Missed deadlift

[Corey Laxton]

34yo M 5'8" 198lbs missed the last rep of my last set of deadlines at 295lbs with straps. I had been hookgripping but it was getting increasingly more difficult to hold onto the bar so switched to straps. After I missed the last rep I waited a few minutes and then finished it. I've been alternating deadlifts every other exercise. Curious where I should go from here. Should I repeat 295 amd just keep going as normal of I get all 5 or go down to 290 and go from there or something else entirely?

[Corey Laxton]

Sorry, missed the last rep of my set of deadlifts. I'm only doing one set, not multiple.

[Maybach]

This is just my experience, but I find missed deadlift reps are less of a big deal than missed reps on other lifts. At three separate points I've missed the final rep of a set of five (granted, with a hitch: it was not stapled to the floor), but increased the weight next time anyway and made all five. Repeating it is the most conservative decision, and you will either a) make it, or b) confirm that there is a recovery issue that needs to be addressed. Fatigue tends to build in the low back first and cause missed reps on the deadlift before anything else: this will cause you to make fewer reps next time. Just repeat the weight next time, make sure you're eating and sleeping enough and get back if you're stuck after another attempt or two.

Regarding the grip, are you using chalk? The hook grip becomes much less useful without the use of chalk.

[BareSteel]

Hi Corey, I think the best approach is to accept today’s deadlift as a miss and re-attempt it next time out. It sounds like you did a set of four, missed #5, then came back and did the last rep a few minutes later. That’s more like a set of four plus a single - not quite a real set of five.

I’m confused on when you hook and when you strap. Do you double overhand your warmups? Are you sure you’ve exhausted the hook grip? Many lifters get a lot of mileage out of a good hook grip, with some practice and definitely chalk, like Maybach said. Any chance that your grip is fatigued from chins?

I’m also confused on which iteration of the LP you’re using. You wrote “…alternating deadlifts every other exercise…” but I assume you meant every other workout. At some point in your novice progression, deadlifting just once per week will make sense.

[Corey Laxton]

Yes, I use chalk. I looked in the blue book but didn't see or couldn't find the info I was looking for. We recently moved and I have PP in a box somewhere still. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

[Peter Bex]

It sounds like the weight has increased faster than your grip could catch up with. If you only train heavy every alternate workout, your grip won't be able to catch up.

You could consider adding a light day where you do sets across on the DL, trying to use a double overhand grip on all of them. You could also do some light backoff sets after the heavy set if you have something left in the tank. This will train your regular grip, which will also improve your hook grip. And as the other guys said, chalk is essential, indeed.

[Satch12879]

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