dropping power cleans

[zackpassman]

Hi Andy-

I'm thinking about dropping power cleans and I am trying to figure out how to program.
I'm 33, 5'11" and 245lbs right now. Been running Texas Method for a bit. I got my deadlifts up to 500 and had some difficulty recovering weekly so I split it into halting and rack pulls. My current program looks like this:

Volume day
Squat 5x5
Press/Bench 5x5
Power Clean 3x5/Shrug 5x1

Recovery Day
Squat 5x2
Bench/Press 5x2
Chin ups

Intensity Day
Squat 5x1
Press/Bench 5x1
Halting 8x1/Rack Pull 5x1


I'm not training for any sport and my knees aren't loving power cleans so I'm hoping to focus on building a stronger dead. So my thought is the following:

Volume day
Squat 5x5
Press/Bench 5x5
Halting 8x1/Rack Pull 5x1

Recover day
same as above

Intensity Day
Squat 5x1
Press/Bench 5x1
Shrug/Dead 5x1


Since I can't recover from the full deadlift weekly this puts it at every 2 weeks and in the same week I rack pull which I find a bit less taxing than halting deads.

I am curious to hear your thoughts and if you have a better suggestion.

Thanks!

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

All that heavy slow pulling might be tough in the same week. Not sure you can do it more than a few weeks. Try SLDLS on your volume day and alternate deads/rackpull on your ID. See if that works

[zackpassman]

Thanks for the reply Andy. So you suggest doing a full deadlift as opposed the halting on deadlift day and then would SLDLS alternate with the shrugs or would I cut them out?

Thanks!

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

I'm not a fan shrugs for DL improvement.

I just don't program haltings, so I generally don't recommend them.

[zackpassman]

Great! Thanks Andy. Will implement this immediately

[zackpassman]

Hi Andy-

One quick follow up. Are SLDLS off the floor or do they start at the top like RDLS?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Technically an SLDL starts off the floor, but it doesn't really matter