Rick Walker Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Deadlifts tax the nervous system, and once you get close to your "max" you start to hit a wall. It happens to everyone. Well, everyone except maybe freaks like Rex. I like I said before, it took longer to get to 600 then it did to get to 700. Because I pull conventional in meets, close stance squats always seem to help my explosiveness and leg drive. This is common sense. The other thing that seemed to push me up and over 700 was training sumos. I took weeks and months and perfected my sumo form to where I was pulling 600+ sumo. What this did, in my belief, was pushed up my hip strength to where once the bar passed my knees in the conventional pull, I was able to extend them with force so the bar went to lockout quicker. Speed is important for a big pull. Other thing that have helped are beyond the range pulling (pulling standing on 2-45s or a small box) and rack pulls at mid shin or lower. Supermans help a lot as well. I know when I build my gym one of the first pieces of equipment I am getting is the Sorinex Back Attack. I bet this think puts 50 pounds on my pull QUICK. -Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tselegala Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) Thanks for all the feedback, it's good to help each other like this. Rick, The squats i do are close stance and the progress i pretty good so far so i guess i'm on the right track. I usually start shaking right after the knee and i never ever do sumo so guess i should do some huh? Do you or anybody know how good mornings affect the deads? I know they should help but is it something i should be putting alot of effort in improving right now? Edited March 23, 2010 by alexis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) Ryan Klein was a big fan of close stance squats too. He'd do them off a box to make them more deadlift like. Rick already knows this but Ryan used to post here and had an 800 pull. He said that making the switch hurt his powerlifting squat a bit, but it helped him hit his deadlift goal so he has no regrets. Edited March 23, 2010 by The Natural Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Thanks for all the feedback, it's good to help each other like this. Rick, The squats i do are close stance and the progress i pretty good so far so i guess i'm on the right track. I usually start shaking right after the knee and i never ever do sumo so guess i should do some huh? Do you or anybody know how good mornings affect the deads? I know they should help but is it something i should be putting alot of effort in improving right now? I never got much out of good mornings but this is clearly an individual thing, given the fanaticism that some (e.g. Westside) have for those things. If I were you I'd stick to just a basic good morning when trying them out. Reading all the Westside variations on good mornings can easily make you lose focus of what's really important to you. I'd stick with higher reps too, more as an accessory. Maxing out on a good morning is very dangerous and much of that Westside literature does not properly emphasize how dangerous it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Walker Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 If you examine the wide stance, powerlifting suit squat, the good morning is a great exercise for carry over: it is basically the top half of the movement. However, if you are going to use a good morning movement to aid in your deadlift, I would stick with seated good mornings with your chest going all the way to the bench, or the back attack machine. The traditional Westside style of gms really has no carry over, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tselegala Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) Rex and Rick: You guys dont seem too convinced about goodmornings, got it. My gym has a machine exactly like the back attack...well not exactly but close...I think i'm going to keep upping the squats and do a bodybuilding type back routine on day 3 with either seated gms or the back machine, lats etc. it's logical, it kind of completes the squat training. On my deadlift day, i'm going to do some sumo as well as conventional. I also am going to increase my ab training with lower reps (10-12) and more resistance because so far i've not been working them very much. Thanks again! Edited March 23, 2010 by alexis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tselegala Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 (edited) UPDATE: I felt good today so i decided to see how many conventional deadlift reps i could do with 500 (no belt of course). I did 7 and it felt like i could do maybe 2 more but my grip was tired (i decided to start getting real serious with grippers this week) and i started to let go even with a mixed grip. The effects of upping my squats are quite evident. My power off the floor is on a whole new level now. My last squat PR was Monday and i did 475 which is 100 lbs more than what i could do before starting my squat training. I wont stop upping my squats just yet though..i want 500 real bad. The bodybuilding and cardio feels real good too, no more joint pains and i feel great and slimmer. Edited April 9, 2010 by alexis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hack Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hack Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 After training squats only (every day-bulgarian method) and some grip exercises for a month(and a bit upper back exercises when i remembered as Rex sugested), i was surprised that my strength didn't wanish in other exercises but like it went little up. I tried deadlift today after about 1month fast, and i lifted 250kg(550) without belt almost like nothing. That was 10kg under pb and if i wanted to attack even 600 i believe with some nasty form that i would do it or at least give fine efort, but i decided to save lower back for squats. I also decided that i would not do mixed grip anymore so i am forced to use straps as i don't feel like adjusting on wraping thumbs and there is no way i can lift more then 440 in DO DL. As i didn't have nowhere to buy straps i bought taekwando belt and made straps from it. It is very fat and made me nervous because i couldn't fix it good