soon.