Break with your knees first.

Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 16, week 1

• Work Set – Deadlift (working max: 355#)
  • 1x5x145 (warmup)
  • 1x5x180
  • 1x3x215
  • 1x5x215 (work)
  • 1x5x270
  • 1x8x305
• Asst. #1 – Good Mornings
  • 3 x 12 x 105
• Asst. #2 – Pulldown Abs (kneeling)
  • 5 x 15 x 130
• Asst. #3 – Sled drags
  • 8 trips (75 yards each), 50# on the sled

I’ve been re-reading “Starting Strength” by Mark Rippetoe. Yeah, all the powerlifting reading I’ve been doing is useful and good, but I’m not out to powerlift, I’m out to get strong. So returning to Rip’s fundamentals is good. I’ll still take lots of information from the powerlifting guys tho because they know what they’re talking about. Anyways, in talking about the deadlift, Rip mentions to “break with your knees first”. I put conscious effort into ensuring that. Yes, the bar path is much better, everything is better… but it does tax me more, because no question my back is stronger than my glutes and hams — which is why I’m focusing on them in my assistance work. So I didn’t get as many reps as I wanted to with 305, but they were all very good and taxing reps. I could have gotten 9, maybe 10… but leave some in the tank.

Interestingly, I didn’t do 5 sets of Good Mornings because I could feel my lower back was pooped… more of those could have been bad.

And then, back to the sled! Again, just buckled the strap around my waist and walked. This time tho I only took maybe 20-30 seconds break, and then only between every other trip… so up and back, then rest. Went up and back 4 times (8, 75 yard runs total). Just walk, and think about not just walking, but actually pulling back with the glues and hams with each step. It doesn’t tax me heavily yet, but I’m working my way up to it. I haven’t yet but need to go back to some books I have with suggestions for good sled routines and work myself up to it all. Huzzah.