Member
Tuesday 2/15/2022
Squat 290x5x3
Power Clean 150x3x3
Pulldown 200x8x3
The deload last week definitely helped me catch up in recovery. I hit this workout a lot stronger. The very last rep of the last set felt grindy, but my training partner swear it didn't look slow. I wonder if there's just something about squats that makes it feel like time is passing slower when you're really pushing.
Power cleans were alright. Third set beat the second. The extra minute rest seemed to make the difference. I'll be giving all of them a good rest now, since I only do 3 sets anyway to save on time.
Pulldowns were hard, but every last rep still made it to the chest.
Member
Thursday 2/17/2022
Press 145x5x3
Bench 195x5x3
Barbell Curl 70x10,10,8
Didn't even realize it, but I'm actually in PR territory for my 3x5 press. My previous best according to my log was 140x5x3. I think I might get these to 150 or even beyond before programming change will be called for. Light bench had nothing to report. Barbell curls I was told it looked like I could have done more for that last set, but I like to keep my increases according to plan. Helps keep getting stuck from happening.
Member
Friday 2/19/2022
Deadlift 415x5
Squat 235x5x2
Gonna have to make a decision on what to do about the deadlift. That was a very hard set, I was told it looked like rep 5 might not make it to lockout. Either a programming change or a reset is gonna be needed.
Member
Monday 2/21/2022
Weigh-in: 288 pounds
Bench 227.5x5x3
Press 125x5x3
Lying Triceps Extension 90x10,7,3
Bench felt really strong today. Don't know if I had another full rep in me on the last set, but I definitely did on the first two. The LTEs, even with the very short amount of time I devote to them in the workout, seem to be really helping the pressing movements along. Need to figure out what to do about my deadlift before tomorrow, I think I'm going to try and push the power clean up by 2.5, and do a reset on the deadlift for this week of about 5%. We'll see what I can squeeze out doing that. If nothing else, it'll give my clean a chance to catch up. I feel like it's so goddamn weak for the amount I can deadlift.
Member
Tuesday 2/22/2022
Squat 295x5x3
Power Clean 152.5x3x3
Pulldown 202.5x8x3
That very last squat rep was a doozy. I think I might have hurt something in my low back a little. Did the cleans with sleeves on and full 3 minute rest intervals, did a lot better despite being absolutely hammered from those squats. Didn't feel like the bar was knocked off path by the edges of the sleeves or anything, and my knees were better able to drop down and absorb the catch. Pulldowns still all made it to touchdown on the chest. Overall I would say I have earned a day of rest tomorrow.
Member
Thursday 2/24/2022
Press 147.5x5x3
Bench 197.5x5x3
Barbell Curl 70x10,10,9
Definitely tweaked something in the low back/hip area on tuesday. It didn't hurt on the day of but it's been giving me a pinch type feeling in the days since. Despite that, good workout today. The back thing manifested only a tiny bit on the presses, which were another PR today. Very last rep was a slow grind, but I'm still optimistic I'll do 150 for the full 3 sets next week. Felt the back problem much more in my setup for the light bench. I hope this doesn't hold me back from tomorrow's workout, but there's only one way to really find out.
Member
Friday 2/25/2022
Deadlift 420x3 (fail)
Whatever I did tuesday definitely fucked with this workout. I wasn't experiencing any debilitating pain on the deadlifts, but man did they drop off in strength from last week. Rep 4 got maybe an inch or two off the ground and wasn't going any higher. Even the final 365 warmup set felt hard. I definitely need to re-jigger the programming here. For this to happen two weeks after taking a deload week, it can't just be fatigue accumulation. I think the squats and the deadlifts are competing too much now across the week. When I started warming up the light squats, the pain started to act up, so I decided against continuing up to today's work weight.
✓ Member
That's interesting, as you have the opposite problem as most folks who end up having an "artificially weak deadlift" in relation to your squat.
Perhaps it's time to go to a 9-day break between heavy pulls, which is used in a few different places in the books. So this 420x5 would have been on this coming Monday, based on your 415x5 last Friday.
Another possibility is getting that squat up. You have quite a gap between the two, and both are dependent (and detrimental) on the other. I can't find it right now, but I remember reading many moons ago a comment where Rip talked about how unlikely it would be to have a 400+ deadlift with a <300lb squat. And I don't recall if that was a forum comment or something in an article. But the gist was that your hips, back, and hamstrings won't be up to the task for 400+ pulls if they aren't up to the task of 300+ squats.
Member
As I understand it, in most cases the artificially weak deadlift is actually caused by someone "cheating" the squat with a cut off depth, isn't it? I don't think I do anything to cheat the deadlift, I'm not even sure how I could. I've had my form looked at and was told it was excellent. If having such a weak squat compared to the deadlift is so strange, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The weight I squat at is extremely hard for me, as evidenced by the little injury and the 8 minutes I have to take between sets. My proportions are definitely more favorable to deadlifting, as I have a short torso and long limbs. My femurs are so long my squats end up with my back angle being near horizontal. I've also always had very un-explosive legs. I was always the kid who ran the slowest, no matter how hard I tried to run as fast as I could (thus I developed a preference for hide and seek over tag). This can also be seen in my power cleans, which are also pretty damn low compared to what I can deadlift.Originally Posted by Bill Anders
I don't think that 9 day pattern is in the cards for me, though. I like the 4 day split for keeping training sessions under an hour and a half. My upper body days are done in a less crowded location where pulls from the floor are not an option (hex plates). The gyms with actual rack/platform setups with round bumper plates are much more crowded, farther from my home, and there are substantial wait times to use the equipment. I'm not really sure where to take things next, though. I don't think that squat is going to get much higher as is.
✓ Member
My understanding is that there are a few different reasons for an "artificially weak deadlift," none of which pertain to you, from what I can see here. It may just be time for some good coaching to keep your form intact while working out ways to keep your pull going up within the 4-day split.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote