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Deadlifts are not a movement, they are a way of life - Daily Dose Deadlift

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JPCross

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A chronicle of my efforts to go past 3x BW pulls again.

I find the more I hold myself accountable through diarying, logging, etc., the more consistent my results.

I've always been a rather natural puller but tend to get beat up by other barbell lifts; couple that with the fact I've gotten a bit older and wiser, have a small garage set up to make training convenient with kids, and don't have a whole lot of interest in pushing the other movements too much anymore, I'm going to log my efforts to push my pull again.
  • The caveat would be the standing press and weighted pullup; both have treated me well in the past and after I add a small piece of equipment to the garage (will be adding when gym equipment becomes more reasonably priced again), I am sure I will implement those lifts as well. When I do so is yet to be determined but it will happen.
I've messed around with higher volume, higher frequency, higher intensity, and a mixture of two of the variables at once (higher volume/higher frequency via Korte 3x3 base blocks; higher frequency/higher intensity via "Bulgarian Method" deadlifting) in the past. I've had success with both but haven't really pushed my pull hard in about a 14 months and the last 3 months or so I've barely strength trained at all, focusing on some endurance goals. I'll still be mixing in some endurance training and will note in the log but will highlight the strength training piece the most.

I've landed on Daily Dose Deadlifts (Daily Dose Deadlift Plan | StrongFirst) as the base of my strength training with a few small personal adjustments which will surface as the log progresses. The reason for the choice of program is the volume and load looks rather reasonable, I have access to everything I need at home, and I've found that the more frequently I pull, the better I feel overall. This should be a great way to start building the foundation back up into heavier weights.
 
Sunday, 4/19


Weight - 178.4lbs


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - 1.5" Deficit Deadlift w/ oly shoes
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 355x1
.75" Deficit Deadlift w/ oly shoes
  • 405x1
Deadlift w/ oly shoes
  • 455x1
Accessory Work - Pendlay Rows and Planks
  • Pendlay Rows - 185x5
  • Planks - 15 secs, 3 "reps"

Notes - Pretty quick garage session on Sunday to get a feel for where I am currently at strength wise. All training was beltless on this day. Overall, a bit disappointed in how the 455x1 moved as well as how the Pendlay Rows felt but at the end of the day, there is a positive I can take away from it. This gives me a starting point for the program and with the daily weights being a bit lower than I would have anticipated, it means recovery should not be an issue and speed/technique will be dialed in.
 
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Monday, 4/20


Weight - 178.0lbs


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - Very brief session today as I was actually just a tad sore from Sunday and didn't have much time overall. I am planning on hitting 3 singles a day the first week, 4 a day the second week, and 5 a day the third week; once the third week is done, I will determine if I keep up with 5 singles daily or reset with 3 and work back up again. Mentally, it was tough to stop adding weight at 365lbs but I need to stay disciplined throughout the program as this is what my "75%" works out to be, roughly, based on the 1RM I calculated from Sunday's first session back. I think the last time I had the bulk of my working weights under 405lbs was back in 2015 sometime but that was also during a Korte 3x3 block where I was hitting a 5x5 on deadlifts 3x a week. I also need to keep reminding myself that it's not about the individual sessions per se; it's about the cumulative work that builds over the weeks and months that will matter.
 
Tuesday, 4/21


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - .75" Deficit Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - Another quick session in the garage as work has been a bit busy as of late and I want to make sure I am smart about what I am doing each session as any additions when training very frequently can start to add up quick causing excess fatigue. I am also incorporating "specific variety" in that I am pulling a comp style deadlift 2-3x a week on the 75% days with all of the heavier pulls being comp style as well but the other days being a very close variant of the comp deadlift. With frequency in comp pulling, I should be reinforcing good patterning but with a few close variants built in, I should limit some of the overuse issues or strain issues as tissues are stressed just every so slightly differently as well. This is all theory so I am interested to see how it pans out. The variants I choose will be close to the comp pull not just in range of motion or patterning but also will be close as it relates to the variants 1RM compared to a comp deadlift 1RM. The variants will be very slight deficits/blocks (.75") and shoe changes (normal flat shoes or oly shoes) as I don't want my 75% pulls to now become 80%+ of the variant max because I think that would also increase overall fatigue quickly.
 
