Balls to the Wall.

I used to use two belts linked together. Decided to buy my own (TKO) as the gym kept promising to buy one but never did. It's a crap design because it's made out of 3 pieces of leather riveted together. One rivet broke after a week of use. So far the others have held but I'm expecting it to fail completely in the middle of a set (another good reason to have bumper plates). I'll probably end up taking the chain off and attaching it to my lifting belt which I don't use anymore.

As far as deadlifting goes I don't have much experience but, for what it's worth, SLDLs were a great assistance exercise for me. I worked up to over 315lbs for 5 reps for those. I started doing them on a bench and lowering down to my toes but I got some nasty hip joint pain from that so, after taking advice here, I stopped messing with the bench and just did them from the floor. Hips healed up and have never been a problem again. Hams still got a hammering.

I only ever did regular deads once a week for the first year and saw increases in my 5RM every cycle. I haven't performed SLDLs in quite a while now (will add them in again at some point) but I have been performing power cleans which I feel are also a great assistance exercise (explanation in my log).

I can now break 450lbs off the floor but I can't continue to lift it after a few inches. I am hoping that Power Cleans will help with the next part of the pull but I can't do them at the moment because my wrists got shot from over doing them and now need to heal. I have already hit a new PB for deads this cycle so I think the cleans do seem to have had a beneficial effect on my deads.
 
I just have my 4" belt with the chain and spring link to attach weights to the buckle and it works fine, EXCEPT for one day when I did 70# MaxStim chins. Waiting all that time with 70 lbs hanging cut off my circulation, so I now see a use for those belts with the fat back pad to spread out the load. I just had to pull the weights up with my hands to get blood flowing between reps, but I'd rather not be using my arms for anything then.
 
I'm currently using good mornings to assist with the deads, but SLDL would pretty much be the same, except you can probably use a greater load with SLDLs. I think that High Pulls are good for getting off-the-floor power, but the loads won't be anywhere near what you use in a dead. Power Cleans seem like they would help with the middle part of the lift, I may have to try them. Power Shrugs, where you start from a hang and pretty much cheat-shrug the weight, seem to have some promise, but I've only done them a few times so far.

Right now, I think using various assistance exercises like these, and deadlifting only once out of every 4 workouts seems like it could be the ticket. I'd like to have frequent pulls most every workout though, just not full deadlifting each time. Deficit deadlifts seem like a good idea and I have tried out the platform idea the other day, it seems like it would help.


Well anyway, I'll probably figure it out eventually because I've decided I won't be happy until I can pull 600 off the floor and all the way to lockout.
 
Good advice all around guys. For my particular weak point, I am thinking to do light deadlifts in strict form with slightly straight-leg and I'll wear boots and stand on something to make it a slight deficit pull. That should really blast the posterior chain.

As for the dip belt, thats a good point about pressure with a narrow belt quad, I'll use my old fat lifting belt as it will spread the load better.
 
If you need a better stretch, try this, sci - I've seen incredible strength gains using this setup. I actually use the same rack that I do squats on. I take out the support bars, and put the bar holders (what the hell else do I call those things?) down low. I then put a platform in the middle and do my SLDL's down to the tops of my shoes. If it's stretch you need, I'd think you could just change your posture and leg orientation and use a setup like this to get an incredible posterior chain beating if you wanted to go with conventional deads as opposed to SLDL's.
 
Since I am cutting, I have decided I am not going to do a deadlift specialist routine just yet.  I will alternate light days with heavy days so I am only pulling heavy once/week.

7/16/07

Deadlifts (light day)
225- 3x6

Bench
220-3x6 PR...225 next workout.  Plateau is approaching probably (due to cutting.)

Chins
BW+25- 6/5/4 PR  aggressive music really helps me with these.
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Up Rows
95-5/6/6 PR
 
...forgot to mention, using the clip and chain from my broken dip belt and clipping it to my fat, leather lifting belt worked great, it was stronger and more comfortable even!
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I toldja!
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That is, until you go to max stim work. My 4" wasn't enough. An alternate idea I've had for that is to put a milk crate nearby to rest the weights on during the rests and take the load off the hips.
 
<div>
(quadancer @ Jul. 17 2007,10:26)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I toldja!  
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That is, until you go to max stim work. My 4&quot; wasn't enough. An alternate idea I've had for that is to put a milk crate nearby to rest the weights on during the rests and take the load off the hips.</div>
and during Mtime you can sip on the milk
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7/23/07

Deads
245- 3x6

Bench
225- 3x5 PR

Chins
BW+25- 6/5/4

Up Rows
95- 3x6 PR

I have to get more serious about cutting. I am still around 199, and my goal is more like 185-190 to get overall leanness and definition. I have been eating near maintence and 'cheating' here and there, but now I am going to do a more traditional cut and aim for dropping ~2lb.s/week.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I have to get more serious about cutting. </div>

I hear you... I feel like my cut is going slower than it should.
 
