New Deadlift PR

"Jason Earl" <jearl.DeleteThis@xmission.com> wrote in message
news:873b4cl8js.fsf@workhorse.earlhome...
>
> Today, after a fun day with my family, I loaded the bar up with all of
> the weight I own (390 lbs.) and deadlifted it. I felt so good I
> actually tried for a double, but I couldn't quite get the weight off
> the ground for the second lift. This was especially exciting for me
> because two weeks ago my PR was a mere 325 lbs. Last week, in
> disgust, after a month long layoff from deadlifting I put 360 lbs. on
> the bar because I figured that was more than Freides could lift (I was
> wrong, of course, apparently his PR is currenty 364). I weigh half
> again as much as Freides, and I am 15 years his junior. I should at
> least be able to match him in the deadlift.
>
> As I said before my previous PR was 325; so I didn't think that I
> would be able to budge the weight, but I was determined to at least
> try. To my astonishment I was able to lift the weight fairly easily
> (for a single, when I tried for a double I failed miserably). So I
> decided to wait a week and try again taking another big jump.
> Originally I had planned to try 380, but when I got the weight on the
> bar and I realized that I was only 10 pounds short of all the plates I
> own. The two five pound plates seemed lonely all by themselves, so I
> added them too. I am glad I did.
>
> I've never really tried max singles and I am starting to realize that
> I am actually a good deal stronger than I imagined. Heck, I added 55
> lbs. to my deadlift in a few weeks just by taking a break and not
> being such a big chicken.
>
> So, on Monday I'll be off to Sports Authority to purchase another 300
> lbs. Oly set. I apparently need some more plates, and I could really
> use another bar.
>
> I realize that this isn't really that much weight in the grand scheme
> of things and that there are probably teenage girls that can lift more
> than that, but I couldn't help but be excited after months of grinding
> out deadlifts with only minor improvements.
>
> I hope that all of the rest of you have equally nice weekends .
>
> Jason

Jason, excellent! Congratulations - a deadlift PR is always a thing to
get excited about.

Yesterday, since I'm in the midst of a backoff period after a
competition, I decided to try rack deadlifts, which is sometimes called
a "health lift" - whatever you call it, it's a partial range deadlift,
and I did mine using the safeties in the rack combined with some plywood
sheets. I have never even held more than my DL PR in my hands, so I
wanted to see how that would go. All this with the understanding that I
can't expect a carryover to my full-range DL. I've found a backoff
period is a good time to try a new lift or a new exercise or a new
variation on an old lift - since it's new, it's pretty hard to overdo
it, at least for me.

I did two rounds. First round, I just barely moved the bar, maybe an
inch, just to see what I could hold onto, IOW, the rack pins were set
just below my lockout bar height. I did

225 x 1, 315 x 1 overhand grip, then

345 x 2, 395 x 2, 415 x 2, each double using first my less favorite
over/under grip, then my favorite over/under. Cool, first time I've
ever even held 400+ lbs. this way.

Then I moved the pins down, which means 4.5" more pull in my rack, but
took away one board, so maybe a 5" total pull distance, and did

245 x 1, 315 x 1 overhand, then
365 x 2, 395 x 2, 2 using the same over/plan as above. I had trouble,
due to grip, locking out 395 w/ my least favorite grip, no trouble with
the favored grip.

Overall, it was cool to do - my wife worked in on this with me as well,
and also held onto some weights she's never DL'ed before. Pavel tells a
story of the old-timers starting by standing in a hole in the ground and
gradually filling up the hole to increase the ROM.

So, congrats to you, Jason, and just planting the thought for partial
range and extended range DL's as part of your training if you're looking
for a change of pace. Common sense applies to the choice of weights -
less weight for extended range, more weight for partials.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

Jason Earl wrote:
> Today, after a fun day with my family, I loaded the bar up with all of
> the weight I own (390 lbs.) and deadlifted it.

Congrats. More than I've ever done.
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

"Steve Freides" <steve.RemoveThis@fridayscomputer.com> writes:

