Ah deadlifting. How I did miss you.

It does feel good to (conventional) deadlift again. It’s funny tho. My strength here is less than it has been, and on the one token that frustrates me. But if I actually look back over time, I’ve overall progressed in some way. With deadlifts in specific, I think my form/technique is better now than it’s ever been. I’m using that 5-step deadlift setup (see Alan Thrall video), and it’s really worked wonders. If nothing else, it provides me with a consistent approach to setup and the pull, and the bar path feels so much better. So yeah, maybe a step backwards, but overall there’s some sort of forward progression — so I’ll take it.

Just a few notes.

2/fail. Generally 3 minutes rest on deadlifts and squats, 1-2 minutes on everything else.

Back raise. I’m trying to not raise/hinge at my hips and “raise” my back, but rather work as if I’m pushing my hips through the pad. That’s more applicable here.

Pauses felt great. I actually felt like I could crank out more, but it’s 2/fail — reign it in.

Remembered to do calves! 🙂

And as I rate this workout, it’s zeros across the board. Even tho I wouldn’t feel horrible about rating it higher, I want to be more conservative this cycle and not raise the volume too much more.

RP Powerlifting, Strength Cycle, week 2

• Competition Deadlift
  • 135 x 5
  • 225 x 5
  • 315 x 3
  • 360 x 5
  • 360 x 5
  • 360 x 5
• 45º Back Raise
  • 20 x 10
  • 20 x 10
  • 20 x 10
• Pause Squat
  • bar x 5
  • 135 x 5
  • 185 x 3
  • 225 x 5
  • 225 x 5
  • 225 x 5
• Stair Calves
  • 65 x 10
  • 65 x 10
• Slant Board Situps
  • 15 x 10
  • 15 x 10