Deadlifts for everyone!

This morning I met Chris to train at 7am. Considering I've fully adjusted to vacation sleeping-in and have been setting an alarm to get myself out of bed before 8:30 for the past week (trying to slowly ease myself back into 6am wake-ups once clinic starts), getting up at 5:55am in order to be ready to train at 7 would have been arduous if I hadn't been so happy to be training with Chris for the first time since June.

I think I have gotten better about being my own coach and working on form/technique on my own and being realistic about when I am sandbagging and when I am actually tired and need to back off. But no matter how good I get at coaching myself, I always love, and still prefer, training with Chris and getting really on-point and incredibly helpful coaching from him.

To make it even better, it was deadlift day! Chris + deadlifts = awesome.

In preparation for the October competition, I am switching my deadlift stance back to conventional as I am still able to pull significantly more weight that way. Today I worked up to 265#x1 and tried a couple attempts at 275#x1 but couldn't quite get them. I broke each one off the floor, but felt my back round and stopped each attempt after a couple inches. I want to pull heavy but I also want to pull clean and keep protecting my back. With cues from Chris to tuck my chin/pack my neck and stay tight through my shoulders/mid-back, I was happy with my form throughout and feel good about getting 265# cleanly. My last competition deadlift was 260# and that was with caving knees and a rounded back, so definitely much improved today.

We ended the workout with 4 sets of walking lunges to crab crawls, without rest. It was brutal and also brutally fun. It's impossible to push myself as hard on my own as when I'm training with other people, and Chris comes up with the most satisfyingly terrible finishers.

Somewhat randomly, but in keeping with the deadlift theme, I really liked this article from Girls Gone Strong on different deadlift forms and suggestion for which type is best for where you are in your training.

Deadlifts for everyone!!

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Training today:
Kettlebell warm-up
Deadlifts: 9 sets working up to 265#x1
Accessory: Anderson front squats - low weight and low depth - absolutely killer
Finisher: walking lunges and crab crawls