Brokeback Deadlift, Mixed Results

Something in my left hip went RIIIP as I pulled a mere 455 lbs. a couple of Fridays ago.

I was left in crippling back/hip pain, but managed to rehab it enough to do bench presses (the day after), squats (Monday), and some very cautious pulling two weeks later. Oddly, the hip/back issue didn't bother me much while squatting, front or back. The pain is almost completely gone now, but I still have a sensation of... instability, I guess?

Maybe it's just mental. But I'm not taking any chances. My attempts at deadlift singles were very conservative and are likely to stay that way going forward. Also, I will no longer be starting every rep from a dead stop. I've never seen any benefits from it, and I feel it increases the strain on the weakest areas in the hips and low back.

In spite of the injury, squats and front squats felt strong. I broke PRs in both and am now consistently front squatting 400 lbs. for sets of 5. Overhead pressing also went well. I'm still not where I need to be in the standing press, but getting stronger.

Bench presses have felt off all cycle. I've been plagued by persistent pain in my right triceps and elbow for quite some time now. I kept my heavy triples at 4 plates, but my form has been questionable. On singles day, I missed 445 lbs. twice and 435 lbs. once. Then I lowered the weight to 425 lbs. to at least save some face, but was completely fried at this point, so I failed that one too.

Failing at the bench press seemed to help me with incline presses, where I broke my previous PR by a whopping 15 lbs. Which made this a very good cycle overall.

Goals for next cycle: fix right elbow; fix left hip; get back into groove with bench presses. Maybe I need to drop the weight and do more controlled triples with 365-385 lbs.

Squat 505-550-595 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 440 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Bench press 405 lbs. x 1

Incline bench press 365-395 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 205-230 lbs. x 1

Seated military press 250x2-280-305 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift 505x2-550 lbs. x 1

Bodyweight 210-215 lbs. this week.

RIP Belt

My old off-brand lifting belt finally gave up the ghost.

It was about time. I bought it in January 2011 and paid $20 for it (plus a pair of lifting straps thrown in for free). Fourteen and a half years is excellent useful life, especially one that has seen such heavy use in the lifting trenches. Amortizing the acquisition cost over this period, it turns out that the cost per workout would have been something like 0.7 cents. That's great ROI.

Its replacement - also bought via eBay, also made in Pakistan - arrived early this week. It's Valeo, and very high quality, but a little too large for me (lifting belt sizes are wildly inaccurate). So I'll have to punch a couple of extra holes before I can use it. The old belt will still make the occasional appearance.

RIP made-in-Pakistan off-brand belt. You will be missed.

The old belt went out in grand style. I set several new PRs this training cycle, two courtesy of my micro-loading plates. Could have done a little more on the incline bench press, but there's always next time.

On the deadlift, I went for 590 lbs. and didn't get it. I might be using too much weight for the singles before my top attempt. E.g. this time I went 455x2-525-555-590, but probably should have skipped either the 525 or 555 pull. Even a measly 525 lbs. is almost 90% of my all-time best of 600 lbs. Maybe next time it should be something like 465x2-555-590. Or maybe I should just stop chasing deadlift maxes because they're pointless?

Training went well, with almost all lifts done smoothly and under control. In addition to lifting, I now swim every weekday morning and have upped my step count for the day. I got another ugly 410x3 on the bench press. I'd like to get 405x5 eventually, but that feels light years away right now.

Squat 505-555-590 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 430 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 215 lbs. x 2, 225 lbs. x 1

Seated overhead press 245x2-275-302.5 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift 525-555-575 lbs. x 1 (last set after I failed with 590 lbs.).

Bench press 365x2-405x1-442.5 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Incline bench press 335x2-355x2-380 lbs. x 1 (tied PR)

Bodyweight was under 212 lbs. this week.

Train to Maintain

Nothing exciting to report this time. It was a solid, strong cycle with no improvements to one-rep maxes (except in the front squat).

On squats, deadlifts, and seated overhead presses, I went for poundages I was 100% confident with. The back squat max felt just right, and I might have been good for another 2.5-5 lbs. in the seated press and deadlift. But no regrets either way.

