Help me join the 600 pound deadlift club!

All right, it's time to stop phucking around and get to business. I want a pull that is in line with my squatting and pressing. I'm sick of squatting more than I deadlift. So rather than squatting less weight, I'm gonna try to deadlift more weight

I'd like some help from the pull monkeys on this board. I have an idea of what I want to do, so I'll post a rough draft that is open to modification. As I see it, it's my lower back that's my weak point. I base this estimation on the fact that I get stuck at my shins when I fail, and the fact that I can box squat more than I can deadlift (which, to me, would indicate that my hips are plenty strong, relatively speaking).

I'm gonna just list the DL-pertinent portion of this proposed cycle - there'll be pressing included, but I can cover that on my own. The pressing volume will be turned down to facilitate the pulling. I will start this once my 20-rep squat cycle stalls and I deload appropriately.

Here's what I'm thinking so far for exercises/sets/reps:

Monday
-GMs for some heavy triples
-Power shrugs for eight triples - not ballbusters; this would be along the lines of a five-rep weight done with shorter rest, a la some of Waterbury's stuff
-Front squats, probably schemed like the shrugs
-some sort of press

Wednesday
-DE box squats, 8 doubles, waved loading
-4 DE deadlift singles, possibly off of a 100 lb. plate (I would have to be very careful with these as last time I did them I hurt my back)
-this would be a more upper-body intensive day; would probably include bench press and chins

Friday
-Oly squat, 5x5
-some sort of lighter pull, like snatch grip low pulls or something, schemed like the power shrugs
-a press of some sort

I'd likely run it like DF 5x5: 4 loading weeks, then deload, then, depending on the gains, try for a max dead or step back into another dedicated DL phase.

Whattaya think? I'm not really married to anything except the GMs. I think I have a lot of room left on those and I need to tighten up my form from before - I've gone as heavy as 415 for a single, but upon review it appears that I circumvent my low back a bit when I've gone heavy on 'em (I tend to lower it well but kinda dip my hips and squat it up).

i like it..

i need to train my lower body often, im only squatting and pulling once a week

good shit tho

the short rest breaks are killer

9x3 min rest breaks @ 80% of max = one good work out

Ugh, another newb with a "help me with..." thread.

Guinness5.0 said:

I'd like some help from the pull monkeys on this board.

Click to expand...

I guess this disqualifies me, but...

Taking a look at the Westside articles page, if you haven't already, might be worthwhile if you're still thinking about what exercises/variants to include or for a lot of info about back training.

Do you think 4 single pulls are enough DE?

This is the one area were I'm not too keen on the Westside idea of not actually performing the lift you want to max on.

Before I go on, it's best to say that this is a subject that varies a great deal from lifter to lifter. When I first started though, I followed the rule of staying away from the competition lift while training and suffered for it.

I've found it more useful to keep an actual deadlift in the picture by pulling a dead at a higher % than one would normally use for DE but not close to ME- (75 to 90) and then lower the weight for your speed drill afterwards. Even here I'd up the number of sets to 6-8 and possibly reps as well to as many as 3 ( I find it harder to establish a good rhythm for speed with a single).

I'm a big believer in doing these on the wave method as well. You can build up to an approximation of your target (about 90%) mid way through your training cycle so you get a good idea as to how you're progressing, and then begin the wave again, working up to your actual max.

In any case, IMHO, you'll probably find only 4 pulls won't present much of a workout.

The other thing is that I didn't see any hamstring work besides indirectly through the GMs and squats. You may want to add some GHRs or SLDLs. They don't need to be heavy-a moderate rep range will keep them in ready condition and hopefully add some mass.

Yo G......

Do you own any Jumpstretch (or any other company) bands? If you do, I you should pull w/bands.

All you need is a piece of plywood that is 1/2" thick, cut 3ft by 4ft. Cut two 2x4's into 6ft pieces. nail the plywood so that the 2x4's are under the plywood, and run them on the 4ft side, so that there is 1ft on both sides of the plywood. This will not only allow for you to hook the bands up to the platform allowing you to use the bands resistance, but will also create a 2in platform for you to pull off.

this is how I set up my first DL platform to pull w/my bands. the gym that I am at now, has the Jumpstretch DL platform, so i dont have to do it this way any more

FS:

So you mean working up to a moderately intense regular DL, then do 6-8 doubles/triples for DE? Sounds like a pretty good idea. I've been doing the DE box squats for several weeks so it may be good to use a different movement, and I could use all the pulling practice I can get.

I'm not as sure about the hammy work - IMO between the GMs, Oly squats, and snatch grip pulls, I tend to think there's enough. But I will play it by ear and add if I feel I can handle it. RDLs are one of my favorite exercises and I wanted to incorporate them but I thought that I had enough pos. chain stuff. I am thinking that my hams are plenty strong (for now, anyway )and that the low back is really the pivotal weakness in my case.

Illuminati:

I am gonna buy bands ASAP, but for now things are a little tight (recently moved and have some pressing one-time purchases to take care of - seems like right when I think I'm done buying shit another thing comes up ). So for now I gotta use what I got, which is a run of the mill commercial gym .

The only thing I see as a potential problem is the ammount of low back work you will be getting. Good mornings, deadlifts, squats, and front squats. All those lifts require the low back and will build a cumulative fatigue over the week of training, and therfore could put a stop to your progress with the deadlifts. You also mentioned "some sort of press" If that is overhead press then you have even more low back work there.

I would replace one of your exercises that involves the low back with something else so that your deadlifts do not suffer. You can always cycle that one exercise back in later on.

Just something to think about.

Guinness5.0 said:

FS:

So you mean working up to a moderately intense regular DL, then do 6-8 doubles/triples for DE? Sounds like a pretty good idea. I've been doing the DE box squats for several weeks so it may be good to use a different movement, and I could use all the pulling practice I can get.

I'm not as sure about the hammy work -

Click to expand...

Yes, basically what I mean. It's a personal thing, but I don't like the idea of training for a target lift but then not even employing an adequate number of pulls that are in the ball park of where you want to be. Same with speed- make sure you're doing enough to keep you challenged because you don't want to be just marking time in the gym. You need to push the envelope just a little bit each time.

Agreed that ham work can be strictly optional. I like to throw some in, but maybe that's just me feeling my age. Your circulation slows down at my age, and I need that running start.

kingkrs:

Excellent point. I think I'll drop the fronts on monday and do push presses instead. That'd still be some quad work without the brutal nature of fronts. Also, the nature of wednesday's deads is form/speed, so they won't be nearly as taxing as a standard DL session.

kingkrs brings up an interesting point. I'd noticed you didn't include any bench work in your schedule, or even just a few dips. I like the symmetry of full body training but I'm sure you have better reasons than mine for doing otherwise. Just wondering.

Fast typing beat my post.