enough, and on 550 i was not sure is it gona roll out so i was unsure and started slower then optimum. I'm very delighted because of this, i was beeing sick of squats but this will boost me to continue. Like Alexis said, power off the floor is on a whole new level now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tselegala Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 (edited) Hack, it seems we are on the same path and about the same strength too, this is a good 2 man race!I'm not really sick of squatting yet but I'm fighting the urge to start doing max deadlifts again. I don't know if i could do 600 yet but I'm pretty sure i could destroy my old nemesis 585 with relative ease. this week I did 7 again with 500 and rested a few minutes and pulled 2 more. My shins were bloody like crazy, the knurling on that bar is nasty, it's like a cheese grater. I need to find a solution for that problem next time. Monday was squat day. I walked in the gym and saw an acquaintance of mine doing suited squats so we shared the rack. I tried 495 but stuck somewhere on the the way up. I rested for 5 and decided to do 475 in order to feel better about missing. He brought some nose tork and offered me to try it. I was pretty happy cuz I've been wanting to try that ammonia sniffing thing before a lift. Crazy stuff..i don't know if it was the placebo effect but it made pretty crazy. I tried a double with 475 (my PR) and missed the second rep. But i really pushed like i never did before and i did not feel pain, maybe it was my competitive side kicking in... Edited April 17, 2010 by alexis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hack Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Yeah, we started at same time with squats and both with expectation that would transfer at deadlifts, and it aparentlly does. What was very surprising for me is that my pressing ability is also at high level even i havn't been doing anything for a month. Our methods are very different but it seems that they both work-i am doing mad one, everyday with high volume high intensity, so it is normal that i felt bad because of it. At some time of this race, i started to be sceptic are we both gona came even close to our goals as things were not good, but now i'm encouraged again. And i think we soon can surpass 600 and justify this thread. I am also atracted now with deadlifts, form improved also. But i learned some things from begining, that it is not good to do too much deadlifting,especially heavy and more important it's no good to taxs lower back. So from now on i would do deadlifts after squating as grip exercises, but with weight with which i will have perfect form and from time to time when i would feel good i might try to break pb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hack Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Today 270kg(595) ,10kg personal record, very happy. No itention for anything before, whole day working in hotel, pain in right hand wrist due to squats...but when i started to exercise i known that it is that day,wheather was very good. First i fail to make pb in squat,but good attempt,it didn't discourage me,, then R.thunder pb of 180(suck in this but i just bought it two months ago). Deadlift was going like this 170,210,250x1(powder on quads) and 270,straps,no belt. It was very smooth lift,without doubt or loosing speed from begining, with reserve of 5-10kg maybe. Next max1 attempt in deadlift will be after squat personal best,then i'll tape it. No rush, i'll enjoy few days in this. Alexis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tselegala Posted April 23, 2010 Author Share Posted April 23, 2010 WOW!! i must stop fooling around now and get back into it. There is no way i'm letting get to far ahead. Its a deload week for me so i'm just relaxing doing low weights...I lost 15 lbs since i started my bodybuilding and cardio routine but i still feel strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tselegala Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 My BW is now down to 250 from 271, i just lowered the calories alot and kept at my previously mentioned routine. I feel i lost some strength though, i crumbled under my last squat PR and i cant close my COC 3.5 anymore or even bend anything, so i guess when i said i felt strong in my last post , i was wrooooooooong... That 600 mark seems far away now...max deadlift day tomorrow but i feel like I'd rather skip training and eat a bucket of KFC and watch tV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hack Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 When you lost that much weight it is normal that you lose strength also, but be carefull not to hurt yourself seriously. From mine last DL PB i lost also 5-6lbs not intentionly, but i was under lot of stress and busy, and imidiatelly my squat went down, i got quad injury... it just seems that it goes that way. Now i am again at my strength peak lighter though, but i needed some time so my body accept that and recuperate from shock of loosing weight. I believe that even at this weight now you have more then enough potential for easy 600 but you need to give to body time so it can catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tselegala Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 i'm going to take some time off serious strength training, so also from this race. I was consuming so many calories that i was gaining alot of waist size along with muscle size and it's time to continue losing that excess weight i'm even going to start doing lots of cardio...yuk. I was getting stronger but my blood pressure was a little high and i felt pretty much as out of shape as i've ever been. I'm down to 246 now and i'm fitting in all my old clothes again and i feel awesome. The downside is that i can't pull anything worthy anymore, proof is that i could not lock out 545 today!! disgusting! At least my grip strength is back and bench pressing is improving. Probably cuz i never gave a damn about benching before and it's just my technique that's getting better. Anyhow, i'll be back...but i will study my nutrition a bit more next time and not just binge like there was no tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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