I attempted a small PR on the bench press with 442.5 lbs. and failed that lift. My flat bench press has been going really well - I hit 405 lbs. for 4 ugly reps, and 410 lbs. x 3, so was hoping for a new PR. Reduced the bar to 430 lbs. and nailed it no problem.

I might stay at the same back squat weight for singles for a few more training cycles. Will try to gradually creep my deadlift weight back to 600ish lbs. But I'm also quite happy keeping the pull where it is for now, and focusing more on presses.

Managed a small PR on front squats, but it was very slow and grindy. My front squat is still lagging behind my bench press.

Squat 505x2 - 545x1 - 585 lbs. x 1

Front Squat 405 x 1 - 425 x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 210 lbs. x 2

Seated overhead press 300 lbs. x 1

Deadlift 505 - 555 - 585 lbs. x 1

Bench press 365x2 - 405x1 - 430 lbs. x 1

Incline bench press 375 lbs. x 1, followed by 315 lbs. x 8

Bodyweight was 211 lbs. this morning, and that's the heaviest I've been all week.

Weak Link

I had a delayed start to the training year. Just wrapped up my first cycle of 2025 with a few new PRs at a lower bodyweight than my last cycle.

Been messing around with standing presses, which I haven't trained in years, I was disappointed to discover I'm pretty weak. My overall pressing strength has gone up since I last trained standing presses seriously. But I've lost the standing press "groove", and my midsection feels too weak to support appreciable weights overhead. So I've started using standing presses as a warmup on my shoulder day to build up to a respectable poundage again. If I'm pressing 300 lbs. seated, I should be doing 240-250 lbs. standing, which would be close to my all-time best.

Squats went smoothly, and the front squat with 420 lbs. was downright explosive. Bench and incline bench presses moved great. I aimed for 425 lbs. on the flat bench press, but that went up so easily I took another shot at 440 lbs. and nailed it.

On deadlifts, I failed 600 lbs. for the second time in a row. Should probably revise my current one-rep max down to a more realistic 575 lbs. and take it from there.

Squat 505-545-585 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 420 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 205 lbs. x 1

Seated overhead press 275-300 lbs. x 1 (matched PR)

Bench press 405-425-440 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Incline bench press 380 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift 505-550-575 lbs. x 1

Bodyweight has stayed below 210 lbs. this week. So I've dropped 5-6 lbs. but still hit several new 1RMs, which is encouraging.

Nice Cycle to End 2024 On

After a slew of personal records in 2024, this training cycle was more modest. I hit small but respectable squat and bench press PRs, but otherwise kept my attempts well within reason. Overall I'm lifting significantly heavier weights than I did at the end of 2023. Which is what it's all about, after all.

Two new (small) PRs on the squat and bench press. My pressing has progressed well over the past couple of years. I pressed 445 lbs. for a SlingShot single, which would also be a PR if it counted. It's been a great year for pressing of all sorts. Focusing on incline presses seems to bring everything else up, and limiting the sets and reps allows me to use very heavy weights.

I'm a little less clear on how isometrics help me with the various barbell presses. There's definitely a synergistic effect, but tough to put a finger on (or attribute e.g. a weight or percentage increase). For other muscle groups and for isolation exercises, it's more obvious. Isometrics and bands are now probably 75% of my "bodybuilding" work.

My back twinged a little on deadlift day. I set out to match last cycle's PR with 600 lbs., but couldn't break it off the floor. Didn't really give it 100% as I'm pretty cautious with my lower back. In the end I settled for 575 lbs., which I pulled confidently.

Squat 505-540-580 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 405 lbs. x 1

Seated overhead press 260-280-300 lbs. x 1 (tied PR)

Bench press 365x2-405-435 lbs. x 1 (PR), SlingShot 445 lbs. x 1 (also PR)

Incline bench press 345 lbs. x 1, 320 lbs. x 7

Deadlift 515-560-575 lbs. x 1

Bodyweight was below 215 lbs. this week.

Across the Board

My training was the same as usual. Heavy main lifts, a few assistance lifts, and a whole lot of isometric sets mimicking bodybuilding exercises. I can't overstate the importance of isometrics, both as a muscle and as a strength builder. I've dabbled with this type of training in the past, but have never been this consistent with it, or reaped such results.