> "Jason Earl" <jearl.RemoveThis@xmission.com> wrote in message
> news:873b4cl8js.fsf@workhorse.earlhome...
>>
>> Today, after a fun day with my family, I loaded the bar up with all of
>> the weight I own (390 lbs.) and deadlifted it. I felt so good I
>> actually tried for a double, but I couldn't quite get the weight off
>> the ground for the second lift. This was especially exciting for me
>> because two weeks ago my PR was a mere 325 lbs. Last week, in
>> disgust, after a month long layoff from deadlifting I put 360 lbs. on
>> the bar because I figured that was more than Freides could lift (I was
>> wrong, of course, apparently his PR is currenty 364). I weigh half
>> again as much as Freides, and I am 15 years his junior. I should at
>> least be able to match him in the deadlift.
>>
>> As I said before my previous PR was 325; so I didn't think that I
>> would be able to budge the weight, but I was determined to at least
>> try. To my astonishment I was able to lift the weight fairly easily
>> (for a single, when I tried for a double I failed miserably). So I
>> decided to wait a week and try again taking another big jump.
>> Originally I had planned to try 380, but when I got the weight on the
>> bar and I realized that I was only 10 pounds short of all the plates I
>> own. The two five pound plates seemed lonely all by themselves, so I
>> added them too. I am glad I did.
>>
>> I've never really tried max singles and I am starting to realize that
>> I am actually a good deal stronger than I imagined. Heck, I added 55
>> lbs. to my deadlift in a few weeks just by taking a break and not
>> being such a big chicken.
>>
>> So, on Monday I'll be off to Sports Authority to purchase another 300
>> lbs. Oly set. I apparently need some more plates, and I could really
>> use another bar.
>>
>> I realize that this isn't really that much weight in the grand scheme
>> of things and that there are probably teenage girls that can lift more
>> than that, but I couldn't help but be excited after months of grinding
>> out deadlifts with only minor improvements.
>>
>> I hope that all of the rest of you have equally nice weekends .
>>
>> Jason
>
> Jason, excellent! Congratulations - a deadlift PR is always a thing
> to get excited about.

As you can tell from my post, I was pretty excited.

> Yesterday, since I'm in the midst of a backoff period after a
> competition, I decided to try rack deadlifts, which is sometimes
> called a "health lift" - whatever you call it, it's a partial range
> deadlift, and I did mine using the safeties in the rack combined
> with some plywood sheets. I have never even held more than my DL PR
> in my hands, so I wanted to see how that would go. All this with
> the understanding that I can't expect a carryover to my full-range
> DL. I've found a backoff period is a good time to try a new lift or
> a new exercise or a new variation on an old lift - since it's new,
> it's pretty hard to overdo it, at least for me.

Sounds like fun.

> I did two rounds. First round, I just barely moved the bar, maybe
> an inch, just to see what I could hold onto, IOW, the rack pins were
> set just below my lockout bar height. I did
>
> 225 x 1, 315 x 1 overhand grip, then
>
> 345 x 2, 395 x 2, 415 x 2, each double using first my less favorite
> over/under grip, then my favorite over/under. Cool, first time I've
> ever even held 400+ lbs. this way.
>
> Then I moved the pins down, which means 4.5" more pull in my rack,
> but took away one board, so maybe a 5" total pull distance, and did
>
> 245 x 1, 315 x 1 overhand, then 365 x 2, 395 x 2, 2 using the same
> over/plan as above. I had trouble, due to grip, locking out 395 w/
> my least favorite grip, no trouble with the favored grip.

That's an impressive amount of weight to hold off the ground.

> Overall, it was cool to do - my wife worked in on this with me as
> well, and also held onto some weights she's never DL'ed before.
> Pavel tells a story of the old-timers starting by standing in a hole
> in the ground and gradually filling up the hole to increase the ROM.

I'd read about that. Now that I have a proper power rack I can even
play along at home. One of the reasons that I originally fixated on
the deadlift was that I didn't have the equipment to do much else .

That and the fact that it is pretty cool to see the bar loaded up with
all the plates I own...

> So, congrats to you, Jason, and just planting the thought for
> partial range and extended range DL's as part of your training if
> you're looking for a change of pace. Common sense applies to the
> choice of weights - less weight for extended range, more weight for
> partials.

Thanks for the tip. I will definitely keep that in mind. I'm not
foolish enough to think that I can just keep adding 30 lbs to the bar
every week, and so I am going to start needing more advanced
strategies to keep the weight moving up.

Any tips on getting the weight off the ground? My sticking point is
quite obviously the bottom of the lift.

Thanks again,
Jason
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

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 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

"Steve Freides" <steve.TakeThisOut@fridayscomputer.com> writes:

> "Jason Earl" <jearl.TakeThisOut@xmission.com> wrote in message
> news:871wjvnxxt.fsf@workhorse.earlhome...

