The Student Room Group

illusionz' ICF blog

Scroll to see replies

Awesome deadlifting. Really surprising how much you can DL. How come you don't back squat regularly btw? Bench going up fast!
Original post by ljoshl91
Awesome deadlifting. Really surprising how much you can DL. How come you don't back squat regularly btw? Bench going up fast!


My gym only has a smith machine, and squatting on it was hurting my knees. Do Bulgarian split squats occasionally but DBs only go up to 30 as well so not really any way to get stronger in them. That said I tried a smith squat a few weeks ago to see if I'd lost strength from a few months of no squatting and I'd actually gotten stronger. Guess the deadlifts have helped a bit.

As for deadlifts, I've always been good at them. Started on 100x5 when I had no idea what I was doing and hit 140x5 within a few weeks. Naturally strong legs really.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Angry cucumber
Deload not even once lol

Good lift, it touched your chest, wasn't touched by spotter etc.
If your doing it for meets you'd be doing it paused for something like a 1,2 quick count pause which is IPF iirc.

Posted from TSR Mobile


Indeed lol. I was expecting something like 75kg paused to be good. Turns out my paused bench isn't far behind TnG.

I'm not lifting for meets, was more wondering whether the form was akin to mega leanback on OHP.
Original post by illusionz
Indeed lol. I was expecting something like 75kg paused to be good. Turns out my paused bench isn't far behind TnG.

I'm not lifting for meets, was more wondering whether the form was akin to mega leanback on OHP.


If you're gonna deload, drop to 70-72.5kg paused. How long you pausing to? I speak 1,2 or count in my head.
Difference for me was 5kg between tng and paused.

Nah too low down on chest doesn't mean its easier within reason.. I bet it was fairly horrendous to push up lol.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Angry cucumber
If you're gonna deload, drop to 70-72.5kg paused. How long you pausing to? I speak 1,2 or count in my head.
Difference for me was 5kg between tng and paused.

Nah too low down on chest doesn't mean its easier within reason.. I bet it was fairly horrendous to push up lol.


Was counting a mental "one, and" before pushing. Basically a second or two. I will either deload or do a more madcow style where I only do 1 set of 5 of the top weight. What do you recommend? I quite liked the style of workout today.

It wasn't actually that bad when I pushed it up, first thought was I could do 2.5kg more. I'm very good at getting grindy reps, when I do a 5RM there will probably be 2 or even 3 grindy ones in there. My bench partner goes from looking solid to suddenly failing and never grinds one. Strange but how it's always been for me.
(edited 9 years ago)
For a gym PB that bench gets a pass. Jelly.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by illusionz

It wasn't actually that bad when I pushed it up, first thought was I could do 2.5kg more. I'm very good at getting grindy reps, when I do a 5RM there will probably be 2 or even 3 grindy ones in there. My bench partner goes from looking solid to suddenly failing and never grinds one. Strange but how it's always been for me.


Me too. Can literally pause at the sticking point and push through, then do another set no probs lol A friend at the gym who I often spot, looks good then suddenly jelly arms

Good lift. Your bench has come on a lot! All your lifts have. You should enter the 120kg comp :wink: I'm gonna try a max in maybe a month to see where I am.
Original post by illusionz
Was counting a mental "one, and" before pushing. Basically a second or two. I will either deload or do a more madcow style where I only do 1 set of 5 of the top weight. What do you recommend? I quite liked the style of workout today.


I deloaded, came back, bench increased dramatically after fortnight of working way back up. Stalled around 87.5, came back with 90kg 5x5 tng very shortly after. Lowered weight again, came back pausing.. 95kg for triples was where I ended. Tng ended at 100 x 3 :biggrin:


What I'd recommend - deload (properly despite temptation to go heavy), come back pausing, linear progress to around 100kg for reps. Move your incline work to your OHP day so your getting chest work every workout + dips whenever you do them. Maybe flys as I've said before.

Once your around 100kg for reps, then it might come to a point of intermediate, but at least try a deload.


It wasn't actually that bad when I pushed it up, first thought was I could do 2.5kg more. I'm very good at getting grindy reps, when I do a 5RM there will probably be 2 or even 3 grindy ones in there. My bench partner goes from looking solid to suddenly failing and never grinds one. Strange but how it's always been for me.