Wednesday, 4/22


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - Log notes will seem repetitive but this first week is just getting back into regular structured strength training. The good news is that the pulls felt pretty solid today despite having some lingering soreness (DOMS). Looking forward to a few more days until I add just a touch of weight for the 80% day (390ish or so).
 
Thursday, 4/23


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (oly shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Planks - 15 secs, 3 "reps"

Notes - Pulls felt really good today overall so went ahead and did a few quick planks to reinforce bracing. Diet for the most part is dialed in as well, haven't been checking weight in the mornings but will grab it either Saturday or Sunday just as an idea of where I am at. I am tracking all food so over the next few weeks, I should be able to take a good hard look at calories in and weight change to determine a good baseline number.
 
Friday, 4/24


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - A quick Friday afternoon session after work. My house faces west and with the weather heating up and sun beating on the garage door in the afternoons, the gym space is warming up. Luckily, these sessions have been short and will continue to be based on the plan. I’ve got a 3 day weekend coming up as I took Monday off work so will likely train at an earlier time.
 
Saturday, 4/25


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - .75” Block Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work - NONE


Notes - The plan of training earlier in the day did not happen; ended up getting a bunch of housework done and hanging out with my little boys (one is three and a half, the other five months). The little one went down for an afternoon nap and the older one wanted a bath so while my wife did that, I snuck into the garage. Was in and out in 20 mins but still had a decent sweat going from the heat. I trained in the garage all last summer, mostly in the afternoons/evenings, so I’m used to it in a way but forgot how warm is really can get. We’re still a solid 15 degrees or more from our peak summer temps so the frequent but short sessions will be nice. Tomorrow will be going just slightly heavier but everything has started to feel good and move fast.
 
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Sunday, 4/26

Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1
  • 390x1x3 sets

Accessory Work - NONE


Notes - Another late afternoon sweat fest. Temps are going up but deadlifts are feeling better by the day; a small weight bump for my 80% day but today felt about as good as any day this first week. Taking a bit of a break from strength training definitely shoes but things are coming back around and I’m patiently excited to see what the next 6 weeks bring.
 
Monday, 4/27

Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x4 sets

Accessory Work - NONE


Notes - Felt really good today overall and will be adding one additional rep to each session all week while closely monitoring how I feel. I had a pretty solid day of eating (aka, ate really high quality food and an abundance of it) so weight will likely be fluctuating a bit for a few days until it settles back into place. I am going to take my weight towards the end of the week so I can start establishing baseline calories as well.
 
Tuesday, 4/28


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - .75" Deficit Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x4 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - Pulls felt decent today but not quite as good as I was hoping. Maybe it was just a slightly off day for some reason but the good news is that, based on the program, I get to come back tomorrow and try again!
 
Wednesday, 4/29


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 5 rounds)


Main Movement - NONE


Accessory Work - NONE


Notes - It just was not in the cards today. I started warming up with the empty bar as normal and made the call to just get a little movement and blood flow in and call it. While pulling a couple of singles at a sub-max weight is not strenuous, it would not have been the best idea today. I have a ~5 month old at home and he is teething; sleep the night before was all but non-existent. I was able to sleep from 9p-10p, 11p-12:30a, and 4:30a-5:30a...other than that, I was up with the little man. The nice part about the program is I can come back tomorrow fresh and get back after it.
 
Thursday, 4/30


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x4 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Planks - 15 secs, 3 "reps"

Notes - Training felt decent enough today to hit some planks after pulls. I got a bit more sleep the night before which helped as well. Diet has been pretty well on point and everything is being logged.



Friday, 5/1


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (oly shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x4 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Planks - 15 secs, 4 "reps"

Notes - Really good day today; pulls were fast and smooth so hit one extra "rep" of planks. Normally Friday and Saturday nights are my primary nights with the baby...my wife takes him most nights of the week as she is a stay at home and I work normal business hours...so on the weekends, I take nighttime baby duty so she can sleep a bit more. It's a give and take but works for us.



