Losing deadlift strength

[former_SlimJim]

I have always made progress in the deadlift but have recently lost over a third of my strength in this exersize.

For some background info, I took 2 weeks off of training at the end of a cycle. Usually I am stronger by the second week of my new cycle than I was at the end of my previous cycle. This time I am one rep stronger on all of my pushing movements and the same rep on all of my pulling movements except the deadlift, which is down 5 reps. My deadlift went from 265 x 12 at the end of my last cycle to 265 x 8 the first workout - then this morning 265 x 7. The weight felt like it was bolted down to the floor and I even stopped before the first rep to make sure I hadn't loaded the bar with too much weight.

To complicate this question, I decided to do a cutting cycle since I 've been bulking for about 6 months. I'm a naurally lean person and have never done a cutting cyle before but I lost my abs so I decided it was time to do one. My calories are about 600 less than before plus I added cardio for 20 minutes 3 times a week. Ironically my weight hasn't changed at all in the last two weeks of cutting.

Any ideas why my deadlift has severly weakened while all of my other lifts are the same or progressing? Why no weight loss?

 

[Jstrong20]

I would of said its from overtraining but since you just took 2 weeks off I doubt that is the problem. My second guess is because your not changing your routine enough. Do you always do regular deadlifts? If so maybe rotate the deadlift with sumo dead lifts, straight leg, good mornings. Also I'd try a diffrent rep range and maybe go for a heavy triple or single once a month.

 

[wildman536]

Deadlifts everyother Week is the best!!

 

[glenihan]

need more info how many sets do you do? has your diet been in check? getting enough protein? enough rest?

 

[former_SlimJim]

I would of said its from overtraining but since you just took 2 weeks off I doubt that is the problem. My second guess is because your not changing your routine enough. Do you always do regular deadlifts? If so maybe rotate the deadlift with sumo dead lifts, straight leg, good mornings. Also I'd try a diffrent rep range and maybe go for a heavy triple or single once a month.

I do change my rep range on occasion. Right now on my deadlift and squat I use a 12 - 16 rep range. The 265 had me at the low end of the range. I have been doing the deadlift for about 9 months straight and I may rotate it out of my routine for awhile. I work out alone so I'm not going to risk good mornings. I've done sumo's before but they activate the piriformis muscle that crosses over the sciatica nerve, which gives me months of grief once it flares up - been down that road before and never want to go back. If things don't turn around here shortly, I may switch to a congugated method of training the deadlift for awhile.

What really concerns me most is this is not a plateau like I've had in the past - it's an immediate loss of strength. I've gone from 265 x 12 to 265 x 7 and the only thing I have done is taken a 2 week break and lowered my calories.

 

[former_SlimJim]

need more info how many sets do you do? has your diet been in check? getting enough protein? enough rest?

I train using HIT. In the past, I've tried Max-OT, HST, 5 x 5, 10 x 10, etc. but I tend to be very suseptable to overtraining if I do too many sets. A warmup set at a reduced weight and then one hard set to failure gives me continued gains. About once a year I forget this and start adding extra sets and excersizes until I start overtraining. I am actually considering a 3 x 3 against my better judgement.

As far as the eating goes, I have cut down my food intact by about 600 calories. I thought this may be the problem but it wouldn't explain why everything else including my squat is the same or better than in the last cycle. I have kept my protien intake the same at about 1 gram / pound bodyweight.

I have been sleeping the same as always.

 

[wildman536]

lowered my calories.

thats your problem.

 

[former_SlimJim]

thats your problem.

Yeah it does sound insane. I've never actually done a cutting cycle before and this may turn out to be my problem. I lost my abs on my last cycle so I'm trying to lose maybe 5% bodyfat

 

[wildman536]

did you Cut Cals too quick? or gradually?

 

[former_SlimJim]

did you Cut Cals too quick? or gradually?

I cut 300 cals at the end of the last cycle and then took the 2 week break, and then cut 300 more at the begining of this cycle which started two weeks ago. I added cardio too. I can feal a difference in my head because the lack of food gives me a headache in the evenings. My strength feels fine in the morning, which is when I workout. The real irony is I haven't lost any weight yet.

 

[wildman536]

i guess it all boils down to what your looking to Do now? Bulk/Cut??

