Keosawa's Powerlifting Log

[Keosawa]

Just a thought, but have you tried doing a lot of heavy upper back work?

I don't know about "a lot." Right now, I'm dedicating one extra workout per week to lat training, and so I'm doing more heavy rowing in the past. I'm also doing more heavy back work in general than in the past. I think it's helping, but I think progress is just slow for me on this lift.

I think its natural for conventional deadlifts to blow off the ground and then stall towards the lockout, and sumo would be opposite.

You're absolutely right. Even by conventional standards though, my strength curve is odd; I'm really, really fast off the floor relative to my lockout. I see other conventional pullers struggle with their lockout like me, but the disparity in acceleration isn't quite as pronounced.

Congrats on the deadlift PR! Will this be your last max effort training since you have a meet coming (in april i think)?

This week will be my last max-test week. After this, I wind down; next week I'll work up to 90% for a max set, and the following week I'll stop at 85%. After that, I rest entirely for seven days' time. The meet's April 21, so I'm three weeks away.

 

[Keosawa]

mad pull. congrats
You pull with a rounded upper back, isnt it normal that your left to struggle with the lockout, because of leverages or something like that.*

*I have no idea what i am talking about

Yes, absolutely. Because I pull rounded, I put myself in a difficult position to lock weights out. That's a big part of the issue, but when pulling with a straight back, I lose a lot of speed off the floor. Less speed off the floor equals less momentum carrying you through lockout, so I struggle at lockout all the same. As of right now, this is the style that seems to produce the biggest numbers for me; I figure I can never have enough speed of the floor, because that will make my lockout easier and easier.

 

[Keosawa]

Wow, that was so damn quick off the floor. Amazing pull man!

Also you'll be happy to know I'll be doing some low box squats soon! Switching over to some westside style training for at least the next couple months. Hopefully it will help with consistently hitting depth.

Thanks man! And yes, the box squats will help you learn depth and develop the flexibility to hit it regularly.

 

[LegioTitan]

Heavy clean pulls make for very strong upper backs, just sayin.

 

[belph]

Yes, absolutely. Because I pull rounded, I put myself in a difficult position to lock weights out. That's a big part of the issue, but when pulling with a straight back, I lose a lot of speed off the floor. Less speed off the floor equals less momentum carrying you through lockout, so I struggle at lockout all the same. As of right now, this is the style that seems to produce the biggest numbers for me; I figure I can never have enough speed of the floor, because that will make my lockout easier and easier.

I'll be talking out of my ass but, Doesn't KK say you need strong abs for this style of pull ?

 

[Keosawa]

Heavy clean pulls make for very strong upper backs, just sayin.

I see what you did there.

 

[Keosawa]

I'll be talking out of my ass but, Doesn't KK say you need strong abs for this style of pull ?

I would certainly say so. I think strong abdominals really help breaking the weight off the floor.

I've been messing around with different exercises for my lockout. I've been doing a lot of Dimel deadlifts, and I think they're helping. I couldn't lock 560 out a couple of months ago, so something must have changed.

 

[LegioTitan]

I see what you did there.

What?? Just trying to help.... They really do.

 

[Keosawa]

What?? Just trying to help.... They really do.

After my April meet I'll give them a try. Hold me to that.

 

[belph]

I would certainly say so. I think strong abdominals really help breaking the weight off the floor.

I've been messing around with different exercises for my lockout. I've been doing a lot of Dimel deadlifts, and I think they're helping. I couldn't lock 560 out a couple of months ago, so something must have changed.

Any other changes besides the Dimel ?

 

[Keosawa]

Any other changes besides the Dimel ?

Yes. I overhauled virtually everything pertaining to my deadlift training over the winter. First, I learned sumo. Second, I dedicated most of my DE sessions to sumo deadlifting. Third, I stopped pulling off the floor every week with a 5/3/1 rep scheme. Fourth, I started rotating my deadlift every week, so that every week I'd be performing a new deadlift variation (sumo deadlift, ultra-wide sumo deadlift, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-inch deficits, snatch-grips, block pulls, low rack pulls, and pulls with bands, chains, and reverse bands of different tensions) for my main deadlift. Fifth, I'd work up to a max single for virtually every week; this I kept up until about the last month, when I started doing a bit more rep work.

I just found over time that pulling for a lot of reps on my deadlift was fatiguing my back and really making me tight. Now, even though I'm doing higher intensity lifts on a regular occasion, I feel much fresher. This has really helped my squat, since in the past I'd be sore heading into a lot of my heavy squat sessions.

 

[Poseylifts]

I'm curious for the dimel deadlifts, are you using a certain %1RM and rep scheme? I've heard light weight like <50% for high rep sets of 15+, how have you been doing them?

 

[belph]

Yes. I overhauled virtually everything pertaining to my deadlift training over the winter. First, I learned sumo. Second, I dedicated most of my DE sessions to sumo deadlifting. Third, I stopped pulling off the floor every week with a 5/3/1 rep scheme. Fourth, I started rotating my deadlift every week, so that every week I'd be performing a new deadlift variation (sumo deadlift, ultra-wide sumo deadlift, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-inch deficits, snatch-grips, block pulls, low rack pulls, and pulls with bands, chains, and reverse bands of different tensions) for my main deadlift. Fifth, I'd work up to a max single for virtually every week; this I kept up until about the last month, when I started doing a bit more rep work.

So it's virtually impossible to pin-point whatever worked. But it did.

 

[Keosawa]

I'm curious for the dimel deadlifts, are you using a certain %1RM and rep scheme? I've heard light weight like <50% for high rep sets of 15+, how have you been doing them?

I've gone as high as 50% (with chains around my neck), but I usually work at 40% (so, 225 lbs.). 30-40% is the ideal range here, and I've seen 20-25 reps given as the barometer. Basically, I go until my glutes are exhausted and my legs feel like rubber; two or three work sets wipe me out.

 

[Keosawa]

So it's virtually impossible to pin-point whatever worked. But it did.

Right. And the net gain is important here; these changes really helped contribute to a bigger squat because I felt much better going into my squat sessions.

 

[belph]

Right. And the net gain is important here; these changes really helped contribute to a bigger squat because I felt much better going into my squat sessions.

Well shit. A nice two for one deal, huh ?

 

[Poseylifts]

It'd be awesome if somehow they just eliminated the bench press from the world and we only had to do squat and deadlift. It would make training so much easier lol

 

[CRZA]

RDLs with really focusing on squeezing at the top made my lockout much stronger, but then again im pretty unexperienced.

 

[Keosawa]

RDLs with really focusing on squeezing at the top made my lockout much stronger, but then again im pretty unexperienced.

Yeah. Dimels are pretty much Romanians, but with less weight and more repetitions. I really try to push my hips forward on those and squeeze my lockout. I've also started doing this when I pull for speed with a conventional stance. I think it's helping, but it's too early to tell.

 

[cXs808]

After my April meet I'll give them a try. Hold me to that.

Which meet is this?