The Last Of The Series

Wednesday 27th February

50 for 8 x 2 sets
80 for 5 x 2 sets
100 for 5
120 for 5 x 5 sets
100 for 5
80 for 8
50 for 10

Shrugs - sets of 10 with 14, 16, 18, 20 plates.

Hypers - 4 sets of 12 and 1 set of 20.

That was really hard. I'm changing the programme now. I can't cope with that level of effort twice a week, and if I try to I'll just go backwards. Deadlifting isn't an exercise you can just keep hammering away at, and if you try the law of diminishing returns kicks in. So from now on it's one heavy session and one speed session each week.

The heavy session will be five threes one week, three fives the next. I'll do my speed work with something between 80 and 100 for ten sets of three. That training system's worked really well for me on bench press, and now that I've reached a base strength level it's time to give it a try. Perhaps it won't be as effective on deadlifts, but only by trying it out can I tell. Speed work is great for getting technique just right, as well as generating speed in the early phase of the movement, so it'll do me no harm. And I'll still be getting a heavy grinding session in once a week as well.

I'll be doing speed deads the day after heavy bench and heavy deads the Saturday after speed bench. See how that goes. One thing's for sure. It's bloody harder than benching! Not so much the lifting, but the recovery. When I bench heavy, it might take me a few seconds to get over the set. In deadlifting it can take minutes. On today's workout, I must have taken 6 or 7 minutes rest between heavy sets, and I needed every second.

It's getting close to the British Bench Press Championship, which this year is on 9th March in Solihull. I'll do a deadlift session next Wednesday, and that will be my last lifting session before the British Bench. With no deadlifting that weekend, I'll have a week's rest from deadlifting.

It'll be interesting to test out my 1RM after the rest...