WEEK 4 Deadlift Friday: The Rage Got Me Through

ACCORDING to my program, week four ends here. As incomplete as it is, it's still good, and I'll tell you why.

The Rage

Self-doubt was high as I finally made it into the gym Friday night (two Fridays in a row now) and it was time to put up or shut up. I'd never done this many reps of 230 before; my previous bests are 240 x 10, 260 x 8 and 280 x 6... so you'd think 230 x 12 would be easy enough. Yet I was worried that I wasn't  capable; that I'd lost so much conditioning during the months of injuries and rehabs that this dozen reps would be beyond me. I was very wrong. I was also very angry.

Spin-locks aren't supposed to slide off. I didn't use them last year when repping 300, choosing the regular plastic collars instead, and it cost me at least a couple. I thought I would avoid that issue this time by using the metal spin-lock collars... the right of which began to slide off as I got about half way. The whole end nearly came unstuck around my eighth or ninth pull. This is when most people in the gym would have heard a resounding

"You Mother Fucker!!"

As I unstrapped myself, pushed the plates back onto the bar and continued the set with alternate grip instead. At what I was pretty sure was twelve, I dropped it, removed my belt and sat down. Thought about it for a second... and wasn't completely certain. So I got back on the platform and pulled the thirteenth rep, belt-less. Just to be absolutely positive.

And I had more in me. Several more. Time to can the doubt and get the fuck on with it. And, to make certain I'm hitting new PRs on reps every week from here on, I've revised my DL program so it now looks like this:

Week 5: 250 kgs x 10

Week 6: 260 kgs x 9
Week 7: 270 kgs x 8
Week 8: 280 kgs x 7
Week 9: 290 kgs x 6
Week 10: 300 kgs x 5
Week 11: 310 kgs x 4
Week 12: 320 kgs x 3
Week 13: 330 kgs x 2
Week 14: 342.5 kgs x 1
Week 15: 350 kgs x 1

Right now I'm taking a break from pressing as it's just making my shoulder worse which is then affecting my squat and yoke, both of which have felt pretty rotten this week. But next week I recommence with renewed vigour, and the following week I will again try benching with this new, super-narrow grip. If I can just manage my shoulder issue long enough to bench at Perth Cup I'll be happy.





Also, over the last couple of Strongman clinics I've taken some footage and done some experimentation with Fat Gripz, and I will soon be posting about mine and my trainee's experiences incorporating these into our sessions. They have proven to be even more challenging than I first considered! Tonight after deadlifts I chucked them on for bent-over and seated rows, and they made everything twice a difficult.

In other news, I've come to an arrangement with the owner of Porkies BBQ in Bayswater. Because I'm lazy, and because John makes such delicious food at such good prices, I now have a standing order every weeknight; I collect my dinner on the way home from training. The last time I did this, every person in the place with a view to the front door was staring at me before I'd even walked in. But this I find happens more often, no matter where I go.






Stretch!

Deadlift:
75 kgs x 8
125 kgs x 5
175 kgs x 3
205 kgs x 1
230 kgs x 13 PR

Bent-over BB row (underhand):
w/FatGripz: 125 kgs x not even 1!
125 kgs x 2s x 8r

Seated row:
w/FatGripz: 80 kgs x 10
160 kgs x 8 PR