Deadlifts. Sweet, Sweet, deadlifts. My long lost friend. Historically my most aggressive lift and although I wasn’t a huge 1 rep max puller, I could rep the shit out of deadlifts. But who I was doesn’t matter anymore does it? I often bring up the past only to use it as a reference to the man I becoming, to the athlete I had to recreate within. I look to the past to give me guidance of where I need to go, of what I need to avoid and more importantly, to prove to myself I can be better. Within these thoughts and mental discussions is where a lot of athletes who have suffered serious injuries find themselves. DO I STILL HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? I have mentioned this before but no where do I feel these whispers more than when deadlifting. A lift I absolutely dominated in my own right has felt less than stellar … until this week.

There is always that feeling of not rushing, being technical, be an animal but not wild, pulling with rage but not loss of perspective. I can give you a novel of the mental process that goes on before a deadlift but its that calm we go searching for. The silence of confidence. The steady calm of knowing you’re going to absolutely destroy this lift. After so many, many months of starving for this feeling, this rage, this PASSION… I felt it again. The mantras, the chants, the deadlift music, the yelling and obsession. The same roars that make your throat spit lava and calluses bleed. The drop of the bar that shakes your soul and shatters the corners of the room. That same reason why we all started lifting shit off the floor in the first place, that I had hunted for so long, came back. It wasn’t the weight that I was impressed with, as 550 for  doubles and triples is my job, but rather, the mental approach and serenity I felt. Maybe it is hard to see in the video but I felt absolutely confident, devoid of doubt and absolutely knowing exactly who I was and who I AM. I knew it would take time. I knew it would take more training, more waiting, more recreating … but its mine again. I am aware that at any second it can leave again, that not all training sessions are the same and that every time I deadlift it isn’t guaranteed that I will pull with full courage or that I will ever deadlift again… but that is exactly what makes it mine isn’t it? Because I earned it.. both the good and the bad. The pain and the glory, I earned it in every way and it makes it that much more special… it makes it an even bigger gift. Rage against the dying of the Light.

Work Load:

• Deads 2×2 at 550#, 2×3 550# for a PR (building volume base safely)
• Box Squats 5×3 (235# with slow and steady pace)
• Single leg RDL 4×10/10

Never Stray from The Way

MDLP