09 May Deadlifting success

If you’ve followed any of my posts, you may have seen me complain about my deadlift. I’ve talked about how I haven’t made any gains in over a year because of injury and yada yada. Well….. I’m finally feeling good!! It’s taken a village, but it’s finally coming along. I haven’t felt confident with four plates on there in a long time. I used to always hurt myself going beyond 315, and even if I did without injury, I never felt a sense of safety if I were to push it and grind out a couple sets.

Now that my core and glutes are functioning the way they are supposed to (thanks to lots and lots of PT movements for the last 6 months), and now that my form is getting close to ideal for my leverages, I’ve got a whole new deadlift game.

The mental confidence to grind is such an awesome feeling, a prime example is this last workout. I worked up to a set of 405 for 5 leaving a few in the tank. Then I rested for a while and wanted to do a few singles to reinforce some confidence in it. After a few sets, I felt great and found the perfect groove, hit 4 of them, and then turned to my friend and had him start recording for another few, and even then I still left some in the tank.

I hit a set of 5 and then a few singles at 405 just to get more comfortable with the weight… and then I found a groove and just went with it. This is half way through the last set, reps 5,6 and 7 I think. Got a really good tip from @pauloneid to flatten out my back a little more, and once I did it got my weight back and the weights felt half as heavy. 405 may not be earth shattering, but it's a huge step to be able to deadlift confidently when fatigued and not hurt myself like I had so many times in the past…. Can't say enough about how helpful the 10/20/Life principles have been – namely strengthening my core, warming up well and taking things slow and steady. Also special thanks to pro camera man @sedivy94 #bodybuilding #powerlifting #powerbuilding #1020powerbuilding #1020life #powerrackstrength #teamprs #teamtucker #cleaneating #diet #fitness #fitnessaddict #fitspo #fitfam #健美 #举重 #锻炼身体 #减肥 #肌肉

A post shared by Tucker Loken (@tuckerloken) on May 7, 2017 at 6:28pm PDT

I’ve been training more bodybuilder style lately, starting with a machine first and then bar or dumbbell work after, and it’s been working well to warm me up before I move any weight.

last workout was –

5 mins on treadmill

glutes and core warmup – bird dogs, fire hydrants, planks

Lat pulldown 4×8-12

Chest supported Tbar row – 4×8-12 – assisted reps on final set

Dead lifts – top set of 5 at 405, followed by singles to work form… then a set of 7-8

Reverse flies 4×10-15

Incline DB curls 4×8-12 – these killed me afterwards.

DB hammer curls 4×10-15

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Tucker Loken

Tucker Loken is a Bodybuilder turned Powerlifter turned Powerbuilder from Eugene, Oregon. He did his first bodybuilding show when he was still in high school, and has been training male and female competitors for shows since 2011. Several years ago he decided to take a step away from his normal routine and learn how to get strong. He worked with Brian for 9 months, added 200 pounds to his raw total and qualified as an Elite lifter in the 220 pound weight class. He returned back to bodybuilding much stronger and now incorporates the 10/20/Life philosophy into his training to keep himself healthy and making continual progress in the Big 3 as well as adding size and shaping his physique. Now part of Team PRS, he brings his unique expertise of nutritional knowledge and how to balance Bodybuilding with Powerlifting to help athletes achieve their best potential.

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