Deadlift fail question

[Fiddler]

I'm 68, 5' 8", 170 lb and still a little soft around the middle. Doing SS since February.

Two weeks ago, I pulled 215x5. Felt easy, so last week I thought I'd go to 225. Couldn't even get it to my knees. So I pulled the bar as high as I could and held it for a couple of beats, 5 times. Tried 225 x 5 today, and it went up really easy, felt like I could do more reps. Didn't even have to use mixed grip or even chalk.

Two questions: First, my experience up to now is that if I could just get a weight off the ground, I could complete the lift 5 times. Last week was an exception, first time I could get a weight off the ground but not complete the lift. Does that just mean the low part of my deadlift is weak? Had my form checked by Matt Reynolds very recently, and I don't have any problems with my hands or my back. When I can't make a lift, I just can't make it (and I do know how to grind one out.)

Second, when I couldn't get past my knees, is it likely that doing partials like I did was helpful? What other ways are there to strengthen the lower part of my lift? (I do back extensions 10 x 3 with a 35 lb plate held to my chest, on the workout after deadlift day.) Should I just chalk all this off to having a bad day last week (Had to wait a lot and do things out of sequence), or is there something to be learned here?

[Cody]

You probably just had an off day Or you were under-recovered. I would keep on doing what you're doing. If you get stuck for 2-3x sessions, you would consider what is causing the stall, but one fail is nothing to get worked up about.

[Grinder]

It sounds more like you were under-recovered rather than an "off day". Fatigue can slowly accumulate and creep up on you, and then suddenly it hits. I've experienced this with my deadlift (very similar to your situation), as well.

[John Hanley]

Inspiring lifts at 68!

I think Grinder is right. At 68, doing the full range of motion lift every other week is probably enough. On "off" weeks you could do rack pulls or light RDLs.

[Fiddler]

Thanks for the opinions. I won't concern myself much until it happens again, and I'm paying close attention to the advice I've gotten here and from Strong Gym on programming. Current DL weight feels easy when I'm "on", and still adding 5-10 lbs per week on DL. I'm doing a light day on squats on my "middle" day, so I do deadlifts then when I'm fresher.

My goal is to post "elite" numbers for over age 60 at 165 BW. 330 on DL (2x bw) would be nice, but at least 3 wheels (315) before I quit. If I compete, I want to be competitive with any other geezers that show up. Aiming for a 750 total at age 70. I'm built for deadlifts and have a good grip, so it will be my best lift by far. Squats OK, Bench the worst with my long arms. I probably won't ever reach even 200 lb again, but I want to see how far I can go. Even at 68, I seem to be (re)gaining quite a bit of muscle, slowly but surely.

Thanks to the great instruction in SS/BBT, good coaching and a fair amount of patience, I've had very little problem with muscle soreness or injury. As long as my technique holds up, it seems even if I fail on a lift that it doesn't cause problems other than a little DOMS. Joints and tendons aren't showing anything but minor soreness.

[Grinder]

Oh man, I just saw where you live! I live just a little bit east of KC. Send me a PM when you sign up for a meet so I can be sure to be there, too. I would love to see someone your age tear it up!

[Fiddler]

Will do , thanks! Gonna be a while, a year at least. Gotta see whether my hummingbird ass can cover the check my tiger mouth is writing, first. American record totals (raw) in my age and weight class run 800 - 900 lbs, so a 700 - 750 total wouldn't be embarrassing, but wouldn't threaten anybody really good, either. I'm mostly just interested in seeing how strong I can get, and having goals gives me focus, something to aim for. It is fun being even a little bit strong at my age, though, especially when you don't look like much.