It just keeps rolling!

Much deadlifting today. 10RM set.

One thing I’m trying to do with my deadlifting is get “back” more. When I set up, my hips tend to be a little high, because I am stronger at pulling with my back than my legs. I notice when I do this, my weight is forward — I’ll feel the pull more towards the front/ball of my foot than the mid-foot. So I’ve really been working on trying to get my hips lower, start lower, push “through my heels” (which may actually get me mid-foot), and to “pull backwards” like I’m trying to fall backwards. It’s all mental cues, but the goal is to get the weight moving up the mid-foot and to be using my legs more. Yeah, I could probably pull more if I leveraged my back more, but I’m trying to build my legs up so….

And today I did something I hadn’t in ages: used a mixed grip. I’ve been double-overhanding it and been quite happy. But I figure as the weights get heavier, as the gym keeps being so humid and sweaty, I better start to mix-grip it. I only did it on the last set and it threw me a little bit because it was an unfamiliar feeling and I didn’t have my hand placement just right so the bar was a little unbalanced (not much, but just a wee). But no big deal; just tells me to mix-grip it on my work sets from here out, need it or not, to get back to it.

Front squats went well.

But all the assistance work — yeah, this is what I need to reexamine to figure what I’m really going to get benefit from or not. Much thinking.

Anyways, damn good day. And with sleep being better (been napping a lot the past few days, and had a very good night sleep last night), I’m feeling good towards going another 3 weeks before I deload.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Deadlift
  • 135 x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 195 x 3
  • 245 x 5
  • 280 x 3
  • 310 x 10 (10RM PR)
• Front Squat
  • 150 x 5
  • 175 x 5
  • 195 x 5
• Elevated Glute Bridges (superset with crunches)
  • BW x 10 (each leg)
  • BW x 10 (each leg)
  • BW x 20 (both legs together)
• Crunches
  • BW x 20
  • BW x 15
  • BW x 10 (the isometric from the one-leg bridges takes something)
• Seated Calf Raises
  • 35 x 15
  • 35 x 15
  • 35 x 15