Originally Posted by
Al Copersino
Several others have asked in these forums why their dl’s aren’t progressing while their other lifts still are. Depending on the person’s situation, the advice given seems to have been to do more DL volume for some, and to do less for some others. I’m hoping you can help me figure out which category I’m in.
Background: 51 yo intermediate, 5’9”, 185 lbs, did an NLP in the fall. My squat and bp are going up weekly, my ohp goes up every 2 weeks. My numbers are low for this group (squat 235x5x3, bp 210x5x3, ohp 125x5x3) but they’re a hell of a lot better than before I discovered SS. My dl has been stuck at around 280 for 3 weeks. I should mention I have long legs and short arms; bad anthropometry for squat and dl; so be it.
My programming for the dl is to do 1x3 at a given weight one week, 1x4 the next, and 1x5 the next. On the 4th week I add 5 lbs and start back at 3 reps.
I do hook grip for warm ups, but still do double overhand for the work set since hook grip feels like my thumbs are being ripped apart. I sneak chalk into my gym.
As for dl form, I think this is ok. I met with SSC Cody Annino in December and he was satisfied with my dl form.
My grip was a weak point, but I’ve been doing farmers walks for HIIT once a week, and a couple of long sets of RDLs each week. I have to admit to myself: my grip is probably no longer the weak link; instead, it seems to be my strength level in general (my back, maybe?).
Thank you in advance.