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5/3/1 - Back from the Dead(lift)

Up until recently, not much. I think I went too deep into intensity/volume/frequency for too long that the best protocol is a complete rest from the barbell for a week. At the point I reached, any additional exercise was not feeling restorative, but merely more work. I have since included walking/yoga and bodyweight therapy. That coupled with the layoff from the barbell has all ready had a profound effect on my energy/mood. I will deadlift tomorrow, however, but will layoff heavy benching or any other movements with the barbell for a few weeks. I plan to test my bench press max in about 3 weeks, in which leading up to it I will perform Pavel's last minute peaking cycle for two weeks prior to testing. From DeLorme, to the Bear, to the ladder/PTTP routine, I've had no deloads or weeks off. This is about 3 months of work.I think I've put in enough heavy work, and my body needs this break. I have, however, been doing light calisthenic work at home, mainly for restorative measures and it has been working. This includes BW Squats/Pushups/Chinups and a yoga/flow/walking routine. I started the Health ROutine Forum post in the BW forum regarding this matter and am happy to say I have received a lot of very good input here at SF.

Nothing wrong with taking a rest, or visiting other modalities for a change, etc.

I think the more effective the training, or the bigger the training load, the more one has to spend time and effort on recovery. The exact measures are individual, but they are there. Sleep, food, relaxation, restorative exercise, stretching... There are plenty of factors at play.

Myself, I like the heat/cold therapy, if I can call it that. I go to the sauna, take cold showers, and for example sit buck naked outside when it's freezing. Of course, it may be more difficult to do in California and otherwise dependent on living conditions etc.

I think walking is a great choice. I always feel better after a walk. Cycling can work wonders as well, especially for your legs. Bodyweight squats are great as well, just resting and squatting for time has helped me in the past.

I don't do a lot of stretching or mobility exercises, especially bodyweight. But I'm happy with how I'm feeling - if I felt too stiff or immobile I would do something. And of course, this is subjective, someone with my limitations could feel like he direly needs some mobility work.

When it comes to barbell training and how it makes me feel, I think minimalist high intensity training has always felt great and left me with lots of energy and less stiff etc. In my case, it's the volume and the assistance exercises etc that make me stiff and sore. Doing something like 10-20 reps of just a powerlift a day with sufficiently heavy weights has felt great. I often feel better towards the ends of my cycles, when I'm starting to peak and give up on the volume and assistance.
 
Took a week off and feel much fresher! Walked, did some cali's and yoga and am much more revived. Trained today and felt very energized

Warmup
Prying Goblet Squat, Windmill

Ballistic
Jump Squat x 5, Plyo Pushup x 5 (2 rounds)

A1) Hang Cleans - 95x 3, 135 x 3, 185 x 3 x 3
A2) RKC Plank (max tension)

B1)Bench Press -Bar x 8, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 205 x 5
B2) Walking Lunge -30 lbs 10 steps (5 per leg)

3 rounds
C1)Farmer's Carry 80 lbs per hand 50 feet
C2) Dips -10 reps

Started benching flat footed. Feel a bit weaker, but more stable. Also haven't benched in a few weeks. Added hang cleans again. Great back builder and explosive exercise. The volume is quite lower on this program. 3 full body workouts a week, each with a slightly different emphasis.



 
Wednesday

Warmup-Flow exercises

Overhead Med Ball Slams - 2 sets of 5

A1) Push Press 95 x 8, 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 165 x 5
A2) Cat/Camel + Groiners

B) Deadlifts-135 x 8, 225 x 5, 315 x 5
C)Chinups from rings 8,6,4

3 rounds
D1)Side Planks (30 seconds per side)
D2)D-bell Curls 25 lbs -12,12,8



Traps have been screaming since Monday because of Power cleans and it made everything a little tougher. Been a while since I've done push presses. They are a pretty tough lift. Back was a bit tired after them so took it easy on Deads. Could've used an extra warmup set as well. Chins on rings are pretty difficult. I really have to lower slowly, as the rings start wobbling around but they are very welcoming to the wrists and also allow a nice rotation of the hands to accomplish a longer rom. I also have to go slowly, or else my feet hit the ground. My lats were very stimulated. Curls were nice to get a little pump, since I seldom do them.
 
