Emevas hits a 272kg (600 lbs) Deadlift at 88.5 kg bodyweight.
What is remarkable about this (besides hitting 600 lbs! Great job!) is that he used the ROM Progression Method.
Something you don’t see a lot written about on the web.
How it works:
You start by pulling from matts (or anything else that lets you adjust the height over time , like a rack). Over time you reduce the height of the matts, while keeping the intensity up. Thus you slowly increase your range of motion until you hit your target weight for a full rep.
Have you tried it? Let me know your experience in the comments.
Update: Check out his post about the ROM Progression Method Details
That’s really interesting, never thought about that. Would be good to know in what rep/set ranges he trained in and how often you should lower the starting point. Strong pull btw…
Impressive! Maybe a noob question but is it normal to lift “thumbless” when using straps and if so why?
Also, quark was a badass recommendation Gregor, I’m eating right now as a post workout meal.
thanks.
Sometimes I go thumbless when using straps too. It just feels like the thumb is in the way and not necessary.
And +1 for joining the quark army.
Ahh cool, thanks.
It is interesting. It’s also a nice demo on how to make a 10 second clip into a 2 minute video.
I’m currently trying this out myself, but doing rack pulls and progressively lowering the pins. I actually found out about this method by reading Emevas’ forum post on Fitocracy forums about how he was trying out this method! Sweet shirt btw
Looking forward to see how it works for you.
Paul Anderson was using similar training method to improve squat. As we know with success.
yep the chinese also use a similar system for squats… seems to work well for them. *cough* *Lu Xiaojun* *cough*
I was wondering now: was him the first one to use it (i.e. did he invent it)?
Gregor contacted me and asked me to do an explanation of the ROM
progression method I employ, so I thought I’d share with you all.
I actually documented a near full cycle of ROM progression a few months
ago which will really help illustrate how this works.
The basic premise is simple, almost absurdly
so. Take a weight that you can only lift
for part of a range of motion (hereafter referred to as “ROM”), and then stick
with that weight as you increase the ROM.
This is a boon for deadlifts, especially as you reach higher weights, as
it means spending less time breaking heavy weights off the floor. This is far less taxing and easy to recover
from.
I use rubber patio pavers for my progression, found
at any hardware store. These would do
the trick just fine
http://www.amazon.com/Recycled-Rubber-Patio-Brickface-Brown/dp/B004RV6U4S/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1334017017&sr=8-15
I stack 7 of them on either side of the plates. I’ve been asked “why 7” before, and the
answer is simply that’s how many I had at the time. It puts the bar slightly above mid shin for
me. I will pull for 1 set of max reps,
allowing myself 1 rest pause at the end of the set to attempt to get a few more
reps and increase the total volume.
Given that I pull exclusively touch and go (which I can address in
another post if desired), this also gives me extra practice breaking weight off
the floor.
Each week, I take away 1 paver and attempt to pull
for the same amount of reps as I did in the previous week. It’s a very gradual transition, one you will
barely notice as you do it, but it will become significant once you realize you
have gone from a partial dead to a full pull with the same weight. I tend to lose 1-2 total reps as I go from
the 2-3 mat height to the floor, but it’s an acceptable loss. I also tend not perform a 1 mat pull, going
straight from the 2 mat height to the floor.
Since I’m trying to minimize stress on the body, I find little value in
spending 2 training weeks pulling at a height so similar to the floor.
After a full cycle of ROM progression, I deload for
a week, increase the weight, and start over again, aiming for the same amount
of reps as last time.
Here you can view a full series of pulls and witness
how gradual of a change the ROM is (enjoy the blooper on the final set).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4fiddpvxwM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj7BlekD0bQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk9KsSjye6w&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZtO4tQCC4&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc3oIpSyKCI&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yeu1j3OrC0k
In regards to personal implementation, I will say
that the rack pull is a very poor parallel to the mat pull. The form is different, as is the feel of
breaking the weight off the pins. The
mats are far more natural, and its much easier to transition between pulling
from mats and pulling off the floor. I
have seen people pull off of bumper plates before, and I imagine that would be
a good substitute, as long as you are able to make a gradual enough change. Big changes in ROM are not going to be as
beneficial. I have also seen people have
success with aerobic steppers, so give that a try if you have those. Basically, have the plates be your point of
contact, not the bar.
For fitting this into a training schedule, I have
done this a few different ways. At
present, I’m running a modified version of 5/3/1, and for my deadlift day,
instead of following the 5/3/1 protocol, I simply stick with ROM progression
with 5/3/1 assistance (BBB style squats).
I have also trained in this manner on a 3 day a week squat program,
where I performed my ROM progression dead as my final movement on the middle
training day. Since it’s only one set,
and mostly a partial movement, you can fit it into most programs with a
deadlifting component.
If you want to run your own cycle, I’d suggest
starting with a higher rep range, around 10 or so. Pick something you can lower evenly for 7
weeks and see where it takes you. I HAVE
trained this way with lower reps (the 5 rep range), but find that it’s possible
to overload yourself too much on the first 3 weeks of pulling and burn out your
CNS. It can be very useful for developing
lockout strength, but in terms of adding straight poundages to your deadlift,
higher reps seem to work better.
At my present progression, I seem to be losing a rep
per cycle. When I find myself eventually
unable to progress past a certain weight, my intention is to reset back to a
previously accomplished weight and attempt a rep PR from there, and then just
keep progressing back up while trying to hit greater reps at previously
accomplished weights.
I apologize for this being a little scatterbrained,
but if there are any questions or clarifying points, feel free to ask a
question.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write that up. I will put it in an extra post so more people will see it.
I am also interested in your reasons for going exclusively touch and go. Maybe another post for next week?
Sure, I could actually post that much sooner. I did a write up a while ago about some of my controversial viewpoints on lifting. I can post the touch and go portion of that here.
Cool, send me a mail to gregor@allthingsgym.com and I will make it a post then.