<div>
(scientific muscle @ Jul. 23 2007,17:55)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Bench
225- 3x5 PR</div>
Congrats on the PR Sci!
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Good lifting.
 
I've been reading / enjoying your stuff for quite some time now SCI, and I keep thinking you would love triples and what they would do for your strength levels. I know you are approaching lifting from a bodybuilding perspective - but with adequate volume and a comprehensive plan , they can be the cats meow. Why 5x5 is so &quot; in vogue &quot; , while the 10x3 remains relatively &quot;ignored&quot; baffles me - 10x3 has surpassed 5x5 for my both myself and the few friends/family I &quot;train&quot; when it comes to mass, strength and conditioning. I firmly believe that it compliments HST (as an infrequent &quot;alternate&quot; cycle ) better than 5x5 for really getting large strength increases to better bump up the 1rms for the next HST cycle.


My own &quot;version&quot; of it is really a &quot;simplify and win&quot; twist on &quot;the waterbury method&quot;.


*pick 4 major compounds

(for example)


Flat bench
military press
bb row
deadlift


w/o's are 3x/wk m,w,f - just like HST. Each workout only one exersize gets a 10x3 @ 80% 1rm.the other three get 2x8@80% 8rm , the 10x3 is rotated down the list of exersizes each workout resulting in workout #5 being back to exersize #1. Increments should be in the 2.5% range and the load is progressed every w/o as long as possible ( around 4-6 weeks).



I hope it doesn't come off as brazen of me to suggest this to you , but I read an awful lot of your stuff and feel I know your training mentality/goals enough to be convinced that this really fit you for a cycle. If you don't thats fine I wont take it personally , but at least now I can read your stuff without thinking &quot;damn , that guy needs to try 10x3 - I really should say something&quot;.
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Great ideas russ. I will consider those ideas for sure. For now I will keep doing what I am doing because it is working.
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I like the 10x3 approach as it is very similar to max-stim style training, which has worked for me also.
 
put on the bench shirt and did some maxing out today.

Bench press (7/26/07)
1x255 PR
0x275....I went for too much here and spent my strength, I should have just went for 265, probably would have got it.
 
Effin' bada$$ sci. I am actually really looking forward to the end of this cycle to see where my bench is as well. Great job on this cycle of yours, as I think ours are really working wonders for us. The more I am around this forum, the more I realize you really just have to find what works for you. Keep up the hard work.
 
7/29/07

Deads
275- 3x6

Bench
225-3x5

Chins
BW+25- 6/5/4

UpRows
100-3x5 PR

It is so hard to stay motivated while cutting. I like the slow cutting because it is the besy way to maintain muscle, but it is very painstaking and slow. I am dreaming of the day when its over and I can pump up the volume and make some mass gains again.
I really am focused on cutting though and probably won't hit my goal leaness for a couple more months....slow and steady wins as they say.
 
<div>
(scientific muscle @ Jul. 29 2007,21:42)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">7/29/07

Deads
275- 3x6

Bench
225-3x5

Chins
BW+25- 6/5/4

UpRows
100-3x5 PR

It is so hard to stay motivated while cutting.  I like the slow cutting because it is the besy way to maintain muscle, but it is very painstaking and slow.  I am dreaming of the day when its over and I can pump up the volume and make some mass gains again.
I really am focused on cutting though and probably won't hit my goal leaness for a couple more months....slow and steady wins as they say.</div>
tell me about it.ive been on a slow cut for a while and its really slooooooow!but if i can keep extra muscle because of it then thats fine.ill be ready for next summer lol.
 
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(lcars @ Jul. 30 2007,09:57)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">tell me about it.ive been on a slow cut for a while and its really slooooooow!but if i can keep extra muscle because of it then thats fine.ill be ready for next summer lol.</div>
I feel ya. All my life I was a skinny kid who struggled to eat and put on weight, this year I turned 29 and have a year of HST behind me, and my 'set-point' has changed, now I am a big man who loves to eat and has trouble losing weight! You guys probably remember me whining and hoping to hit 200 lb.s last year, well now the tables have turned and I have a hard time getting below 200 lb.s!
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It is ironic, I never could eat enough back when I wanted to gain, and now I want to cut and it so hard for me NOT to eat. Getting older I guess.

One thing I have decided is that since cutting is so hard for me now, I am never going to bulk up fast ever again. And once I am done cutting, I will try to stay under 12% bodyfat for the rest of my life. I would rather be lean and limit my gains, instead of being 'soft' and always having to diet.
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I am happy though about all the mass I have gained. Lifting and bodybuilding has become a permanent part of my life.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Lifting and bodybuilding has become a permanent part of my life.</div>
No other comments except ... welcome to the club!
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