Friday

Mobility
5 minute flow-bridges, cat camel, groiners, squats, renegade lunge

Front Squat- 95x 8, 135 x 5, 175 x 5, 205 x 5
D-Bell Rows on Inc Bench- 50 x 4 x 6 reps
Incline D-bell Press- 50 x 3 x 8 reps

3 rounds
K-bell Crosswalk-25 lbs for 50 steps
Med Ball Leg Curls x 5

Easy session. Nice contrast to Wednesday's. Front Squats feel very strong. Oddly, I always thought my knee extensors were a weak link and brought them up to match my hip extensors. Now it seems my hip extension is lacking, which was always my natural ability. Also feel I have some mobility deficits for my deadlifts. Possibly ankle or hip related. Rows and presses were nice and easy. The ball leg curls are super tough! Focused more on muscles development than weight for all accessories.


 
Monday 12/3

A1) Hang Cleans
135 x 5, 165 x 3, 185 x 3, 205 x 3
A2) RKC Plank
15 seconds

B1) Bench Press
Bar x 10, 135 x 8, 165 x 5, 195 x 5, 210 x 5 (rest pause last rep)
B2) Dumbell Lunge
35 lbs for 5,5,5 (per leg)

3 Rounds
C1) Farmers Walk
80 lbs for 50 steps
C2) Dips
12,10,10

Hang cleans were pretty hard today. Will drop weight next week and focus on speed. Affected my bench, which I'm used to do first and alone anyways. Took me a while to get my groove. When I rested a bit more, it was easier. Sometimes the heavier weights feel easier. Walks are a great grip and back challenge for me. Am liking the setup as I've always done better with full body routines.



 
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Wednesday

Warmup/Mobility
Joint Circles/BackBends/Flow

A1) Push Press
Bar x 10, 95 x 8, 115 x 8, 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 175 x 5

A2) Groiners - 5 per side

B1) Deadlifts
135 x 8, 225 x 5, 295 x 5, 335 x 5
B2) D-Bell Flies
15 x 10,10,10

C) Ring Chins
8, 5,4

3 rounds
D1) Side Plank 30 seconds per side
D2) D-bell curls 25 lbs 12,12,10

Felt great! Push Presses are a little hard on my wrists, and it took a while to find a comfortable rack position though. My forearm on right side was strained a bit after, something that deadlifts actually seemed to help. My Pulls felt great today. Easier than last week. I practiced a few sets at home yesterday with light weight to find the groove. Everything else was nice and easy.



 
Friday

Prying Goblet Squat

A1) Front Squat
95 x 8, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 215 x5

A2)Lying Ball Leg Curl
5,5,5

B1) Dumbbell Rows on Incline bench
50 x 10, 60 x 6,6,6,6
B2) Incline Dumbbell Press
50 x 10, 60 x 8,8,8

Cold today. Trained at 7 in the morning as my co-workers wanted ramen after work and I obliged. Chicken katsu was delicious, even though everyone wondered why I ordered chicken katsu at a ramen house... Didn't have much time to warmup, and I felt a little stiffer than last week, due to time restrictions and cold. Front Squats went fine, and I got a nice little boost from Bon Jovi coming on right as I started, theme song style. Rest of training was easy. Walked a few laps around the quiet parking lot before heading out.

 
Monday

Power Cleans 135 x 3,3,3
Plank 30 seconds

B1) Bench Press
Bar x 8, 135 x 8, 165 x 5, 195 x 5, 215 x 5
B2) Lunges
35 lbs x 5, 5,5 (per leg)

C1) Trap Bar Carry
210 lbs
50,50,50 (steps)
C2) Dips
12,12,10

Power cleans done light and explosive. Bench felt strong. Took a few sets to find my groove and took a pretty good rest for the last set. Did carries with the trap bar today. Really tears up my hands!! Added a few reps on dips. Good training day!