 

[former_SlimJim]

i guess it all boils down to what your looking to Do now? Bulk/Cut??

Well I have to cut for awhile. I am at about 15% bodyfat, which is the fattest I've ever been. The deadlift does suck alot of energy out of me and that very well may be the problem. It does bother me that the bar feels like its bolted down to the floor even though it weighs the same as it did last month.

 

[wildman536]

do you Do It First in your Workout?

 

[Jstrong20]

I don't think lower calories or overtraning are the problem because all lifts would be affected or at least I would think so. He said all his other movements stayed the same or got stronger.

 

[Jcc]

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread to do deads every other week. I agree.

I alternate full deads and rack pulls from week to week. Works well for me.

 

[Sticks]

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread to do deads every other week. I agree.

I alternate full deads and rack pulls from week to week. Works well for me.

I would also alternate deads on a weekly basis. I'm assuming you train deads, and squats on seperate days. If so think of the extremem stress your placing on your lower back on a weekly basis.

I would rotate squats, and deads so that you never do them on the same week. Also think of any other movements you may be doing that could be indirectly/directly hitting you lower back.
I'm guessing you've overtrained your back, and this is why you've seen such a large decrease in strength. I don't know about everyone else but overtraining usually sneaks up on me, and hits me pretty hard all at once. It's hard to recognize the early signs of overtraining at least for me. It also seems for me that certain muscle groups are effected more by overtraining, and for me the lower back is definately one of those groups.

 

[wildman536]

i usually Alternate Deadlifts with Bent Over Rows (One Workout for Thickness and One for Width)

 

[willieman]

I was talking with a guy that works out at westside (very strong guy), and he told me they only dead lift once a month,and every week do lifts that are part of a dead lift scheme such as partials,and stiff leg, (I forget the other), but it was on a four week rotation.

 

[former_SlimJim]

Well the overall opinion seems to be that I'm overtraining my lower back and I'm sure that is the problem since that's the area that is stopping my deads early. I currently work out three days a week with a two day split with my squats one day and deadlifts the other. I have read alot about Westside lifting before the previous cycle and what I failed to mention is I have been doing box squats instead of regular squats for the last several months, which uses alot more lower back, gluts, and hams than the regular squat. That has to be my problem - I just didn't see it at first. My BOX squating is still progressing because it is still a relatively new movement to me. Well it's time to rework my routine again.

 

[wildman536]

Do Regular Squats.

 

[former_SlimJim]

Do Regular Squats.

I do - just not this cycle or the previous one. I am doing box squats for awhile because I've done some reading about westside style training and box squats are one of the main lifts in their training program. Instead of the deadlift I'm going to do some bent rows and shrugs for awhile, which I havn't done for quite some time. Next cycle I'll probably go back to regular squats and deads and see how things progress.

 

[skoal]

I've never seen a problem with doing deadlifts and squats both in the same week. It works but you have to folow a few simple rules.
1. Keep your other leg and back work to a minimum. Maybe 6 sets for legs and 9 for back(and that would include 3 sets for traps).
2. Don't deadlift for more then 6-8 weeks at a time. After that, take a 4 week break. Think of it as a reward that on back days you can get out of the gym 20-30 minutes sooner.
3. Work back into deadlifts slowly, first do some work to hit the weak part of your deadlift. Most of the time it's either the lookout or getting it out of the hole.
4. Keep reps low, around 5 for the deadlift.
5. Work up to one, and only one heavy set of deadlift and squats.

I've used this in the past and have squated 500 for 5 reps and pulled 485 for 5 reps at a body weight of 180lbs. And that was totally natural. I've had others do the same type of workout and everyone has made progress.

 

[Variocam]

I dont deadlift very often.

I like to do heavy good mornings and rack pulls.
Ive pulled 405 at 150 and 470 at 180 (right now).

 

[former_SlimJim]

I dont deadlift very often.

I like to do heavy good mornings and rack pulls.
Ive pulled 405 at 150 and 470 at 180 (right now).

:wtf: Wow talk about resurrection of the dead... pun intended... This thread went dead almost 3 years ago but that's cool man. My problem turned out to be overtraining on the dead. I started training westside style and all is good. Now I do variants of boxsquats and good mornings something like 85% of the time. On occasion, I do squats and deads for kicks.