I can grind reps like no tomorrow, no matter what the lift, squats especially, you'd think every rep was 1rm, but I'd bang out 5, no problem lol
Gratz on the 2 plate breh

Are you still planning to bulk?
Strong benching, good job! I can't believe you haven't deloaded bench or ohp yet :eek:
Feels when I had already done a deload by 60kg bench 40kg OHP...
Original post by Appeal to reason
Strong benching, good job! I can't believe you haven't deloaded bench or ohp yet :eek:
Feels when I had already done a deload by 60kg bench 40kg OHP...


Feels when I started there :tongue:

Not hating... Weird how genetics + lifestyle work out for everyone!

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Angry cucumber
Feels when I started there :tongue:

Not hating... Weird how genetics + lifestyle work out for everyone!

Posted from TSR Mobile


We're the master race brah :biggrin: (your upper/my lower)

I'm going to deload properly and work up paused. So just do like 72.5 5x5 next time and work up over a couple of weeks. Would get me to 80kg 5x5 in 2 weeks.

Will also deload press but harder to do simple progression due to DBs. Maybe 24s, then 24/26, then 26, then 26/28, then back to 28s and finally 28/30s (where I am now) after 6 sessions (4 weeks). Is this too much of a deload (4 weeks to return to where I am)?

idk how long a deload should take me to get back to where I am currently stalled.
Original post by Angry cucumber
Feels when I started there :tongue:

Not hating... Weird how genetics + lifestyle work out for everyone!

Posted from TSR Mobile


Yeah, I was pretty inactive, I was never really big on sport. Had some leg strength from taekwondo (WTF - no punching really), but nothing else.
Original post by illusionz
We're the master race brah :biggrin: (your upper/my lower)

I'm going to deload properly and work up paused. So just do like 72.5 5x5 next time and work up over a couple of weeks. Would get me to 80kg 5x5 in 2 weeks.

Will also deload press but harder to do simple progression due to DBs. Maybe 24s, then 24/26, then 26, then 26/28, then back to 28s and finally 28/30s (where I am now) after 6 sessions (4 weeks). Is this too much of a deload (4 weeks to return to where I am)?

idk how long a deload should take me to get back to where I am currently stalled.


Why don't you just drop to the 28s and work up to 4/5 sets of 7/8 with them then try the 30s again?


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Reps4Jesus
Why don't you just drop to the 28s and work up to 4/5 sets of 7/8 with them then try the 30s again?


Posted from TSR Mobile


I think the point of a deload is to let my muscles rest as I've been training to failure for like a month now.
Original post by illusionz
We're the master race brah :biggrin: (your upper/my lower)

I'm going to deload properly and work up paused. So just do like 72.5 5x5 next time and work up over a couple of weeks. Would get me to 80kg 5x5 in 2 weeks.

Will also deload press but harder to do simple progression due to DBs. Maybe 24s, then 24/26, then 26, then 26/28, then back to 28s and finally 28/30s (where I am now) after 6 sessions (4 weeks). Is this too much of a deload (4 weeks to return to where I am)?

idk how long a deload should take me to get back to where I am currently stalled.


Id go 72.5 -> 77.5 then 2.5 from there :smile:

For press, 24s or 26s just go on feel tbh

You're my padowan, feels when I was the first poster
Now don't you dare go full dark side on me :tongue:

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Angry cucumber
Id go 72.5 -> 77.5 then 2.5 from there :smile:

For press, 24s or 26s just go on feel tbh

You're my padowan, feels when I was the first poster
Now don't you dare go full dark side on me :tongue:

Posted from TSR Mobile


ain't nobody got time for chalk mk II
Original post by illusionz
ain't nobody got time for chalk mk II


I'll come to Bristol and hit you with my liquid chalk repetitively lol

Posted from TSR Mobile
Incredible man, you thought of competing in PLing?
Original post by AreebWithaHat
Incredible man, you thought of competing in PLing?


If my BB squat is as strong as my deadlift I can see myself doing a few comps a year or two down the line. However atm I've never done a BB squat so will have to see how they go in new gym come autumn. I'll never be a great powerlifter as my bone density is extremely high -> more mass which isn't muscle. (BMD was 1300 when I had a scan for research purposes a few years ago).

Quick Reply