 
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Wednesday

Warmup
5 minute flow, Bridges/Yoga Pushups/Med Ball Slams

Push Press
95 x 8, 135 x 5, 165 x 5, 185 x 3
Groiners 5 per leg (3 sets)

Deadlifts
135 x 8, 225 x 5, 295 x 5, 355 x 3

Pullups on Rings
9,6,5

Curls
25 x 12,12,12
Side Plank 30 seconds (3 per side)

A little more fatigued today. Bench session on Monday actually stressed my back out a bit. It felt tight so I held a bit ack as it would tighten so I knew my session wouldn't be the heaviest. Push Press was a bit affected. Noticed I widened my stance a bit, nonetheless opted for 3 reps instead of 5 today. Ditto for the deadlift. Since my back was tired, opted for a sumo stance. As soon as I started the first working rep, felt my ack and was like yeah 3 reps should be good. Need to definitely focus on my deadlift next year. My bench has actually gained more ground then the deadlift which is odd, but maybe I've put more focus on the bench too. Alas, I've never had a "just deadlift day" and it always seems to come after another big lift. I haven't been able to put focused sessions in and have lost a lot of the feel of it and every time it feels light, the next week it's hard again. Rest, just accessory work.



 
Friday

A1) Front Squat
Bar x 10, 95 x8, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5
A2) Med Ball Leg Curls
5,5,5

B1) D-bell Row
40 x 6, 50 x 6, 60 x 6,6

B2) Incline D-bell Press
40 x 8, 50 x8,60 x 8

Overhead K-bell walk
30 lbs-50 ft per arm 3 rounds

Last heavy session of the year. Will deload next week and take a few easy weeks enjoying the holidays as my girlfriend finally gets to visit from France.

 
Hey Phillipe, very insightful blog! I am a novice lifter (about 5 months into barbell training) 5'9" and 145lbs. Was reading about Delorme method in Pavel's book. Searched about it on the internet and found your post.

Would you recommend the Delorme approach to a novice? I've been doing Starting Strength style training with basic barbell lifts. Was progressing quite fine for 3 months and the last 2 months have been up and down. Squat is at 165lbs for 3x5.

Now I really want to focus on only 2 lifts for 2 months and work on the rest after building some strength and bulk.
Which is why I am attracted to Delorme method. Is my line of thinking correct? Or should I improve all 5 main lifts before doing a very specific program such as Delorme. Sleep and caloric surplus will not be an issue for me this winter.
 
Hey @Prishu!

Thanks for your post and interesting question! It's hard to say if DeLorme would be good for you at this stage since you are still very new to training. This doesn't mean DeLorme can't be a good protocol for a novice, but I believe it's effectiveness is more realized when you have a solid strength and technique base for the lifts. These early stages are the best years as a lifter! You are quite light for your height, but actually my first powerlifting meet I weighed in @ 147 @ 5 ft 10! My advice if you wanted to focus on just the bench and deadlift for a few months would be to build that base of work in those lifts. Power to the people would be an excellent program to do so! And even if you don't make the size gains on PTTP, when you do do a bulking program like the DeLorme, the strength difference will allow you to put on more size. 185 x 5 builds more muscle then 135 x 5 yes? Also, be sure to assess what your goals are for every day/week/month year as far as training goes. If you're after size, a daily goal, aside from your training program, will be to get that extra meal/shake in that day and every day. I gained over 5 lbs on the DeLorme in 6 weeks, and I've been training for quite some time (over 5 years consistently) so that's pretty good. 3 things that contributed to success on the program were 1) Nutritional discipline 2) Strict adherence to the program and it's parameters 3) A solid base of strength and technique in the lifts prior to commencing. Alternating stints of PTTP with DeLorme or even the Bear using the bench and deadlift would be a solid plan to build size and strength while also getting the practice to optimize the mechanics of each lift. And keep a training blog up! It'll be nice to see your progress! Let me know if you have any other questions! P
 
Tuesday 12/18

I didn't really follow through with no lifting...Felt fine after a couple of days off in some regards but got the itch. I'm not really going hard but I decided to throw in some "practice" sessions. With my previous training, I did mostly well rounded routines, meaning there wasn't a huge focus on a few select lifts. I really didn't take the time to deep analyze my lifts. I haven't squatted competition in some time due to my knee issues but it felt like a good time to revisit it. I also wanted todo some light benching and work on my deadlift. These sessions aren't meant to get in a workout. They are practice. They are intended to find my issues with each lift and work to remedy them. I will use what I find to plan next training phases. First I squatted.