<snip>

>> Any tips on getting the weight off the ground? My sticking point
>> is quite obviously the bottom of the lift.
>
> Things I've used or heard that work for a sticking point at the
> beginning of the lift.
>
> Extended range pulls (get yourself raised up 1-4" or so, no need for
> more unless you're doing what I'm doing, which is just looking for
> the feel of heavier weights in your hands). Ease into this. I've
> had success cycling it, i.e., start a cycle w/ light weights off a
> 3"-4" platform, fairly high reps, and as the cycle progress, lower
> the platform, lower the volume, and raise the weight. Word is that
> RDC used to stand on coke crates (12" or so) and pull from there -
> not sure my back would like it but who's going to argue w/ RDC's
> results?

Thanks, I remember you mentioning that before. Of course, back then I
wasn't too worried about sticking points because my whole lift was
nothing but sticking points...

> Deep back squats, front squats, or hack lifts (behind the back
> deadlift).

I am so glad I have a real power rack now.

> Sumo DL's - you can start a cycle that way and switch to
> conventional, or you can work a whole cycle sumo then start over
> conventional.

I am not real comfortable deadlifting Sumo style. I don't think that
my form is very good. Fixing that is something I have been meaning to
tackle.

> For me, one-legged DL's have also helped but I think that's highly
> individual. If you suffer from what's been called gluteal amnesia, it
> can make a big difference. It definitely helps with my back injury -
> it's much harder to 'find" the right muscles on the side on which I'm
> injured but enough one-legged DL work and those muscles start to come
> around.

I am always on the look out for more tricks to do with my kettlebell
. I don't think that it is quite heavy enough to make things
interesting. On the other hand, I have been meaning to get me a
heavier kbell. What I really want is a kbell that my co-workers can't
even pick up off of the ground. Right now when people come into my
office they invariably try to lift my 24kg bell. They generally can't
curl it, and they certainly can't snatch it, but they can row it a few
times, and some of them can even press it.

A 40kg kbell should completely demoralize them. I've been testing
with dumbbells and I am pretty sure that I could handle one safely.

Thanks again for the information and the encouragement. I really
appreciate it.

Jason
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

On Mar 11, 4:15 am, Jason Earl <j....RemoveThis@xmission.com> wrote:
> Today, after a fun day with my family, I loaded the bar up with all of
> the weight I own (390 lbs.) and deadlifted it. I felt so good I
> actually tried for a double, but I couldn't quite get the weight off
> the ground for the second lift. This was especially exciting for me
> because two weeks ago my PR was a mere 325 lbs.

Good job, Jason!! Congratulations!

Stephen
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

This message is not archived
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

In news:ad49v2tk9kg3k48gor90mafcvid0b1eada@4ax.com,
Shute <Shute.DeleteThis@nowhere.com> typed:
> On 10 Mar 2007 22:53:32 -0800, "Curt" <curtjames.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> So maybe there's something to that whole power of positive thinking
>> thing, eh? And adequate rest and recuperation, of course.
>
> I saw a youtube vid once where this guy was yelling "light weight,
> light weight!!!" before his lift.

Why would he want someone to light the weight???

--
Bully
Protein bars: http://www.proteinbars.co.uk

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees
the opportunity in every difficulty." Sir Winston Churchill
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

"Steve Freides" <steve RemoveThis @fridayscomputer.com> writes:

> "Jason Earl" <jearl RemoveThis @xmission.com> wrote in message
> news:874porm92n.fsf@workhorse.earlhome...
>> I am always on the look out for more tricks to do with my
>> kettlebell . I don't think that it is quite heavy enough to make
>> things interesting. On the other hand, I have been meaning to get
>> me a heavier kbell. What I really want is a kbell that my
>> co-workers can't even pick up off of the ground. Right now when
>> people come into my office they invariably try to lift my 24kg
>> bell. They generally can't curl it, and they certainly can't
>> snatch it, but they can row it a few times, and some of them can
>> even press it.
>>
>> A 40kg kbell should completely demoralize them. I've been testing
>> with dumbbells and I am pretty sure that I could handle one safely.
>
> I'd get the 32 kg next. While I'm sure you can manage the 40, the
> 32 will provide you a very nice challenge, particularly when you
> start to do rep work with it. It'll be heavy enough for you to
> notice the difference , and you'll find the number of people
> comfortable playing with it will go down drastically. (And they
> make a 48 kg kettlebell now - I don't own one and don't know that I
> will, but it'll surely stump most folks.)

I'll think about it. However, I don't much rep work with my kbell
right now. The problem is that I use my kbell primarily at work. I
work in a pretty casual environment, but every once in a while there
were issues when I did longer sets. Once, for example, an important
partner called me right after a set of 60 swings. I was somewhat less
articulate than usual on that particular call.

