Friday Deadlift PR!

CrossFit on Friday was a lot more than deadlifts. But, the highlight of my workout was a single deadlift rep.

We started with our normal mobility work. Then the strength work was as follows:

Deadlifts - sets of 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 - all heavy

Strict Press 5, 5, 5, burnout

For the deadlifts, I started my working sets at 225 x 10, the 245 x 8, then 275 x 6, and 295 x 4. Next, my plan was 315 x 2. But, just a week or two ago, I did 335 x 5 and it felt good. I felt that day that a PR was in the future for me. My current PR was 355. So, rather than racking 315, I put 365 pounds on the bar to try for a PR.

I got the bar off the ground by 2 inches or so and I just locked up. I had already done the 2 hardest inches of the lift, but I couldn't go any further. Oh well, another day, when I didn't already have 28 lifts of 200+ pounds in the past 15 minutes. But, the coach had another idea. He suggested I take off my shoes, which would reduce the distance I had to pull the bar by 1/2" or so. Why not, I thought.

Normally, when I'm doing deadlifts close to my max, I do them with some trepidation, because there is so much tension in my body, that I'm waiting for something to pop or explode. But, my second attempt at 365 was nothing like that. Basically, it was a slow motion version of a normal deadlift. My form was as good as it gets. I got the bar off the ground and it almost stopped where I'd stopped on the previous attempt. But, I kept moving. I was barely aware that everyone else in the gym was watching me go for this PR attempt. The bar kept moving, ever so slowly. As it passed my knees, I knew I had it, and I just kept going. When I got to the top of the lift, I made sure to hold the bar for a couple seconds and be in a fully upright and locked position. I didn't want there to be any doubt that I'd finished the lift. It had been 17 months since I'd done my 355 lift and this was my first rep over 335 this year. I was thrilled.

The rest of the workout was irrelevant, although it did involved some torture with sand-filled mini-med balls and squat snatches.

On Saturday, I wasn't sore so much as deeply tired. I had some shopping to do for Easter dinner for my wife's family, and some other stuff to do, and a run never happened.

My wife and I did get out for a nice relaxing run with one of the dogs on Sunday afternoon. Both dogs wanted to run, but our younger male just got neutered and he's wearing one of those silly lampshade/cone sort of things, so we didn't let him run.

Today, I'm planning a fartlek run after work.