Bar x 3, 135 x 3, 185 x 3, 225 x 3, 255 x 3, 275 x 2, 295 x 1

Bench - Bar x 5, 135 x 3, 185 x 3 (painful in shoulder)

Incline 135 x 5, 185 x 5

Deadlift
135 x 3, 225 x 3, 3

Here is what I found with each lift

Squat Issues to address
-Need to focus on the details. Rack height varied each set and I jumped back in forth a few times, trying to find the ideal position. Remedy-find ideal height.
- Bar position on back inconsistent. Had a hard time finding the groove in my upper back.
-Hand placement was hard on left elbow May need mobility remedy
-Un-rack wasn't the greatest. Hard time positioning myself under bar and un-racking without it feeling "heavy". Must working on bracing and positioning in un-rack.
-Walk-out awkward. Haven't practiced and was clumsy with my footing. Even hit the rack with the barbell a few times.

Mobility deficits
-Possibly hips or ankles
When descending, feel a slight loss of position nearing the hole.

Possible Weakness
-Quad strength and Glute strength seem up to par
-Hamstrings, Hip Flexors and abdominal and upper back.
Hip flexors strength to descend into hole with stability. Hamstrings to engage sitting back. I haven't included a lot of direct hamstring work. My gym has no hamstrings apparatus. Glute ham raises would be awesome. even leg curls. Most of my hamstring training will need to be done standing hip extension movements.

Possible Assistance movements to address particular weakness
Sitting back-Box Squats and Zercher Squats (hip dominant)
In the hole work- Pause squats

Accessory movements
Romanian Deadlifts (two leg, 1 leg, dumbbell), Good morning variations, Back extensions.

Most of my squat issues are neural (practice) related and mobility deficits. Some targeted "core work" may also help. Extended practice may include heavy walkouts and unracks, which would have a great core component. Also I noted most of my squat issues occurred before the lift even took place! Aside from those, the actual lift isn't that bad. I just need to set it up for success. I also squatted without a belt today. The belt really helps a lot but since most of my training will be without one, I think it's good practice.

Hamstrings
Lots of people believe they aren't very important to the squat. I couldn't disagree more but then again it's a matter of our own personal style. Sitting back is often regarded as a "geared lift" cue. But for my build, I find it incredibly valuable. I feel so much more tight and springy when I sit into my hamstrings. They may just be short from lack of hip extensor eccentric based work, or also weak. Probably both. But I believe they are a key muscle group in my squat.

 
Bench press analysis

Firstly, bench press feltlike cr@p today. I had the heaviest week of the year last week and my shoulder's been protesting the movement. So first order of business in the bench regard is …. get healthy! However, doing the incline actually felt great. I may consider this as a main movement for a while.

Bench Analysis
-Weakest portion at bottom 3 inches.
Lift overall has improved most because I focused on it quite a bit.

Improve the bench by-
Gaining weight will always help the bench, upper body hypertrophy has moved it up for me.
Practicing lifts that expose the bottom portion to more work. The incline press offers a longer ROM and higher shoulder flexion demands. It could be a good fix.

Muscular Weakness
-Shoulders have always been pretty good. My press has always been a bit higher then the recommended 60 % (of bench press strength) by many strength coaches (Rippetoe, Poliquin, Thibaudeau).
-Triceps are decent and probably not weakest link, but strengthening them will help out of the bottom.
-Chest tendon was torn before. Therefore it will probably always be a little wonky. Exercises that train flexion (incline press, close grip bench press) and horizontal adduction (flies?) will be valuable but they must not stray to far away from the main lifts.

