Deadlift progression and imbalances with other lifts.

[WhatsTheRumpass]

Bonjour Monsieur Reeb-dough

I just turned 40 in August and got it in my head that for the first time in my life I would "get strong." I have some experience with training as I was heavily into Martial Arts, (BJJ/MMA) off and on for many years but never did anything beyond some calisthenics, kettle bells etc., once I got into barbell training I became hooked. I have seen more or less steady progress & have resolved to get as strong as I can with the time I have left to do so being "passed my prime" as it were.

My question concerns mainly the dead lift. Without trying particularly hard I am up around 300+ pounds for sets of 5 after only about 8 weeks of barbell training while my other lifts lag far behind in progress. I only squat about 200 lbs for 4-5 RM, bench 160ish 3-5RM, OHP about 110-114 for 2-3 RM (for context I'm about 6' 213).

Will my progress in the dead lift cause imbalances in my other lifts if so what are some practical ways to address them or should I just shut the fuck and keep training?

I just want to say thanks Rip & company, I discovered starting strength quite by accident I am grateful for all the free content ya'll put out and your entertaining & irreverent approach.

All the best,

Jason

[Mark Rippetoe]

You're an 8-week novice, and things will sort themselves out. This SQ/DL spread is of no concern, but it would be a good idea to post a squat video for a technique check.

[WhatsTheRumpass]

Thanks for the quick response! I appreciate it.

Thanks for the advice, tomorrow is my squat day as it happens so that's a good idea. I will post tomorrow.

Thanks again!

[WhatsTheRumpass]

You're an 8-week novice, and things will sort themselves out. This SQ/DL spread is of no concern, but it would be a good idea to post a squat video for a technique check.

Hi Rip,

As promised here's a video for form check from this morning's work out. I am very frustrated, my squat numbers seem to be slowly going down over the last 2-3 weeks. This is by far the worst since I began training.

YouTube

This is from my 2nd work set @ 189lbs. First rep was super hard, on the second I could tell I didn't have enough juice to get out of the hole hence I cut it short & just racked the bar. I went down to 154 x 5 for the 3rd set just to get something done. Any assistance is appreciated.

Best,

Jason

[Mark Rippetoe]

Both reps are high. Do not post above-parallel squats on these forums. Your basic responsibility is to be in command of this part of the material.

[WhatsTheRumpass]

Yikes, that bad huh. I will work on getting this under control & likely just have to back off on the weight to nail form.

Appreciate the honesty!

[Nockian]

First rep was super hard, on the second I could tell I didn't have enough juice to get out of the hole

You don't know that until you try and fail the rep. That's one of the lessons you will have to learn in order to progress. It took me almost two years to learn that lesson so you don't have to. Failing is fine, but try first.

[JFord]

You don't know that until you try and fail the rep. That's one of the lessons you will have to learn in order to progress. It took me almost two years to learn that lesson so you don't have to. Failing is fine, but try first.

I'm as much of a weenie as the next guy but I totally agree with Nockian. Both reps were high. Even then, they were grinders...but you made them. Not knowing your physiology and speaking from my vast store of ignorance, I'd guess that when you racked the bar after the second one, you heard a little voice inside you saying "Yeah, I could have done one more." Be honest now! To me, you looked like you had enough gas to complete one, maybe two, and maybe all five.

This is why weightlifting sucks. It's hard. That said, when you dial in your technique (you definitely need a good coach), you'll get stronger. I think there are some other things wrong with your lift but I won't insult Mark by mentioning them when he obviously identified depth as your current Waterloo.

But you also have to push yourself past the suck and keep pushing until you truly miss the rep. Just because you grind a rep doesn't mean you can't do another. You have to get past that or your progress will be super-limited, you'll get discouraged, and you'll experience an existential crisis.

My two cents and it might not be worth that.

[jbackos]

I’ll agree that both were high (2-3”). Unless you get proper depth you won’t develop the squatting engine (glutes/hams/adductors) to their capacity. You might also want to review your stance as it seems that there is some front to back movement. My guess is your knees need to spread out more so you can drop the hips down. Live coaching is the only way to fix this because a coach can view your squat in 3D.