Saturday, 5/2 (am)


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x4 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - Got a fair amount of sleep the night before considering I was on baby duty; 8p-3a straight which is more than normal. I actually felt decent when I was up at 3a so fed the baby, got him back to sleep, had a bit of coffee, and got in a quick session in the garage. I haven't been training early like that (used to very regularly before I had the garage setup) but it felt good to start the day on a positive note. The other good news from this morning is, after my wife and the kids woke up, nobody even knew that I trained (despite deadlifting with some music playing and a fan running) so now that I know my garage is insulated enough to train and not disturb the house, morning sessions might be more regular. Also, because I am feeling so good today, I will likely hit a second session in the afternoon which will get me back on track for having a heavy day on Sunday.
 
Saturday, 5/2 (pm)


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 2 rounds)


Main Movement - .75” Block Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x4 sets

Accessory Work - NONE


Notes - Ended up getting in a second session as I had hoped. The one thing I noticed is that I was plenty loose after two quick rounds of an empty barbell warmup; I’m not sure if it’s because I trained once earlier or if it’s because I was not sitting all day at work but things felt good quick. The pulls didn’t feel great on the other hand but the low end of the pull is my weakness; if I can break weight off the floor, I finish the lift. Working off a very small block puts me in one of my weaker positions. I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow as I’ll be going up over 4 plates again for the heavy sets.
 
Sunday, 5/3

Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1
  • 415x1x4 sets

Accessory Work - NONE


Notes - Trained in the late afternoon again as it ended up being most convenient. Warmups felt ok, first two “heavy” singles moved fine but felt like garbage. I wanted to make sure I got the planned work in so instead of just trucking through and leaving disappointed, I made a quick change and threw on my oly shoes for the last two singles and everything seemed to click - moved faster, positioning felt better, and just felt good. I’m not sure if it’s from my posterior being a bit more fatigued from a double yesterday and using heeled shoes moves the load a bit more forward, I am just a better puller in oly shoes for some reason, or it was a mental thing only. That’s the beauty of logging, whether online or on your own...taking notes and being able to objectively problem solve and course correct is near impossible without some kind of note taking. I’ll chalk today up to another win.
 
Monday, 5/4


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x5 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - A quick session that felt good but not great. Tried to cut rest down just a bit between sets which probably isn't ideal but I also am finding that I want to get in and out when training in the afternoons/evenings.



Tuesday, 5/5


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - .75" Deficit Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x5 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - Another not so spectacular session; got the work done but felt just mediocre about it. I did get some news later in the day after the session that I am scheduled to take a fitness exam at 5:30am next Wednesday morning for a potential career change (BIG career change from what I currently do) but am excited to see how it unfolds. It sounds like it is just the start of a lengthy process but I am optimistic. I am in a spot now where I can provide for my family and give them a comfortable life, better than I had growing up, but I tend to push a bit and want to do more, better, etc., and this could very well be the opportunity to do that.
 
Wednesday, 5/6


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x5 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Planks - 15 secs, 5 "reps"

Notes - Overall, a good session. Pulls felt pretty quick and solid meaning form felt pretty well dialed in. The garage only is seeming to get warmer as the days go on but I don't mind getting a good sweat going; in fact, the older I get (and I understand I am not that old), the more I enjoy training in the heat vs. the cold.



Thursday, 5/7


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (oly shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x5 sets

Accessory Work - NONE


Notes - This was the best feeling day since the last time I pulled in oly shoes. Everything just felt dialed in and the weight felt borderline non-existent off the ground. I was able to get into positions and generate a tightness that just made the singles fly. While these are the days that make it tempting to add weight or start doing more work by adding accessories, I wanted to be smart and really use the positive session as a way to build momentum through the end of the week and into the weekend.



Friday, 5/8


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x5 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Pushups; every set of deadlifts was superset with a set of 10 pushups, touching the tip of my nose to the floor, pausing at the bottom, and pressing to full extension for a brief pause at the top as well.

Notes - A decent session but nothing like the day before with respect to the deadlifts. They felt good, don't get me wrong, but not great or snappy like the day before. I am going to mess around with moving my oly shoe pull day to different days of the week next week to see if it's happening because of where in the week the session is from a fatigue/recovery standpoint or if it really has to do with the slightly elevated heel. Because of the testing I am doing next week, I threw in some pushups just to polish off my form/technique.



