Im done Deloading, Advice!

[SDHW]

I have now finished up 3 weeks of deloading and im inching to get back to the heavy stuff. for my deload, the first week, I took off my event training and only did two lifting days in the gym. Basically to make it simple, I took the weight that I ended my 5x5 on, and did 70% for my deload for all lifts. The second week I did two lifting days and 1 event training day. and this week I did 3 lifting days and 1 event training day. all at 70% of my 5x5 numbers. Except my event day, which I went all out.


I have my first strongman competition coming up in about 8 weeks. so it is critical that I pick the right weight to start off with in the 5x5.

Here is what I finished the intermediate 5x5 numbers with.

Squat- 515x5
Bench- 435x5
Row-315x5
Dead-500x3
Push press-265x5

and here is the numbers from my deload weeks

Squat-365x3
Bench-335x3
Row-225x3
Dead-355x3
push press-225x3

So basically I have one shot to get it right. I have 8 weeks to be above what I ended before in numbers and be healthy, I cant be beat up at the end. I need my push press to go up, and my deads need to go up. I am going to stick with lower reps on my deads, as I will be using higher rep on event training days.

Oh and the last week, I should take off for the most part in order to recover a little bit, so its really 7 weeks!

There is no way I can squat 3 days a week and still do event training. what can I put in for my Wed squat? I was thinking maybe some hang cleans, as I will already be pulling from the floor with the deads?

any advice would be great.

 

[SDHW]

anyone have any advice?

 

[SDHW]

where is everyone?

 

[coolcolj]

I don't want to give any advice, because I don't have enough experience here in this area myself


especially since it's so crucial for you to get it right

 

[SDHW]

I don't want to give any advice, because I don't have enough experience here in this area myself


especially since it's so crucial for you to get it right

Thanks anyways, I was beginning to think all the good bros left.. I put my numbers that I ended with last time, into week 5 and worked back. However today’s workout felt too heavy. I think I need to back off a little more.

 

[s8nlilhlpr]

Looking for a 6 week tapering program for competition? I'll poke around see what I can find, no personal experience though :-/

How much volume are you used to?

 

[SDHW]

Looking for a 6 week tapering program for competition? I'll poke around see what I can find, no personal experience though :-/

How much volume are you used to?

thanks. I have been using the inter 5x5, I have been doing very well with that. however I have been doing event tranining as well and i have had to cut back a little on the 5x5. mostly the squats. so im playing with the volume to see what works best for me.

 

[perp69]

I can tell you what I do. After I finish the volume phase or 5x5 I do the deload. Then I start the 3x3 intensity phase with the weights I ended on the last week of 5x5. I drop the wednesday squats. I run it until I start to have signs of fatigue and then deload again and start over.

Perp

 

[SDHW]

thanks perp69

I was thinking of going 5x5 for the first 3 weeks then do a quick back off week on week 4, then ramp it back up for another 3 weeks, which would bring me to 7 weeks. and them do another back off week/intensity week (3x3) for the week leading up to the competition. I think this will insure that im not burnt out by the time i get to the contest.

Wks 1,2,3 5x5
Wks 4 back off
Wks 5,6,7 5x5
Wk 8 back off volume/keep intensity high
Contest

 

[perp69]

My hat is off to you cause I don't think I could do strongman training and this. 5x5 alone wears me out.

Perp

 

[SDHW]

My hat is off to you cause I don't think I could do strongman training and this. 5x5 alone wears me out.

Perp

yea it is very tuff. I am trying to adjust it to fit my needs. However the 5x5 has worked very well for me and gets my stenght up quickly.

 

[blut wump]

I have zero experience of this but I'll pipe up, anyway.

With 8 weeks to play with, you have time for another loading phase and time to be able to deload from it plus a couple/three weeks for peaking.

I guess you need the final week as just light prep so you'd have to count backwards and see whether it's an option. Since you've just come off a loading phase, you might try to squeeze in a three-week loading to give another week to deload and peaking.

 

[SDHW]

I have zero experience of this but I'll pipe up, anyway.

With 8 weeks to play with, you have time for another loading phase and time to be able to deload from it plus a couple/three weeks for peaking.

I guess you need the final week as just light prep so you'd have to count backwards and see whether it's an option. Since you've just come off a loading phase, you might try to squeeze in a three-week loading to give another week to deload and peaking.

I have just come out of a deloading phase for 3 weeks. I think the 8 weeks will allow me to load for the first 3 week, and then do a back off week. and then load for another 3 weeks, allowing me to use week 8 as a back off week to prep for the comp. For my back off weeks, I was just thinking of dropping down to 60% on everything?

now I just need to figure out my numbers for each week. im not sure if i should plug my last 5x5 numbers in week 8 and work back, subtracting 2.5% each week. or id i should do something different.

on a side note blut wump, Im thinking of adding hang cleans to my wed workout, as I have dropped the squat. Would it be best to start off the workout with these first, as I will be doing heavy dead, push presses and pull-ups? or should i save them for last in order to put more focus on my dead?

 

[blut wump]

That, I think, would be a really bad plan. You can't deload in just one week and expect to be hitting max lifts. You need a peaking phase.

I'd do the deads first to make the most of them.

 

[SDHW]

That, I think, would be a really bad plan. You can't deload in just one week and expect to be hitting max lifts. You need a peaking phase.

I'd do the deads first to make the most of them.

Well it wouldnt be a true deload. It would be more of a back off week. if i do a peaking phase, should it look like weeks 1-4 load 5x5, then weeks 5-7 peak 3x3, and take week 8 off.

 

[blut wump]

It mostly depends on how loaded you are and how long you, personally, need to deload yourself. Your week leading up to the competition should have some work earlier in the week, reasonably light, so that you don't come in deconditioned.

If you do a full loading phase then 5-6 are deloading weeks, even though you might increase weight from week 5 to week 6. Seven is typically the first week of the standard DF 5x5 that feels like an effort again.

My concern is that you leave too little time doing four weeks of loading to fit in the recovery and build-up and to come in fresh.

As I mentioned above, though, I've never done this so I'm really only typing hot air.

 

[coolcolj]

now is the time to chart, log it and experiement and see how your body responds

 

[SDHW]

now is the time to chart, log it and experiement and see how your body responds

yes i am charting, I guess we will see how it goes...

 

[crazycarwes]

How proficient are you in the events? I would stop worrying about gym lifts and concentrate on the events coming up in the contest. Dont worry about this loading deloading peaking shit just hit events hard with some corresponding gym lifts thrown in. Start tapering down you want to be fresh for the comp. What contest are you doing? Is it a NAS contest? Do you train events regularly? What weight class are you in? You are not going to gain that much strength in 7 weeks but you can improve a ton on technique/speed.

 

[SDHW]

How proficient are you in the events? I would stop worrying about gym lifts and concentrate on the events coming up in the contest. Dont worry about this loading deloading peaking shit just hit events hard with some corresponding gym lifts thrown in. Start tapering down you want to be fresh for the comp. What contest are you doing? Is it a NAS contest? Do you train events regularly? What weight class are you in? You are not going to gain that much strength in 7 weeks but you can improve a ton on technique/speed.

I only have access to events once a week. I am working on getting a 12inch log for my gym. As for the events, im getting better and better at them each week. I would like to focus more on the events, but as for right now I just dont have access to them. As for the loading/deloading questions, I dont want to feel wiped out by the time the contest comes around and I do want to make some strength gain in this time.