[Fatboy]

Second deadlifting session, this time with a bit more structure.
Ended up doing;
5 x 60kg
5 x 60kg
5 x 60kg
5 x 80kg
5 x 80kg

This is as part of a 5x5 program over 3 exercises (which I suppose mean its '3x5x5') - deadlift, bench press and bent over row.
Not climbing much at the moment due to 10 month old being on the scene (which is awesome but not as much time for climbing) with the aim of building core and upper body/arm strength up.

Not big weight at the moment but having had a couple of back injuries I am being cautious... and 80kg feels heavy at the moment! 
Formed dropped a little during one of the sets and I could feel it twinge in my back but its amazing when you do ensure your follow proper form its feels great!

[Sasquatch]

Well done!!!  Keep at it and it's amazing how the body will adapt and get stronger

[Fatboy]

Thanks Sasquatch!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[Nibile]

Just in case...
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_600pound_deadlift_textbook

[Fatboy]

Just in case...
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_600pound_deadlift_textbook

Wowzers, all xience has left me blind...

[Stenno]

Any other lanky bastards really struggle with Deadlifts?

I'm giving the big three routine a go (Bench, Squat, Deadlift) and have had no problems at all with bench pressing or squats but I just can't lift with proper deadlift form at all, even with an experienced mate instructing me. Feels painfully cramped with my arms and legs obstructing the movement.

I'm 196cm tall with a positive ape index pretty good flexibillity, is there a height limit for deadlifts being a worthwhile exercise? The benefits sound great reading through this thread but I'm very tempted to substitute for them with Squats and a series of core excercises.

[Fatboy]

Any other lanky bastards really struggle with Deadlifts?

I'm giving the big three routine a go (Bench, Squat, Deadlift) and have had no problems at all with bench pressing or squats but I just can't lift with proper deadlift form at all, even with an experienced mate instructing me. Feels painfully cramped with my arms and legs obstructing the movement.

I'm 196cm tall with a positive ape index pretty good flexibillity, is there a height limit for deadlifts being a worthwhile exercise? The benefits sound great reading through this thread but I'm very tempted to substitute for them with Squats and a series of core excercises.

I'm 198cm.
It does feel bunched alright and you have to go pretty deep with the hips - i.e. parallel or even below knee level - in order to keep my torso from being parallel to the ground.

I'll take that as the excuse for me not even being able to lift 1xBW at the mo...  It'll build though and I'm being patient.
Other than that it does feel great though and even with those adjustments the movement of the lift feels great!

Does you experience sound similar Stenno?

[mark s]

im 6'-3 and find them a bit awkward but still do them,started back on deadlifts this week after not doing them for a while.enjoy doing them.

[Fiend]

My A2 tweak has healed enough to grip the bar (need chalk next time), and am back up to 1.6 x BW, will try more...

[Nibile]

Back to lifting after ages!!!

[Fiend]

1.7 x BW with a bit of chalk and now I've retweaked my A2 again so will have to ease off FFFFFFSSSS 

[Nibile]

1.7 x BW with a bit of chalk and now I've retweaked my A2 again so will have to ease off FFFFFFSSSS 

Surely you can do something using straps or - even better - hooks! Just to keep it coming, especially for technique.
I'm back to 2xBW this morning. Happy!

[mark s]

i couldnt be arsed deadlifting last time i went the gym again.id prefer mixing it up a bit.plus i do squats on leg day so that is pretty much the same.
will try and get motivated for some soon

[Richie Crouch]

good article linked on the arnie fan club on faceache today: http://www.schwarzenegger.com/fitness/post/deadlift-101

Think I'm doing it fairly right now and just need to work towards lifting the same weight with double overhand as I can with an alternate grip. 6kg short of my year goal of 2x body weight but doing it super slowly as I have a big fear of crippling my back! 

[Fatboy]

Deadlifting update...

Finally broke my 1xBW barrier - YYFY!! (BW = 96kg)
No session last week due to our daughter being sick but I felt good after a week for my body to fully recover.

