[MikeNYY420]

If you're having trouble getting it off the ground then why do rack deads? That's not training your weakness. I'm not sure if you mean this my plate deads, but try standing on plates and getting thinner shoes. Every inch make a different. But yeah doing them while standing on plates should help the launch for sure.

Also try heavy SLDLs. I love deads.

[MikeNYY420]

I usually don't do routines that people tell me so I don't blame you for not trying this, but here's what I do and I'm able to up the weight every time I hit the gym.

Bar warm up 15
136lbs-10
225lbs-8
320lbs-5
325lbs-4
330lbs-3
335lbs-2
340lbs-1

And like I said I up the weight that I do for reps every time I hit the gym.

[mabo]

Originally Posted by MikeNYY420

If you're having trouble getting it off the ground then why do rack deads? That's not training your weakness. I'm not sure if you mean this my plate deads, but try standing on plates and getting thinner shoes. Every inch make a different. But yeah doing them while standing on plates should help the launch for sure.

Also try heavy SLDLs. I love deads.

I'm still not certain where my problem is. It's not a straight-forward situation, I have some issues with quad and glute activation due to an old knee injury.

I haven't been going out of the rack lately.

Weakness off the floor can look a lot like a weak lockout; you get out of position and the lockout becomes a grind.

I do a bit of strongman training on occasion and rack deads help for farmers.

They're fun, too. And that's really enough for me.

Cheers for the suggestion, but no, I won't be going down that road. I'm talking with some PL buddies at the moment to try and fix things up.

[MikeNYY420]

Right, sounds good. So is there one part of the lift that you struggle with more than others? I always have trouble with the lock out, I'm looking for a way to strengthen that, I think the starting position of the bar makes a difference. I noticed that if it's right up against my shins it help with lock out as well as keeping good form. I haven't quite gotten used to that yet, but having the bar an inch or so in front of the shins helps me to get it off the ground easier.

[mabo]

When I first started deadlifting I would stall 6-8 inches off the ground.

When I was pulling sumo as long as I could get it off the ground I could finish the lift.

I switched back to conventional to get more carryover to strongman and after a month or two I could pull the same as what I was doing sumo, no noticeable sticking point that stands out in my memory.

Then I got injured and couldn't deadlift properly for a good year or so. Having lots of problems getting my right glute med to fire properly, which I believe was/is causing problems at the knee. Meant my quads wouldn't engage as they should either.

Now that I'm back, my lower back seems to have held it's strength more than anything else. I'm inflexible - which I now think is half of the problem, and I can't keep in a good position at the start of the lift.

Ass shoots up first, which puts me in terrible position once the bar gets to around knee level and makes lockout a bitch.

I don't believe in the bar against shins mentality. Works for some people, but not for every body type.

[MikeNYY420]

I had that same problem and here's how I fixed it. I see a lot of people deadlift with a really wide sumo stance and I did that and had trouble with the lockout, so I put the bar right up to and touching my shins and narrowed by stance by a few inches and the whole movement's so much easier. Give it a try it worked great for me and if you're stuck at the top and can't lockout pull your shoulders back and at the same time lean back and push your ass forward.

Lots of trial and error and I think I have a near perfect technique to maximize performance.

Shit I typed that before you said you don't like the bar against the shins. It works well for me just experiment with some lighter weight and get the feel for it with a narrower sumo stance. This is just what works for me but it might help you too. I like the form Ronnie Coleman has curved back looking straight ahead and ass a little above 90 degrees.

Good luck man! Can't wait to see you pull the big 500!

[mabo]

Sumo stance the bar scrapes my shins, conventional it doesn't. Totally different lift for me, I'm much more upright when I pull sumo. When I used to pull sumo I had a much narrower stance than most, but that was mostly due to inflexibility, I feel.

Form will vary a lot from person to person. Coleman has very different proportions to me, so what's good for him is not good for me.

Deadlift: 135x5, 225x5, 315x5, 335x3
sumo dl: 135x5, 3x225x5, 3x135x5 - getting used to the extra hip flexibility required is going to take some time and practice.
push jerk: 3x135x5
lat pulldown: 130x10, 2x150x10
jm press: 95x10, 115x10, 125x10
face pulls: 110x10, 120x10, 130x10 - rope attachment

[mabo]

20 mins bike @L10
10 mins incline walking

ez curl: barx10, 75x10, 100x10, 75x10* - *reverse grip
curl machine: 70x8
db wrist curl: 3x45x15
situps: 2x15

[mabo]

rc stuff
push jerk: 90x3, 110x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 185x3, 200x3, 225x1 - way too slow with 225, had to press it out.
db bench: 70x10, 85x10, 100x7, 70x8
skullcrushers: 3x100x10
sledge work

[MikeNYY420]

Shit got the 100s up on DB bench nice, can't wait till I'm doing those.

[mabo]

You'll get them in no time, mate.

DL: 135x8, 225x5, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 445x1 - didn't plan on deadlifting today, but had an experienced lifter watching my form so I worked up to a near-max
powercleans: 135x3, 3, 155x3, 175x3, 185x3, 3
Squat: 3x185x10 - really stretching things out; stayed upright and went very deep
db row: 2x100x10

- pretty much ran out of time towards the end, had to get to uni

[mabo]

Just realized it's been 14 weeks since I started this log. Not great results so far but at least I'm moving in the right direction. Lost direction in the middle weeks but I'm feeling motivated again.

So far:
Lost 5.9kgs/13lbs BW
and 9.5cm/3.74" off my waist

Strength seems to be exactly the same.

Goal is to drop another 30lbs and 8" by the end of the year. It's going to take some doing but I feel it's definitely doable.

Today
5 mins bike
rc stuff
Jerk: barx5, 95x5, 135x5, 175x5, 4, 5 -finding out that these are really hard when you're tired
db press: 50x8, 70x8, 80x8, 8 - feeling really weak in this movement lately, probably because I haven't done it much
curl machine: 90x8, 70x12

10mins xtrainer
10 mins incline walking

*feel like I'm forgetting something that I did.. oh well can't remember

[mabo]

bench: barx30, 135x10, 185x8, 3x225x5
deadlift: 135x8, 225x5, 315x5, 365x5
lat pulldown: 180x10, 2x200x10
seated row: 200x10, 210x10, 220x8
shrugs: 225x15, 225x45

- not much energy today