Saturday, 5/9


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - .75” Block Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x5 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Planks; 5 "sets" of 15 seconds each


Notes - Trained a bit earlier in the day which was nice; while I like training in the heat, the garage is still 80+ by 9am so it was plenty warm. Another good but not great day but I also have to be ok with the good days as constant good days really build a foundation. It's not the flashy sessions that count. Finished with some quick planks to make sure I was getting a little core work in and reinforcing bracing/activation in advance of tomorrow's heavy session without creating too much fatigue.



Sunday, 5/10


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1
  • 405x1
  • 440x1x5 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Clapping Pushups; 1 set of 3 reps after each set of deadlifts, pause at the bottom and explode up.


Notes - The first 2 pulls were pretty solid, the third was ok, and the fourth and fifth were a bit slower than I would have liked. Nothing felt grindy per se, just didn't quite have the pop I was hoping for. My upper body was a tad sore yesterday and today from the pushups on Friday so I opted to do a bit less volume, much fewer reps per set, but turn it into more "speed" or "dynamic effort" type work. I've also had quite a bit of cardio work or endurance work going on as of late but will be tapering back Monday and Tuesday in advance of Wednesday. I will be dropping back to three singles per day this entire week, then four next week, and five the following, to repeat the "wave" more or less. I am still going to pull on Monday and Tuesday but won't be hitting any endurance work and will try to get in a hot epsom salt bath Monday followed by a quick dip in a cold tub.
 
Monday, 5/11


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (Oly shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Pushups; sets of 5 after each set of deadlifts

Notes - Decided to pull in oly shoes today vs. flats as this tends to be a day of high fatigue after the weekend. While it was not the best session, it felt really good overall and better than expected. Did some easy sets of 5 on pushups in between as well just to get some blood flow to the upper body.



Tuesday, 5/12


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - .75" Deficit Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work - NONE

Notes - Quick afternoon session as I have a fitness test early tomorrow morning. After the session, I did a bit of stretching of my lower body as I can’t afford to be sore or stiff at 5:30am on Wednesday and won’t have the day to more or less loosen up for training.
 
Wednesday, 5/13


Weight - UNK


Notes - Fitness testing at 5:30am. Vertical Jump Test (15” minimum), Illinois Agility Test (19.5 sec cap), Sit-up Test (min 30 in 60 secs), Push-up Test (min 23 unbroken, no time cap), 300m Sprint (1:08 cap), 1.5mile Run (16:57 cap). The overall test is pass/fail and there is not a stack rank of the overall performance so I made sure to execute but didn’t necessarily go all out on each. There were only 6 people to show up to the session but out of us, only 3 finished all with passing results. To me, it’s rather disappointing to see so many people not able to hit fairly low standards and speaks to why more people need to just move more. I did not really make note of the actual vertical jump height or the agility test time but the administrators did make note it was one of the better jumps and one of the fastest agility times they’ve seen in a while. I do have the times of the runs in my watch; according to my Garmin, the 300 meter sprint was 49.02secs and 1.5 mile run was 12:41 or 8:24/mi. The sprint was definitely difficult but I had a pretty even pace after checking the data so I ran it well. The run was very chill for me; heart rate averaged 152bpm which tells me I should be able to hold that pace for a long time/distance. I’ve run multiple mile repeats as a part of a longer run workout not too long ago with each repeat being under 7:00/mi pace so I know the cardio is there. The nice thing about the test is it will help to direct what else I want to do in addition to deadlifting. It looks like I’ll be focusing on pushups, box jumps, hill sprints, and some longer runs.
 
Wednesday, 5/13


Weight - UNK


Warmup - Barbell complex with empty bar (10 reps each of barbell row, standing press, and Romanian deadlift; 3 rounds)


Main Movement - Deadlift (flat shoes, no belt)
  • 135x5x3 sets
  • 225x3
  • 295x2
  • 365x1x3 sets

Accessory Work -
  • Pushups; sets of 5 after each set of deadlifts

Notes - Pulled in flat shoes today and felt just ok again; I am not yet chalking it up to shoe choice though. Looking back, it seems like I keep noting that but I want to rule out any potential confounding factors over the course of several weeks. On this day, I trained in the afternoon but it was after the fitness testing in the morning which put a small amount of fatigue into my legs that I normally don't have (namely the 300m run).
 
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