TeeCam's Road to a 200kg Deadlift

[TeeCam]

Hi everyone,

 

So at the encouragement of my training buddy @SpecialSundae, I've signed up here in an effort to actually do what I say I'm going to do! Namely:

• reach a 200kg deadlift
• drop some bodyfat without losing too much strength

I'm a powerlifter, so obviously I want my other two lifts to increase too, but the big goal is the deadlift and I figure they'll go up as my deadlift does!

As for the body recomp, I compete in the under 72kg class, and I usually weigh in as one of the lighter people in my class (I'm usually one of the shortest!), so I don't really want to lose WEIGHT per se, just rejig my body comp somewhat. I'm pretty short and I don't feel like I carry the weight particularly well, so I'd like to drop some bodyfat and gain a bit more muscle.

 

Current max competition lifts:

• Squat 140kg
• Bench 85kg
• Deadlift 180kg

 

Current max gym lifts:

• Squat 142.5kg for 2
• Bench 90kg
• Deadlift 180kg for 2

 

I recently competed in my first British Championship and came second in my class. I wasn't having a great day so I was both happy and not happy with this! I was happy with 2nd place, but my own numbers weren't what they could or should have been.  @SpecialSundae was being my day coach and had a helluva a job keeping me focused and awake, especially by the time we got to deadlifts! So I have a bee in my bonnet now and it's given me a lot of renewed drive.

 

I'll be logging my workouts and progress here, and hopefully I'll get to change the name of this log in the not too distant future!

[SpecialSundae]

Let the stalking and nagging commence.  

 

Also, looking forward to seeing where your deadlifts sit on the leaderboard.  

[stepping_out]

Welcome, welcome, fellow warrior!! Warrioress?

[SpecialSundae]

2 minutes ago, evabo said:

Welcome, welcome, fellow warrior!! Warrioress?

 

Warrior. I'm reading it as gender neutral.  

[TeeCam]

10 minutes ago, SpecialSundae said:

Let the stalking and nagging commence.  

 

Also, looking forward to seeing where your deadlifts sit on the leaderboard.  

As soon as I figure out what/where that is, I'll find out!

 

9 minutes ago, evabo said:

Welcome, welcome, fellow warrior!! Warrioress?

Thanks, @evabo! Let's call it warrior!

[SpecialSundae]

3 minutes ago, TeeCam said:

As soon as I figure out what/where that is, I'll find out!

 

 

Once you get to 50 posts, you can pop your best lifts on the Lifting Leaderboards. They're in the Powerlifting and Weightlifting section.

 

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/forum/110-the-lifting-leaderboard/

 

There's also a general lifters' chat thread in the Warriors section:

 

And a competition calendar, which I'll be adding Four Nations to (assuming we're selected):

 

 

[TeeCam]

5 minutes ago, SpecialSundae said:

 

Once you get to 50 posts, you can pop your best lifts on the Lifting Leaderboards. They're in the Powerlifting and Weightlifting section.

 

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/forum/110-the-lifting-leaderboard/

 

There's also a general lifters' chat thread in the Warriors section:

Awesome, thanks. I'll let you steer me around til I figure out where everything is!

[Sam Ashen]

Popping in to say hi!

 

SS is one of my role-models over here!

[SpecialSundae]

3 minutes ago, TeeCam said:

Awesome, thanks. I'll let you steer me around til I figure out where everything is!

I still don't know where everything is after three and a half years!

[TeeCam]

I wasn't going to log tonight's workout since it was just a super light ease-back-in sesh, then I realised that I said I was going to log, so I'm going to log! This one isn't the most exciting, though.

 

This was my first workout back after the British championship last weekend and was just a sort of oh-yeah-this-is-how-you-squat type of sesh.

Actually, that's not quite true - on Wednesday I went a bit mental with a high volume squat 'n' bench workout and paid for it with two days of DOMS (turns out diving straight into really high volume after not having lifted anything for more than 3 reps in like a month is really questionable) - but that's off the record.