The reason that I am leaning towards the heavier kbell is that my
overhead press increased dramatically when I got the 24kg bell. When
I first purchased the bell even a single rep was difficult left
handed. Now I can press 80lbs dumbbells with either hand for a
double. A regular diet of presses has been very good to me.

Don't get me wrong. I'll probably follow your advice. My guess is
that eventually I am going to have a whole pile of kbells. I like
them, and they seem to be working well for me.

> One of my plans for this Spring is to start working with the 32 for
> rep work more. I've been doing almost all my snatches and swings w/
> a 24 and I think I'm getting lazy about it, and I'm going to another
> RKC weekend in June, so that's my reason/excuse to step up to a
> heavier kettlebell for rep work.

High rep kbell work with any size bell is not something that fits any
definition of lazy that I am aware of. I might make up excuses about
not wanting to sweat and breathe hard at work, but the reality is that
kbell rep work is just ridiculously hard .

> A one-leg DL with a 24 kg and a 32 kg kettlebell would make a fine
> exercise for you. I do all my one-leg DL's with a pair of
> kettlebells, usually a matched pair of either 24's or 32's, but you
> can do the movement with just one, placing it either inside,
> outside, or in front of the bearing leg, and you can do it with
> unequal weights, switching the heavier from inside to outside the
> foot. FWIW, I do my one-leg DL's the way Steve Cotter showed me,
> which is to put the weight down and stand up between reps - changing
> from weighted to unweighted and back again is more challenging for
> your balance than just straight reps with the weight. (This isn't
> related to the PTP idea of resetting between reps - the weight here
> isn't heavy enough to warrant that.)

I hadn't thought of using two kettlebells for deadlifts. I've seen
video clips of Pavel and Mahler doing multiple kbell swings, snatches,
and cleans and I have come to the conclusion that I would personally
feel safer simply doing barbell cleans and snatches. Multiple kbells
for one legged deadlift sounds safe enough though.

>> Thanks again for the information and the encouragement. I really
>> appreciate it.
>
> I'm sure you have much more in you - looking forward to hearing
> about it.

If I stop getting stronger I'll have to concentrate on getting thinner
. Either way, I feel like I am headed in the right direction.

> You know, if you can do a few pullups, you could enter a TSC meet -
> we're having another one on September 8, and trying to stick to a
> March and a September meet every year.

Of course I can do a *few* pullups. In fact, I can currently do five
from a dead hang. At one point last year I got up to being able to do
10 (though probably not all from a dead hang). Where are these
competitions? I don't expect that I would actually be very
competitive in such an event, but it would be nice to meet some of the
people that are...

Jason
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR 

"Jason Earl" <jearl RemoveThis @xmission.com> wrote in message
news:87r6ruj5dd.fsf@workhorse.earlhome...
> "Steve Freides" <steve RemoveThis @fridayscomputer.com> writes:
>
>> "Jason Earl" <jearl RemoveThis @xmission.com> wrote in message
>> news:874porm92n.fsf@workhorse.earlhome...
>>> I am always on the look out for more tricks to do with my
>>> kettlebell . I don't think that it is quite heavy enough to make
>>> things interesting. On the other hand, I have been meaning to get
>>> me a heavier kbell. What I really want is a kbell that my
>>> co-workers can't even pick up off of the ground. Right now when
>>> people come into my office they invariably try to lift my 24kg
>>> bell. They generally can't curl it, and they certainly can't
>>> snatch it, but they can row it a few times, and some of them can
>>> even press it.
>>>
>>> A 40kg kbell should completely demoralize them. I've been testing
>>> with dumbbells and I am pretty sure that I could handle one safely.
>>
>> I'd get the 32 kg next. While I'm sure you can manage the 40, the
>> 32 will provide you a very nice challenge, particularly when you
>> start to do rep work with it. It'll be heavy enough for you to
>> notice the difference , and you'll find the number of people
>> comfortable playing with it will go down drastically. (And they
>> make a 48 kg kettlebell now - I don't own one and don't know that I
>> will, but it'll surely stump most folks.)
>
> I'll think about it. However, I don't much rep work with my kbell
> right now. The problem is that I use my kbell primarily at work. I
> work in a pretty casual environment, but every once in a while there
> were issues when I did longer sets. Once, for example, an important
> partner called me right after a set of 60 swings. I was somewhat less
> articulate than usual on that particular call.

Oops! Pressing with a 2-pood (32 kg) will still be challenging for
you - you'll definitely get a few more reps than from your 80 lb.
dumbbell. You know, some folks like to do "complexes" with their
kettlebell, e.g., snatch, then lower to the chest and press back up,
then do a windmill, and call that one rep. Never been my thing, might
be a thing to do with a little time if you like that sort of thing.
Snatch, overhead squat, lower, front squat, press, lower - there are a
million variations. Maybe some would feel good during the day without
being quite the workout 60 swings is.

