Deadlifts with Assistance Exercises and Backoff Method

[SteveL]

I’m 59 years old and weigh 175lbs. I’ve been using the back off method for a while now as depicted in PPST page 233 and it’s been going well. A while back my deadlift stalled at 330lbs. I couldn’t even break the floor with it. Based on what I read in your new book Barbell Prescription I did halting’s and rack pulls for eight weeks. Then I decided I needed to get back to actual deadlifts. I started out at 320lbs just to see and all five reps went fine. The next week I did 325lbs (my previous PR) and it too went fine. So the following week I figured what the heck and did 330lbs and it went fine (the last rep was a struggle). This week I decided to give 335lbs a try and got in three good reps. I figured I’d just go back to the back off method and this next week try for four reps and carry on from there and when I stall again head back to the assistance exercises.

My question is that a good plan or should I be more conservative and head back to the halting and rack pulls for say four weeks in an alternating cycle with actual deadlifts? Thanks for any and all advice.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Hard to say. I think you'd probably do fine to get 1 or 2 back sets for some volume after your main workset and that might be enough stimulus to help you add a rep each workout. Just try and see and aim for 335x4 at the next session. Try and keep your backoffs as heavy as you can for 5 good reps.

[SteveL]

Hard to say. I think you'd probably do fine to get 1 or 2 back sets for some volume after your main workset and that might be enough stimulus to help you add a rep each workout. Just try and see and aim for 335x4 at the next session. Try and keep your backoffs as heavy as you can for 5 good reps.

Perfect thanks!