 

Squat

2x3 @ 72.5kg

2x3 @ 87.5kg

2x3 @ 105kg

Working on sitting BACK because I have a habit of coming forward, especially on the first rep of a set

 

Wide grip bench

2x5 @ 45kg

2x4 @ 55kg

2x3 @ 65kg

My default bench grip is pretty narrow, so I'm working on widening it in the interests of reducing my ROM, since my arch is feeble

 

Deadlift

6x3 @ 95kg

I don't remember the last time my working weight deads were this light! They flew up but they bloody should have. Was just working on technique and speed - deadlift is the only lift that I don't have any specific problems with

 

Accessories

5x10 lat pulldowns - first 2 sets at 52kg which turned out to be optimistic, so dropped to 45kg after that

5x10 one-arm dumbbell rows each side - 14kg

 

The main lifts were over quickly, and the accessory stuff was ... bleargh. I made a resolution to not skip accessories, so no matter how much I dislike lat pulldowns, I'm going to do every last accursed one.

[SpecialSundae]

See, I wussed on lat pulldowns and started at 27.5kg... Because that seemed sensible.

[TeeCam]

1 minute ago, SpecialSundae said:

See, I wussed on lat pulldowns and started at 27.5kg... Because that seemed sensible.

That WAS sensible. I was being an idiot. It was horrible.

[SpecialSundae]

That WAS sensible. I was being an idiot. It was horrible.

My traps still hate me for no particular reason. Need to baby them until they don't!

[TeeCam]

Fun session with @SpecialSundae tonight. Weights are still super light so it was pretty quick (under 2 hours rather than our usual 3).

 

Safety squat bar

6x6 @ 75kg-ish (I think)

Neither of us had used the SSB before, so we didn't know the weight (I'm still unsure because I've had 3 different answers on that since), and getting it from the stand to the rack was fun. We managed it between us but it wasn't a quick or noiseless procedure. Squatting with it felt strange but became quite comfortable, I liked it. I'd def like to do more with this, it's a nice change from back squats.

 

Bench

6x6 @ 45kg

Close grip, low arch bench (or in my case, 'bench'). Where my coach hasn't specified narrow grip, I'm doing wide-grip, or at least wide for me. While the weights are this light I figure it makes sense to start trying to migrate my grip outward. It's pretty narrow and I'm much stronger that way, but my ROM could definitely be shorter!

 

Core

3x circuit of:

10 hypers

10 reverse hypers

40 sec plank

20 sec side plank each side

 

Accessories

5 sets of:

10x dumbbell flyes @ 9kg

10x dumbbell shoulder raise things (3 sets @ 9kg, then had to drop to 8kg)

 

We bitched and moaned our way through the accessory stuff, but we got it done. The core circuit was fun, I like using the hyperextension machine.

[Sam Ashen]

44 minutes ago, TeeCam said:

(under 2 hours rather than our usual 3)

 

Crazies unite!

 

I get programs that take way too long to complete - then get told I'm taking too long to rest.

[TeeCam]

9 hours ago, Sam Ashen said:

 

Crazies unite!

 

I get programs that take way too long to complete - then get told I'm taking too long to rest.

I think we just spend too much time talking!

[SpecialSundae]

3 hours ago, TeeCam said:

I think we just spend too much time talking!

 

Sometimes it's genuinely just a tough session... that's rare, though.  

[TeeCam]

Accessory session tonight!

 

Bulgarian split squats

4x10 each leg with 40kg bar - sounds light but it was burny! I haven't done single leg work much at all in the past 6 months, but my coach has said to add it in 

 

Overhead press

6x6 @ 35kg - was meant to be military press but I didn't know til I googled it a minute ago that they aren't the same thing. Oh well. These were getting really tough towards the end. My overhead press is pretty feeble. I hardly ever do it though so this is unsurprising.

 

High incline dumbbell press + one arm dumbbell rows superset

I started on 14kg but had to drop to 12. I've done this at 14 before but it wasn't immediately after OH press which wrecked my arms. Ambitious!