Did a session of;
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 5
100kg x 5
110kg x 1 

I felt like I could have done another few reps at 110kg but as in my previous posts the reason for doing this is to strengthen my back which has been injured a couple of times, so I thought it sensible (read: boring?) to leave it at that!

Felt great afterwards and I have a satisfying dose of DOMS to show for my efforts! 

Next goal: 1.5xBW = 145kg 

[krymson]

Unlike the squat where both phases are important, the most important part of the deadlift is the actual lift so there's no need to perform on the  lower(negative) phase as you would on most exercises.

So if the gym has good enough padding it may be ok for you to simply drop the bar half way down if it's aggravating, and I've seen people do that.

I would add though that personally i find with good form and a light enough weight(we're climbers, not bodybuilders) that I have no problem doing a controlled lower as well.

If you do have excessive aggravation from just keeping a reasonable weight in control while lowering it to the ground, try reducing the weight, having your form checked, and doing some supplementary exercises for the back(such as good mornings with just the bar, or romanian deadlifts with the bar and a very light weight) to build up a solid base in the lower back and get a feel for the proper biomechanics of these kinds of lifts before resuming the deadlift.

Added benefit of the romanians and good mornings is that since they will engage your lower back more directly and less so the legs(which can build up mass quick), I feel they're actually as good or better for climbing than the deadlift, which is more of a bodybuilding exercise imo.

[Gus]

been lucky enough to get some training/ coaching on deadlift techique recently, and contrary to what most people thought the lowering is just as important as the lifting.

You need to make sure you do a complete reversal of how you lifted it (hinge your hips back), not just drop it fast or just use the lower back to lean forward and lower!!!

[Sasquatch]

been lucky enough to get some training/ coaching on deadlift techique recently, and contrary to what most people thought the lowering is just as important as the lifting.

You need to make sure you do a complete reversal of how you lifted it (hinge your hips back), not just drop it fast or just use the lower back to lean forward and lower!!!

I second this.  Lowering is important to any controlled lift.  The only time you don't is on explosive lifts. 

[krymson]

live and learn! 

[Nibile]

I wonder what I've done to my body in the last couple of years.
After a long layoff from the gym - months - yesterday I went back and founf myself quite strong. I FELT stronger than before the layoff, and managed to deadlift 125 kg easily. I mean, very easily, with my PB being 134 so not far away.
I wanted to try and push it a little bit, bit that seemed enough.

I'll have a Moonboard session today, very curious to assess things.

[Nibile]

I'll have a Moonboard session today, very curious to assess things.

Should have been less curious! On the black holds I could't do one single problem!!!
Back to the gym now!!! 

[ianv]

Is there some way of calculating 1 rep max ?

Currently managing 2xBW (125kg) 3x4 reps and seemingly improving everytime I do them. Would be interested in trying a really max load though without the faffing of working it out by trial and error.

Cheers
Ian

[krymson]

here you go http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html

btw, unless there is some leg specific problem you are working on, 2xbw is probably at the upper limits of the returns you will get from deadlifting.

The purpose of a compound exercise like the deadlift in terms of climbing would be strengthening the back, conditioning the body and the ability to produce tension through the feet. 1xbw is a good standard, 1.5xbw 1 rep max is not a bad goal, but beyond that, I dont see deadlift strength directly translating to climbing performance, as Nibile has found out.

In fact the negative impact of deadlifts(and squats) is that they build up the leg muscles, which are the heaviest muscle group.

If you have felt the impact of even 1 or 2kg bodyweight on your climbing, you will know what im talking about. and yes it is easy to put on 2kg of leg weight.

2xBW is at the upper limit of what you need imo. go hang on the fingerboard, work core specific exercises, or do antagonists/shoulders/lock off /eccentrics instead, it will be a far more effective use of your limited training time and energy.

[ianv]

Cheers for the link   136-140kg 

I hear what you are saying about the training but as I don't really climb that seriously any more its not a problem   

[Falling Down]

2xBW is fine as a benchmark for DL.  A bodyweight Snatch and a 1.5 C&J would be the next goals.  Good all round athletic ability.