> The reason that I am leaning towards the heavier kbell is that my
> overhead press increased dramatically when I got the 24kg bell. When
> I first purchased the bell even a single rep was difficult left
> handed. Now I can press 80lbs dumbbells with either hand for a
> double. A regular diet of presses has been very good to me.
>
> Don't get me wrong. I'll probably follow your advice. My guess is
> that eventually I am going to have a whole pile of kbells. I like
> them, and they seem to be working well for me.
>
>> One of my plans for this Spring is to start working with the 32 for
>> rep work more. I've been doing almost all my snatches and swings w/
>> a 24 and I think I'm getting lazy about it, and I'm going to another
>> RKC weekend in June, so that's my reason/excuse to step up to a
>> heavier kettlebell for rep work.
>
> High rep kbell work with any size bell is not something that fits any
> definition of lazy that I am aware of. I might make up excuses about
> not wanting to sweat and breathe hard at work, but the reality is that
> kbell rep work is just ridiculously hard .

I was just reading someone's comments the other day about how kettlebell
rep work fits in with the stereotype many of us have of the Russian
mentality: stoicism and long suffering.

>> A one-leg DL with a 24 kg and a 32 kg kettlebell would make a fine
>> exercise for you. I do all my one-leg DL's with a pair of
>> kettlebells, usually a matched pair of either 24's or 32's, but you
>> can do the movement with just one, placing it either inside,
>> outside, or in front of the bearing leg, and you can do it with
>> unequal weights, switching the heavier from inside to outside the
>> foot. FWIW, I do my one-leg DL's the way Steve Cotter showed me,
>> which is to put the weight down and stand up between reps - changing
>> from weighted to unweighted and back again is more challenging for
>> your balance than just straight reps with the weight. (This isn't
>> related to the PTP idea of resetting between reps - the weight here
>> isn't heavy enough to warrant that.)
>
> I hadn't thought of using two kettlebells for deadlifts. I've seen
> video clips of Pavel and Mahler doing multiple kbell swings, snatches,
> and cleans and I have come to the conclusion that I would personally
> feel safer simply doing barbell cleans and snatches. Multiple kbells
> for one legged deadlift sounds safe enough though.

Two kettlebell swings are something I've just tried for the first time
and haven't found the groove for yet. I've got pretty short legs and
I'm not sure it's the exercise for me - I need a pretty wide stance just
to have room to swing. Two kettlebell snatches are tough, no doubt.
But two kettlebell cleans are a no-brainer, although best done with
matching weights. One thing you could try is one bell not moving while
cleaning the other, e.g., clean the 24, then keep it in the rack
position and clean the 32 for reps. You can also hold the non-moving
weight at the bottom, either inside or outside the legs.

>>> Thanks again for the information and the encouragement. I really
>>> appreciate it.
>>
>> I'm sure you have much more in you - looking forward to hearing
>> about it.
>
> If I stop getting stronger I'll have to concentrate on getting thinner
> . Either way, I feel like I am headed in the right direction.
>
>> You know, if you can do a few pullups, you could enter a TSC meet -
>> we're having another one on September 8, and trying to stick to a
>> March and a September meet every year.
>
> Of course I can do a *few* pullups. In fact, I can currently do five
> from a dead hang. At one point last year I got up to being able to do
> 10 (though probably not all from a dead hang). Where are these
> competitions? I don't expect that I would actually be very
> competitive in such an event, but it would be nice to meet some of the
> people that are...

http://www.tacticalstrengthchallenge.com

This page, for which there's no longer a link on the main page:

http://www.tacticalstrengthchallenge.com/mar_03_2007.html

has all the sites that hosted meets this time around, and we're just
starting to build the list up for the September event. There is no
certification for refs or anything like that - you can host one yourself
if you can find a gym or other suitable location and another willing
victim or two. No entry fee, no prizes, very low key, but the results
are posted on the web site. As with anything like this, I think the
important thing is to show up and go through the experience of lifting
on someone else's clock. The numbers are secondary. I came in dead
last at the TSC meet I just did in the Open category. You can check out
the results of the March 3 meet on the web site - the formatting is a
bit of mess but that's just because I wanted to get the numbers up there
quickly - we're working on making it easier to read. Here's a link to
the results page:

http://www.tacticalstrengthchallenge.com/results/20070303.html

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com

> Jason
 >> Stay informed about: New Deadlift PR