Plan
I may take a layoff from "heavy benching" in a sense to lift at a lower intensity and accrue more volume in lifts that aren't so taxing. Incline presses, close grip bench presses and floor presses fit the bill. Some say the floor press neglects the bottom of the bench but it has always helped my bench, especially when I've encountered shoulder issues. Plus, a lot of the bottom of my bench is leg drive. the floor press takes this away thus forcing me to utilize more pure upper body strength. The slight incline press may take primary movement status for a while for the aforementioned reasons. My routine will probably consist of higher volume/lower intensity training. This doesn't mean all pump and burn sets of 20 reps, but more akin to many sets with few reps. This will insure muscle built is strength oriented.

 
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Deadlift

My goodness has this lift been enigma to me lately. My strongest lift has suffered the greatest plateau of my career. It has not much improved for months. When my deadlift was flourishing, I was very in the zone with my set-up. The bar would spring off the ground. I would feel my entire body loaded and ready to lift. Now, it seems all over. The issues present with my squat may be to blame as well. Lack of hip extensor strength in my hamstrings and mobility in hips as well may be forbidding me to reach proper start position. But the deadlift will most certainly be a focus for me. It will require more attention during training. Every rep must be in perfect position and if it's not, I must work to remedy the issue immediately. Alas, the exercises that will help build my squat will assuredly help my deadlift. The stance of my squat and deadlift are quite similar. With the squat back in the game, my deadlift may finally wake up. But I can't just bank on that. I still need to formulate a plan that will help me optimize training but also recovery.
 
Reprogramming for next Year

As the year end approaches, it is time for a break. I am feeling good about the past year of training and assessment has allowed me to make new goals and a plan for the next year of lifting.

At the beginning of this upcoming year, I will start a new program which I, through much deliberation, have constructed to suit my goals and specific needs. The template is fairly simple and derived from several systems. Now, I'm not making a hodgepodge program here that uses a little bit of this and that that I becomes a mess of things but it does have principles that I have borrowed from a few disciplines such as Westside. For the first 12 weeks, I will train 3 days a week. Everyday, the majority of the body will work, albeit in different capacities throughout the week. The design of the program is to allow Max Work with max recovery. Day 1 is strength focused and will involve2 Max Lifts. Day 2 is an accessory day with higher reps and day 3 is a blend of volume/strength practice. Each phase will last 6 weeks, followed by a one week deload. The basic format of the days is very simple, although the focus shifts, an example of sequential development.

The workout format is simple A/B. All you do is alternate workout A/B.

Workout A
Clean
Bench
Squat

Workout B
Pullups
Overhead Press
Deadlift

That's the program in a nutshell. Now, the finer details.
 
Day 1

This is the max strength day. Easy really. Work up to a heavy set, then include a few back off sets.
The first week is 5 then 3 then 1. Note that since we alternate A/B workouts, I will only hit a max set for each lift once every two weeks. So week 1

Power Clean (for speed not max)
Bench Variation x 5 B.O. (85% x 2 x 5)
Deadlift Variation x 5 (85 % x 2 x 5)

Then Week 2
Pullups (3 x 5)
OH press Variation x 5 ( 2 x 5 Backoff)
Deadlift Variation x 5 ( 2 x 5 back off)

Week 3
Bench x 3 and so on and so forth

This gives me a couple weeks between maxing the same lift and when it comes up again it's a different rep range. It is important to note that these are not Westside max efforts. They are non-psyched heavy singles. My aim is to stop before technique crumbles, but push as close to that limit.

Now these lifts will always be a variation that exposes my weakness in each lift. They will not be a competition lift. There are a few reasons for this. 1) These lifts will train and expose my personal weakness in each lift. 2) It's fun to train other lifts because just doing the powerlifts gets very boring...3) These are lifts I am weaker at and they will not cause nearly as much fatigue. Here's how I choose them.