Squats were tough but doable. I missed my first with 575 lbs. and rode a crushing negative rep down to the pins. Moved the bar lower on my back for the second attempt and nailed it. Improved shoulder mobility FTW. I never went over 530x3 in training, which is the same weight I've ben using forever. Proving once again that you don't need to break your back lifting huge numbers in training. Just stay focused, cut out the garbage volume, and keep the intensity at a decent level.

I barely made the front squat PR, because my legs were fried. But I'd been hitting 375 lbs. for sets of 5 fairly regularly, so was confident. My front squat is still behind my bench press, but it's probably my most improved lift since I started lifting at home.

Another tiny PR on the bench press. I knew I wasn't going to massively exceed expectations like last time I maxed out. But I'd been hitting some nice lifts in training (405x3 and 410x2), and I figured I could move the needle ever so slightly with a bit of luck. Didn't think 435 was in the offing, so I threw on my 1.25-lb. microplates and nailed a slow-grind single with 432.5 lbs. Another PR and another double-bodyweight press.

On seated shoulder presses, I moved my grip out wider (by one finger) and the weight was so easy it felt like cheating. 300 lbs. is a weight I never expected to move overhead. But same as with squats and bench presses, the training poundages have been moving nicely, so I knew something good was in the offing.

Deadlifts likewise went well. I probably had 600 lbs. last time I maxed out, so this was no surprise. As with squats, I think proper rest and letting the muscles recover fully is now more important for progress than trying to rep out heavy weights. Alternating heavy squats and heavy pulls week to week seems to be the right ticket.

The question now is the same one I've been asking myself the last few cycles. Do I keep pushing the weights up, or do I focus on maintenance and steer clear of snap city? Mentally, I'm not built for the latter option. Even when I'm beating my head against a wall - and I've done plenty of that in the past - it has to be with the goal (hope) of moving forward. Middle-aged lifetime natural lifters also don't exactly have decades of progress ahead, so make hay while the sun shines? Maybe?

Bench press 365x2-405-432.5 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Incline bench press 375 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Seated military press 255x2-275x2-300 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Squat 505-530-575 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 415 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift 505-550-600 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Bodyweight was in the 215-lb. range all week.

COVID Lifting Boost(er), Huge Bench Press PR

My left shoulder has been acting up, so I skipped partials and only did straight sets for overhead and bench presses this cycle. Last two weeks I bench pressed from the next-to-last pin (above chest) because it felt easier on my shoulder. Hit some good numbers from that level - 405 lbs. x 3 and 425 lbs. x 2. What I've noticed in the past is that I'm usually good for the same weight (give or take 5 lbs.) full range.

Squats felt great while I was doing fives and triples, then terrible on my singles day. I almost lost 405 lbs. forward (this hasn't happened to me in probably 20 years, at any weight), 455 lbs. felt like 555, and I failed with 565 lbs. I hit 545 lbs. x 1 and that was all she wrote.

The next day I tested positive for COVID-19. So I was probably weak due to my body trying to fight the disease, or something.

COVID was nothing like the first time I had it. It felt like a minor cold, and I was symptom-free after 3 days. Which makes sense since I'm juiced to the gills, but was still a relief. More surprisingly, I matched two PRs and set two new ones while keeping my bodyweight down and technically being sick. Maybe viruses give you a minor boost when lifting?

Seated overhead pressed felt strong. I pressed 295 lbs. fairly easily to match my all-time best. Then tried a single with 300 and of course that went about as well as one might expect.

I felt pretty confident about bench presses, but the results came as a huge surprise. Took 405 lbs. for my last warmup and it felt tough, but fast. 420 lbs. flew up like nothing. Being a greedy ijit, I next loaded up 430 lbs. - and nailed that with gas to spare.

Seated overhead press: 260 lbs. x 6, 295 lbs. x 1 (tied PR)

Pullups/chinups in a single set: 18 (I changed grips w/or rest, but I did let go of the bar, so call it 13+5 if you're nitpicky)

Bench press 405-420-430 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift: 525 lbs. x 3, 505-530-590 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Squat: 525 lbs. x 3, 505-530-545 lbs. x 1, 565 lbs. x fail

Front squat 410 lbs. x 1 (tied PR)

Bodyweight: below 215 lbs. all week. On bench press day, I actually weighed in at 211, so I pressed more than twice my bodyweight, which is pretty wild.