I call the technique "Crotch Stuffer Deadlifts" and it is AMAZINGLY effective for making you instantly stronger on deadlifts... you will literally add 20 to 50 lbs onto your deadlift the very first time you try it. Not kidding.
It also feels much better on the lower back.
I believe it accomlishes this by mimicking the "powerlifters bloat." Yep, the big gut (and purposeful bloat) that a powerlifter sometimes has helps to improve the leverage and core bracing out of the bottom of the deadlift.
This trick allows you to get the same benefit without the gut or the bloat.
It looks VERY stupid...and weird...and a whole host of other things...but it flat-out WORKS. There's no way I could have done this workout without using this method.
A Confession...I didn't actually get 49 reps with 490 lbs...
I blew it on the initial loading of the bar and mistakenly put on 480 lbs instead of 490 lbs. I was so pumped for getting the workout started, I didn't calculate the plates correctly.
I ended up doing 15 reps with 480 lbs before I finally realized my mistake. So then I added another 10 lbs and finished out the remaining 35 reps with 490 lbs (at that point, starting over wasn't an option).
So I did an extra rep with 490 lbs as penance for missing the loading on the first 15 and made it an even 50.
And by the time I got that final rep, I was pretty much at the end of the line.
How did I prepare for this challenge?
In short, I did Compound Exercise Overload Training.
This method is one of the absolute BEST strength-building techniques I've ever used. If you've never tried it, you should. The gains in strength you can get from it are incredible. This is what got me in shape enough to do this on a very short timeframe.
To give you an idea, over the past 6 months, my training hasn't been super consistent, due to a lot of family things going on (which I won't get into).
About a month before I was going to do this challenge, I was heading out of town for 10 days where I wouldn't have access to a gym and wouldn't be able to train for this.
I did a test workout with trap bar deadlifts to see where my strength levels were at...I worked up to 515 lbs and it felt VERY heavy...not great if you want to deadlift almost that for 49 reps!
When I got back from being out of town, I had exactly two weeks to train for this.
So I did three things...
1. I did three Compound Exercise Overload workouts, each one alternated with upper body training (nothing that would tax my posterior chain) with a day off in between. These CEO workouts had at least 4-5 days in between them.
- Day 1 of CEO, I started at 405 lbs and ended up at 255 lbs by the end of the workout.
- Day 2 of CEO, I started at 415 lbs and ended up at 295 lbs by the end of the workout...already a 40 increase in workload tolerance.
- Day 3 of CEO, I started at 425 lbs and ended up at 305 lbs by the end of the wokrout...still a significant improvement over the previous workout and 50 lbs over and above the first workout.
To understand the numbers, you'll want to read about CEO Training here.
2. I loaded creatine. I used Kaged Creatine HCL for this, as well as their non-stim pre-workout and their post-workout recovery supplement...click here to see the full Kaged product line...I'll be posting a more in-depth review of these products soon.
I had been off creatine for about 5 months, so the loading really helped pump up my strength, in conjunction with the training.
3. I ate a LOT. Strength and high-volume training requires calories. I didn't hold back on what I was eating. I didn't follow any specific diet but made sure to get plenty of calories and plenty of protein.
Conclusion
First off, to all the people who keep telling me to "just wait until you get to be ___ years old"...I'm 49 now and I'm still waiting ;).
Age is NOT a limitation...you just have to train smarter and be more targeted than when you were younger. You can get away with all kinds of stupid things when you're younger and still make progress.
Next year, I'll be doing 500 lbs for 50 reps on the trap bar deadlift when I turn 50.
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