Thursday, March 17, 2005

Deadlift Test

I was considering using the 1974 USSR Weighlifting Yearbook routine once outlined by John McDonald on his blog, only for the deadlift, to jump start my metabolism and, since part of the Navy's bodyfat testing hinges on neck thickness, to thicken my back further. So today, I tested for the deadlift instead of my regularly scheduled workout:

Conventional Deadlift (365): 145x6, 185x4, 245x2, 295x1, 325x1, 365x1 (Alright), 400 (I was stiff from bowling yesterday. Oh, I got it, but I was on all cylinders to get it and it was slow!!!)

3 jumps onto a 24", 30", and a 36" box. I'll need more jump height to land in the center of that 36" box: I currently have to tuck so much on that jump that my knees nearly hit my chest.

Mowed the lawn for an hour, pushing it up some incline grades. Also, swept and cleaned up. That was my aerobics and GPP for the day.

After much thought, I'll skip that plan. Right now, I'll trust my extra trap work to do the job. Plus, with the extra aerobic work and my current volume of work, I'm just asking for trouble.

I'll be in Norfolk, Virginia soon on Navy business for a couple of weeks. I called the gym and found out that they have boot camp aerobics and a load of Hammer and Nautilus machines. Like last time, I'll use the Hammer back machines as extra back work.

7 comments:

John said...

Congrats, Alberto... 400, in my opinion, is the delineation between average strength and powerlifter strength. Sounds like all the hamstring work you've been doing (GHRs, etc.) has really paid off.

John said...

Congrats, Alberto... 400, in my opinion, is the delineation between average strength and powerlifter strength. Sounds like all the hamstring work you've been doing (GHRs, etc.) has really paid off.

John said...

By the way, that 1974 USSR routine is meant for squats and with some stretch can be applied to bench. I don't know about deadlifting though... that would be f**king brutal. Good luck!

John said...

By the way, that 1974 USSR routine is meant for squats and with some stretch can be applied to bench. I don't know about deadlifting though... that would be f**king brutal. Good luck!

Unknown said...

What constitutes the extra trap work - the trap bar deads you've been doing? Or is there something else planned for future workouts?

Always curious when it comes to trap exercises.

Alberto said...

John:

3 things have helped, based on feel: GHRs (in the past, my hams would hurt trying to pull that much. no more), GMs (My lower back doesn't feel the least bit bad right now), and step ups. I'm probably going to scrap RDL and stick to GMs until 12 weeks from now, when I start 9 week Westside cycle.

That said, I'm might modify the program a bit and still give it a go. You're right, it looks brutal and with all the other stuff I'm doing, I'm just cruising for a bruising. But it's only 3 weeks extra work, and the only way I'll know my limitations is to push them.

Oh, and if I had my own car vice a government paid rental at Norfolk, I'd be paying you a visit.

Scott:

Trap bar shrugs and dumbbell shrugs facing an incline bench for trap II and III. 45-60%1RM for 15-10 reps for 4 sets. On this light Prilepin cycle, I'm trying to build conditioning for bigger and better things. All the back work and chins and pullups take care of the rest. How are the Hise shrugs working for you?

Unknown said...

Alberto, the Hise shrugs are nice and painful - in fact, regular barbell shrugs seem a little easier afterward.

I'm unsure about the long-term benefits, but they suit me short term for two reasons.

The first is that they're reportedly a good trap builder, which is never a bad thing. The second - and most important reason for me - is that you get used to having a bit of weight on your shoulders, which should help the squat. We'll just have to wait and see the numbers there.