Bench press
Goal of choosing the Variations is that 1) They train a weakness and remove your strength. 2) They are close enough to the main lift

Incline Press is one such lift. It takes a way leg drive and increases the leverage demands. I have not yet decided on the second lift. It will either be the floor press or close grip bench press. Both have merit.

Deadlift
Jefferson and Trap Bar. Both are much easier on the back and will help the legs strengthen up for the start of the pull.

OH Press
Log Press and close grip OH Press
Log is awkward but more wrist friendly plus fun. Close grip is my weaker grip.

Squat
Box Squat and Zercher. Both can allow me to "sit back". Zercher was a great booster of my squat and it helped it when I wasn't even doing the back squat.
 
Day 2 is Accessory lift day
The reps vary each week, like the max lifts but the volume is in the same ballpark.
3 x 15, 4 x 12 and 5 x 10.

Bench
Dips/ Dumbell press (different angle then main lift and volume day)

Deadlift
D-bell RDL variation, Back Extension

Oh Press
1 arm overhead press, double dumbbell OH Press

Squat
Goblet Squat/ RESS

Day 3 is the volume/strength day and the rep scheme will change each week as well
5 x 5, 4 x 7, 6 x 4

These are also big barbell lifts similar to the main lifts done with less load.

Bench
Floor Press/Incline press or CG Bench (Depending on what I don't use for max effort day)

Deadlift
SNatch grip RDL/Sumo Stance RDL

Oh Press
BTN Press/ Log Press

Squat
High Bar/Safety Squat
 
Putting it all together

This is how the first phase of the program would look

Week 1
Day 1
Power Cleans - 3 x 3 (explosive)
Incline Press - Work up to heavy 5
Box Squat - work up to heavy 5

Day 2
Rack Chin-ups- 4 x 12
Dumbbell Oh press- 4 x 12
Dumbell RDL - 4 x 12

Day 3
High Pull 5 x 5
Floor Press 5 x 5
High Bar Squat 5 x 5

Week 2
Day 1
Chinups 3 strong sets of 5
Log Press- work up to heavy 5
Jefferson Deadlift work up to heavy 5

Day 2
K-bell High Pull 4 x 12
Dips 4 x 12
Double K-bell Front Squat 4 x 12

Day 3
Hammer Grip Chins- 5 x 5
BTN Press 5 x 5
Snatch grip RDL- 5 x 5

Etc, etc

Everyday start with an upper body pull, which requires the least warmup but also prepares the body for the workload. This pull is not done max effort on max effort day, but to prime the body. The rotating work allow greater recovery and variability in the implements, although the movements remain similar. The rep ranges change, almost like cycles within a cycle. I think this will be good for keeping me out of stagnation, as there is only one day a week of near max lifting and each lift gets two weeks of recovery, stretching out the timeframe of expected improvement. This will allow me to once again train a similar movement with hypertrophy and volume, without burning out. Each phase lasts 6 weeks and then new exercises are swapped in. This will allow me to keep improving similar capacities, without burning out on specific lifts. something I've done a lot of in the past.I expect to make some good size gains in this program as well. It took me time to realize this but I often improved my squat/bench/deadlift when I wasn't doing any of those exact movements but movements similar. After this program, I intend to do 5 x 5 x 5 mind over muscle and test my strength improvements. I am very excited to run this program. I believe it will work very well for me.
 
Day 1 Grinds

Warmup-Mobility

A1)Hang Cleans 135 x 3,3,3
A2) Face Pulls 20,20,20

B)Incline Bench
Bar x 5, 135 x 5, 165 x 5, 190 x 5
165 x 5 x 2 sets

C)Box Squats
Bar x 5, 135 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 5
225 x 5 x 2 sets

First day of this program. Everything went fine. Haven't trained in a week, so I felt slightly out of shape. Cleans and bench totally fin. Box squats confirmed my previous suspicions. They are weak relative to what I've done before. This reflects my thoughts on my hamstrings not being up to par. Lost a little control in the bottom and sitting back was hard. Thus, they will make a good lift for me to improve upon.
 
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