Kanishk's Progress on Deadlifts

I wish you wouldn't have stuck with the too heavy bar. That was a mess and you could have gotten hurt and it I think it defeated the purpose of the session.
That's OK but let's have a do over.


You need more than 30 seconds rest between the speed sets. You can't expect to lift "explosively" while resting like a bodybuilder. Keep the heavy sets to singles. That is, I'd rather you do the same amount in singles rather than in doubles.


Start with more reps for the speed. You should be able to do 8 or so. You can cut down the reps as the intensity is increased.


Let's call this session practice, OK and forget what I said before because I think we are going to have to nail down the weight ranges. If Anuj can guide you through it I'd like you to work up to a relative max next time. I don't think that will end up being any more than 385 or so. You will warm up carefully and build up carefully to your BEST max for the day…and do that once. That's it. This should be done ala "single scene" but just one max and then no singles. QUALITY.
After this we will base the speed deads progression on this relative max you established. It's just a benchmark. We don't need it to be like rocket science.


So the next workout should be a repeat attempt at this last workout, like so:


1. Warm up to quality relative max (I'm guessing 285 or so)


2. Calculate 55 percent of that max and use this weight for you speed sets (I'm guessing 155 to 160)


3. Go for a total of about 9 total speed lifts. They can be done as singles OR as doubles depending on how explosive you can be. If for instance you can maintain pretty much the same speed for a second rep or even do a little better, do two reps. If you can't do that then stick with one rep at a time. Adjust the sets to make 9 or even 10 total reps accordingly.


We'll cover the next session after that once we see what happens.


You through any semblance of your setup out the window for every deadlift you did. You back was rounded, etc. I would have rather you skipped the front squats than sleep walk through these deadlifts.

Breaking through 455x3 on Deadlifts

What I was saying is as simple as this. You want to beat 455x3. Why then, does 455 need to be done for more than one set in a workout? You see?

Before, when you sent me a pm you said you have never lifted more than 2 or 3 reps with 455. So to my thinking you had beating 3 reps with 455 as a goal. YET when you went in to lift you did not really look for ways to beat 455x3, you looked for ways to beat what you did previously, which is not necessarily the same thing.

This is why I said not to get too caught up with SDT progression. To my mind there is nothing wrong with having as a goal to beat 455x3. Maybe the way you do that does not mean you do single, double, or triple progression. Maybe it does. Or maybe it means you at least keep the same workload and average intensity.

The POINT is that using SDT in this case has nothing really to do with beating that 455x3 mark per se. You have put these two things together but they are really two separate things. SDT is just a way of looking at progression. Beating 455x3 is a SPECIFIC goal.

In any case, go ahead with the plan as outlined. This is all just philisophical.

Kanishk's Front Box Squats

Pretty good but you are not controlling the descent to the last possible second. That's ok, it's normal. But if you watch closely you see that instead of sitting straight down onto the box you slightly relax before meeting it and slide backwards onto it. We want the same mechanics as with a regular front squat.


Try getting the box a bit more between the legs so you are not worrying about missing it. And go straight down without losing tightness. Try to eliminate that slight drop onto the box and the very slight drift backwards. I don't know exactly what weights were used since I was watching the technique but lighten the weight if necessary.


Once you get better at that height lower it a bit somehow.

KISS = Best Approach = ?

But I agree with the KISS thing. As you guys know. It's not about simple versus complicated, though, it's about simple-minded and shortsighted versus well-thought and with a view to the future. I do NOT agree with the statement about "finding where you "fit" since that says pretty much nothing. You can't go the simple route but you are supposed to find THE fit and then what…stick with that even when that stops working? It's the same thing…picking a box or trying to put yourself in a box and then refusing to climb out of it in the face of continuing failure. The one rule of strength training is that nothing always keeps working. There is no fit. You always have to keep adapting.