I am in the thick of a long off-season.  My next meet will be at the end of November, raw with wraps at 220lbs.  For now, my focus remains on my professional endeavors, but I will continue to work diligently to improve as a lifter while enjoying a lower stress approach to training.

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With my goal to have more fun in training and minimize the external loading I am placing on my joints, I am experimenting with some exercise variation to help build my weak points.  This also serves another master – I am a firm believer that I should not prescribe a movement or training strategy that I have not tried myself. Now, I see the inherent bias whereas what works for me may not work for everyone, or vice versa, BUT I should at least know what it feels like.  This brings us to the deficit 1″ paused deadlift.  I first saw this movement performed by Tom Martin, who has deadlifted over 900lbs under 242lbs.  I have implemented the 1″ pause with clients in the past, but never from a deficit.  Well, get ready #potatoesbyoneid because this is the best worst deadlift variation ever and some of you will be seeing it very soon!

As you can see from the video, the goal is the lifter’s wedge.  Using a strong wedge, I break the bar from the floor and hold my position.  The deficit further increases the difficulty in setting the wedge.  Why the pause?  Well, we know that isometrics increase strength at 10-15deg ROM on either side of the position you’re paused in.  The stronger the wedge, the more tension stored in the body and better you will be able to hold position when breaking heavy loads off the ground.  The additional benefit is that these are incredibly challenging and even at 50% 1RM it was a meaningful load.  I followed these up with a further assault on my erectors with some SSB Good mornings and then some upper back work.

Deadlift

1. 1″ Paused DL from a 2″ deficit – 365x5x5sets
2. SSB GM – 205x10x5sets
3. DB Chest Supported Row – 4×10
4. Chin-Ups – 4×10
5. Straight arm pulldown /ss Cable Low Row – 3x15ea
6. Ab Wheel – 3×12

Warm-up

1. Daily
   1. Bottoms-Up Carry – 5 trips/arm
   2. McGill Big-3
2. Lower
   1. Sprinter Pose to RDL to Hip Airplane – 2x10ea
   2. Multi directional lunges – 2x10ea
   3. Tactical Frog with internal rotations – 2x10ea
   4. Goblet Squats – 3-5×10