Not Enough Weight

Borrowed some weights, a bar, and a squat rack from coworker (lifesaver). So now I have this giant set up in my 600 sqft apartment in DC.

No bench, but not bothered by that. Press and clean will be fine. Problem is not enough plates to go up in either squat or deadlift.

Have about 340 in PLATES, but squat is 370x3x5 and DL is 390x5. Trying like hell to get my hands on some more plates but it's brutal out there. Everything retail sold out and secondary market is either way too expensive or wildly poor quality.

Is there anything productive to do beyond maintenance? First thing that came to mind was pause squats.

Deadlift I'm not sure what to do, maybe Romanian or halted?

Thinking about rows, chin ups, tri-extensions if i can figure out a way to do safely. Bad shoulder, dips not possible.

Is there anything to change volume wise that will help me when I get back into the gym? Higher reps at 315?

Get some bands. It's not the same, obviously, but you can add a lot of resistance to the top of the movement for both the squat and deadlift.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hill.1338@osu.edu

Higher reps at 315?

---

Higher reps at 340. At this point what will 315 do for you when already have a 405 squat? Pause reps are a good idea. Just use as much weight as you can with whatever you choose. Avoid the low weight and high reps if you can. Same goes for deads. Try Haltings, Stiff leg, Cleans, Snatches, etc. instead. Your lucky than most to have 340lbs available.

I know. My coworker was a godsend. Thanks for the advice.

Might be time to learn to snatch actually. Just gotta make sure I don’t break any light fixtures in my apartment.

If you can get yourself some scrap lead, and manage to set up some sort of cast(plate imprint in sand maybe) it should be easy enough to make up some temporary lead plates for the amount of weight you need as lead melts very easily. Either in a steel pot over heat or from a blow torch.

And the lead would then sell on for the same scrap value if you manage to get some proper plates or any lockdown should end.

The idea only came to me as I've 20kg of old lead pipe hanging around in my basement. Anglers make fishing weights out of lead all the time.

yeah, higher reps. Less rest between sets.

Variations.

Take up front squatting.

Snatch grip deadlifts

Chains are good for adding weight.

Another squat option is to make the 340 5x5 volume day and on intensity day go for a new rep record every week with the 340. Lets say you start with 8 reps and at the end of a 7 week quarantine 340 x 15 sounds pretty cool. I'm not sure if this would work but that is what I would try.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MAD9692

Another squat option is to make the 340 5x5 volume day and on intensity day go for a new rep record every week with the 340. Lets say you start with 8 reps and at the end of a 7 week quarantine 340 x 15 sounds pretty cool. I'm not sure if this would work but that is what I would try.

---

That's a really good idea. do a 5x5 with 340.

Really working hard to get even 10 or 20 more lbs of plates but it's fucking crazy. Dude the other day wanted $200 for 2-25lbs bumpers. Not a good brand like Rogue either. Somebody out there must be buying them too because the ads are getting taken down on facebook marketplace. A lot of dudes don't want to break up their set either and they want $750 for 210 lbs of a weight and a shitty off brand bar. I'm not unemployed, but I'm not confident enough in my employment during a pandemic to go drop $750 on shitty equipment.

Dynamic effort for intensity day?

DE Squat 60/65/70%x2x10 done ever 60"

DE Dead 65/70/75%x1x15 done every 30" (assuming 340=75%ish)

Deficit deads?
320/330/340x8 on a 1.5" plate(s)