 

Step ups onto bench

More single leg work - 3x10 each leg with 12kg. Kept it light cos the benches in Pure Gym are too soft and unstable and my legs felt a bit buggered from the split squats

 

Pull ups

6x6. I have to use the assist machine for these cos I'm a wimp. WHY I left these to the end I'll never understand because they're always the hardest part for me even when my arms aren't knackered. I kept having to increase the weight!

 

Cable rows

This was meant to be machine rows but I don't think there is one where I trained tonight. I quite like these, there's something satisfying about them!

 

And now I'm heading home to be horizontal for the rest of the evening. I'm training again in the morning so I'm going to be lazy!

[SpecialSundae]

I have a bad tendency to use military press and ohp interchangeably. Military is feet in first position, right?

[Sam Ashen]

1 hour ago, SpecialSundae said:

I have a bad tendency to use military press and ohp interchangeably. Military is feet in first position, right?

 

And I have no idea and never really worried about the distinction.  Sometimes I wonder if some of the people who put it in the program worry about the distinction, either.  Hmm.  Something for me to Google, I suppose.

[SpecialSundae]

Poke.

[TeeCam]

On 30/09/2016 at 7:23 PM, SpecialSundae said:

I have a bad tendency to use military press and ohp interchangeably. Military is feet in first position, right?

 

On 30/09/2016 at 8:45 PM, Sam Ashen said:

 

And I have no idea and never really worried about the distinction.  Sometimes I wonder if some of the people who put it in the program worry about the distinction, either.  Hmm.  Something for me to Google, I suppose.

Sorry guys, I wasn't ignoring you - I don't get notifications when people reply! Will fix that. Yeah, my understanding now is that it's feet together! Every day's a school day

[TeeCam]

I keep forgetting to log workouts, so I'll just have a minor stress-rant instead.

 

I have problems with squat. It's by far my most temperamental lift and since I started training again since the British it's felt awkward and heavy and 'wrong'. I'm trying to adjust my stance a bit so that I'm hitting depth more clearly, because I was red-lighted on my opening squat at the British, which is crazily stressful! I feel like I've forgotten where to put my feet, my hands, how deep to go, everything. They feel horrible just now, in short. And really heavy. I've been doing quite a lot of single leg work recently (and experiencing some major DOMS because of it) so maybe my legs are a bit knackered, who knows.

 

I'm doing the Home Nations comp in 8 weeks so I need to get my mojo back.

 

I know I have the strength to be a reasonable squatter, but I still feel like I haven't nailed the technique. But then again I'm still less than a year into this powerlifting gig so maybe I just need more patience and more practice!

 

Aaaaaand breathe!

[SpecialSundae]

2 hours ago, TeeCam said:

I keep forgetting to log workouts, so I'll just have a minor stress-rant instead.

 

I have problems with squat. It's by far my most temperamental lift and since I started training again since the British it's felt awkward and heavy and 'wrong'. I'm trying to adjust my stance a bit so that I'm hitting depth more clearly, because I was red-lighted on my opening squat at the British, which is crazily stressful! I feel like I've forgotten where to put my feet, my hands, how deep to go, everything. They feel horrible just now, in short. And really heavy. I've been doing quite a lot of single leg work recently (and experiencing some major DOMS because of it) so maybe my legs are a bit knackered, who knows.

 

I'm doing the Home Nations comp in 8 weeks so I need to get my mojo back.

 

I know I have the strength to be a reasonable squatter, but I still feel like I haven't nailed the technique. But then again I'm still less than a year into this powerlifting gig so maybe I just need more patience and more practice!

 

Aaaaaand breathe!

We all have phases where lifts hate us. Your squats are still crazy strong but they're rebuilding after your first really big comp.

 

Keep calm, carry on and the gainz will come. Marc's programming tends to go like this.

[TeeCam]

11 minutes ago, SpecialSundae said:

We all have phases where lifts hate us. Your squats are still crazy strong but they're rebuilding after your first really big comp.

 

Keep calm, carry on and the gainz will come. Marc's programming tends to go like this.

Thanks! You're right. Now that I've got that whinge out the way I'm gonna do everything I can to get comfortable with it again. Starting with, well, more squatting...