Up and moving, slept awesome and feel good. Normal PWO.
Deadlift
185 x 5
230 x 5
275 x 3
320 x 3
370 x 3
415 x 7
460 x 1
505 x 0 - ass kayak…
Bench
45 x 5
135 x 5
175 - 5 x 5
Assistance
SS w/ deadlift
HLL - 5 x 10
SS w/ each other
TRX Row - 5 x 10
Dips - 5 x 10
Cardio
DB clean-squat-press - 30 lbs - 4 x 12 w/60 sec rest
Deadlift was great until the joker sets. I used hook grip for everything but the PR set, but at 460 I started jamming my fingers into my thigh again. That means I was losing position. I had no business trying 505 and gave up on it at knee height. Ego took over and I’m better than that. Rest of workout was great, proud of the PR set and really let the muscles work on rows and dips. Cardio was hard as usual.
It took me a long time to get over the mental hurdle of 5 plates. I think a year (perhaps a bit more) of consistent deadlifting to go from 455 to 500. About two months after 500, 550 went up. Now I am at the 6 plate mental plateau. I am creeping up on it instead this time so I don’t have to go for a big PR. I did 575, and next PR attempt will be 585 (6 plate club). My point is don’t get too upset about missing those big lifts, they come eventually if you stick with it.
I’ve hit 505 and 515 so far this year, and am just mad that I tried it despite the difficulty of 460 because it was a juvenile move on my part. It did take me 6 years to get from 470 to 515 which is 100% mental. I’m hoping to start bumping up on that 6 plate plateau next year though - will be focusing heavily on strength in the second half of the year.
Nice, 515 is a solid DL. I think in the age of Social Media and YouTube the perception of what numbers people hit has been skewed. The people with great lifts / bodies post a lot. The people without it don’t post stuff related to lifting.
I remember seeing a video of Jay Cutler from the early 2000s deadlifting. He really struggled to hit 495 for a set of 3. That puts a bit of perspective to how hard the lift is.
Thanks man. I definitely agree that social media can give the perception that everyone can bench a Volvo, squat a tank, and deadlift a house. I’m happy with my lower body numbers, especially for having defective lumbar vertebrae, but I’m not content with them. I’ll be taking your advice on the upper body lifts to see if I can’t shake some gains loose on them.
100 reps jump rope
Wendler active recovery 4 - 5 reps
100 jr
Wendler x 5
100 jr
Band pull apart - 35
100 jr
BPA - 35
100 jr
BPA - 30
100 jr
Wrist rolls - 10 lbs - floor to bar and back each direction
100 jr
WR
100 jr
WR
100 jr
This was fun and I feel better now than I did before doing it
jr = jump rope and WR = wrist rolls. No real programming to them, just doing the work keeps my wrists and elbows healthy. It is a struggle on the last time through, though.
For wrist rolls I have a pipe with rope attached that holds a weight. I roll the pipe until the weight is all the way up at my hands, then unroll it until the weight touches the floor again. Repeat in the opposite direction and that is one rep. Yes, it hurts a lot.
Either on an off day or superset it with non-grip-intensive lifts. I notice I’m way stronger overhead if I do them as my warm-up and my elbows feel better. Adds stability with weight in the hands.
Up and moving. Had some bourbon, steak, and a lot of veggies last night and didn’t sleep the best. Was gonna push to tomorrow but caffeine revived me. Normal PWO routine.
Squat
45 x 5
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 - 5 x 5
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
80 x 5
95 x 3
110 x 3
125 x 3
140 x 5
Assistance
SS w/ squat
Chin/pull ups - 9,9,9,8,8,8
SS w/ press
DB curls - 25 lbs - 5 x 10
SS w/ each other
Standing plate overhead triceps extensions - 25 lbs - 5 x 20
Stiff leg deadlifts - 135 lbs - 5 x 10
Cardio
10 minute tabata battle ropes
I have no idea why, but chins felt extremely strong today. Squat and press didn’t, though. Assistance was good and cardio was pretty solid. Not bad for no sleep and a mild hangover.
