Deadlift grip and sets/reps
47yo female 5'6" 174#
19 weeks into NLP. Deadlift started at 205#, now 244#
Per Starting Strength I have been doing 1 set of 5, currently adding 1# each day, alternating lift days with power cleans and chin-ups. I am increasingly having difficulty holding on to the bar for all 5 reps. (I use a hook grip and total warm up reps is 6.) I just read Practical Programming and learned that females could/should start deadlifts with 3 sets of 5, switching to 4 sets of 3 (example on pg 220) as progress is made. I think sets of 3 would help with my grip problem but I don't think I can do 4 sets of 3 at 245...etc. Does it make sense to switch to 4 sets of 3 but lower the weight? Or other ideas? I feel pretty confident that I have at least 2-3 more months, hopefully 3-4 more months on LP with my other lifts so I would like to find a deadlift set/rep scheme that keeps them moving along with everything else.
Thank you.
Just out of curiosity, why does the total volume decrease from 15 reps (3 sets of 5) to 12 reps (4 sets of 3) when you switch?....... Heavier weights and recovery?