Pulling Volume/Frequency

Currently I am rotating haltings, rack pulls and shrugs week to week. Today I missed my 5th rep of rack pulls at 190kg and the previous week I missed the last rep of my haltings 165x7(missed the 8th rep).

My squat is doing okay, seems to respond well to twice a week programming(for now), once heavy(Mon) and once medium(Thurs). I pull after my medium squats(3x4-6) on Thursday for one set, I know from my own experience that the squats take some gas out the tank which effects my pulls.

My question is; should I lower the weight on my pulls by 5-10kg and do 2 sets of 5 OR pull on Friday when I'm 'fresher'. I'd like to keep the pulls on the same day so am leaning towards lowering the weight and adding a set. I've tried back-off sets in the past with little success. I feel like more volume and/or frequency would be more useful.

Thanks for your time.
Tom

If I'm reading this correctly you are knowingly limiting your pulling day so you make your medium day sets on squats? Pull before your medium squats. If you load goes down a bit on your medium squat day who cares as long as the heavy day is progressing. Its only there to provide some carryover stress to drive further recovery and adaption. Also, when are you doing regular pulls?

How big are your jumps? Maybe you should just alternate rack pulls and haltings and make the shrugs your second pull of the week on weeks that you pull haltings. The ROM on the hip is so small that it isn't exactly a good "heavy pull"

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Originally Posted by Jeff Brophy

If I'm reading this correctly you are knowingly limiting your pulling day so you make your medium day sets on squats? Pull before your medium squats. If you load goes down a bit on your medium squat day who cares as long as the heavy day is progressing. Its only there to provide some carryover stress to drive further recovery and adaption. Also, when are you doing regular pulls?

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I think if I lowered the weight 10kg and added a set I could drive progress this way rather than trying a new 5RM each time. Reluctant to change anything on my sqauats at the moment, I feel like they are still the 'King' of lifts.

No regular deadlifts because I'm not able to progress them weekly and I don't want them affecting my squats.

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Originally Posted by Robert Santana

How big are your jumps? Maybe you should just alternate rack pulls and haltings and make the shrugs your second pull of the week on weeks that you pull haltings. The ROM on the hip is so small that it isn't exactly a good "heavy pull"

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2.5kg. Thanks.

Those are appropriate. Try out the higher frequency (every other week) and see how that works.

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Originally Posted by Tom Bryant

No regular deadlifts because I'm not able to progress them weekly and I don't want them affecting my squats.

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I get it. At some point in time you'll have to join the rest of us intermediates where progress is measured in multiple weeks and months. Your squat may benefit more than you think from your pulls but you may need to consider a 10 day cycle to keep the recovery going.

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Originally Posted by Jeff Brophy

I get it. At some point in time you'll have to join the rest of us intermediates where progress is measured in multiple weeks and months. Your squat may benefit more than you think from your pulls but you may need to consider a 10 day cycle to keep the recovery going.

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What would be a good way of setting that up? Alternate deadlifts with rack pulls, so you're deadlifing every two weeks? The problem I see with that is lack of volume. With my squat, I'm doing high intensity and high volume in the same week.

So, if someone is deadlifting once a week for 1 set of 5, progress begins to stall - then why not reduce the intensity, not by much, maybe 5-10% and do 2 sets of 5.

If I'm doing 8 heavy squat sets a week(2 'intesity' sets & 6 'volume' sets), I'd guess I need approx half that to drive up my deadlift? 1 set at 90% and 3x5@80% for example. Another option.

Also, Rip says 1 set of 5 rack pulls is enough, maybe for a few weeks or for someone who is deadlifting over 500 but otherwise what do you do when that 1 set of 5 stalls?

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Originally Posted by Tom Bryant

What would be a good way of setting that up? Alternate deadlifts with rack pulls, so you're deadlifing every two weeks? The problem I see with that is lack of volume.

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The problem is that you are ignoring the reality that volume and intensity have an inverse relationship.