Originally Posted by
Bill Anders
Good to hear that it's working out for you (yep, I see WIDT).
Re: deads. You might be able to get away with it. Enjoy your weekend break, then next session consider doing your normal warmup, followed by a single at your next planned work weight (175lbs). If that single feels similar to how it did today, throw on another 10-15lbs and do that x5 as your workset. If that warmup single feels like a struggle, take a solid break (5+ minutes), then pull that 175x5. This is the only time in your training from here on out that you can embrace being a bit greedy, based on feel.**
To illustrate, let's say that that 175x1 feels fantastic and you decide to go for it. If that's your 90% warmup single, that works out to 195lbs for your workset (really, 194.4, but you aren't working with fractionals yet). You likely could pull that, but I do understand your concerns, which would likely play in your mind and impact your x5. So drop 5-10lbs from there.
It seems like a huge jump, but it really isn't, considering your background (not a couch potato) and the fact that you've started these so conservatively. If you pull 195x5, that's still only a 30lb gap between your squat and deadlift. After that, if you stick with +5lbs for the squat and +10lbs for the deadlift for a while, you'll still get into that 50-100lb window comfortably. Chances are you'll make it to 250lbs for the deadlift before you have to start making +5lb jumps.
ETA: Your "progressively easier" comment could be tied to your +17lbs of BW in two weeks. It's amazing what that extra muscle mass (with a bit of fat) will do!
**obligatory "I'm not a coach" comment. But I've been around here long enough to see this play out, not just in myself, but in others (see those forum discussions on the Artificially Weak Deadlift). Start to think of your squat and deadlift being interdependent, since they both rely on so many of the same large muscles. Because of that, you can run your deadlift up pretty high while letting your squat lag, during which time your squat will actually get stronger because of the deadlift work. Conversely, let your deadlift lag while running up your squat and your deadlift will stall, even regress. It's an odd thing that will become more obvious to you when both lifts are 100-150lbs heavier than they are now. Based on your description of how your 165x5 felt and the likely bar speed based on that, that would be enough to prompt a coach to program more than +10lbs for your next workout.
Keep at it!