August 6, 2026 – Week 17, Day 2

Dynamic Warm Up 

Deadlifts (straps, platform, wagon wheels)
135x5
225x2
275x2
315x2
365x1
405x1
455x1
495x1
551x1
Cluster reps (15 seconds)
482x1+1+1
Pauses (3 seconds with 5 second cluster)
408x1+1
408x1+1

Paused Inverted Ring Rows (2 seconds)
bwx3
bw+20x3
bw+37x8
bwx12

ATG Split Squats (6”)/ Copenhagen Planks
bwx12/12 -- bwx25--25 seconds
bwx12/12 -- bwx25--25 seconds
bwx12/12

Stretching

Comments: I did not have the same level of soreness after the first session this week like last week. Probably from not being detrained compared to last time. Also like last week, this session ened up having some changes from the initial plan during the session as well as right beforehand. I had added stuff last week to it from how last week went and then thought better on it as this session came up and just considering logistics with some exercises and recovery for these last few heavy sessions. Walking had felt good after the previous session. It has been quite humid with rain happening now. I ran the fans in the garage more so for air flow and to hopefully dry out some of the dampness. The big focus today was going to be the last heavy deadlift session. And that is one of those things that takes a bit out of me. So starting the order of operations here with getting ready with foam rolling. Calves didn’t feel like they needed as much but I am trying to put more pressure on them to see if that gets them feeling better and if that lessens time needed to get ready. Hamstrings fine. Quads were tense but manageable. Upper back I needed but perhaps not as much as Day 1 session. But I could tell things were being worked hard as of late. Neck mobility stuff was feeling pretty good today. Glute and mobility stretching for lower body was fine and followed up with dead hang. On to the heavy deadlifts. The plan was always on this one to work up to a top single that was not quite a max. But something that felt like “danger” and would require me to get excited and hyped for it rather than just pull it low key. What I wasn’t sure on was after that bit as this was the most important thing. If not for the competition it would give me a working max to gauge things for off season and planning purposes. My lower back was not feeling the freshest and understandable with having done heavy farmer’s the week before, my heaviest squat of the prep on Sunday as well as doing the heaviest load and carry medley of the prep. So I wasn’t sure how this would go. Aim was to do 545-551lbs here. I figured I had to be good for at least 545lbs with how 537lbs had gone about a month and a half ago and then with me being able to do 8 singles with 525lbs. The problem or issue is that at this point in deadlift training, everything feels slow and heavy off the floor. But I feel that getting 537lbs was a breakthrough in getting my deadlift going that it will just feel like a bunch of suck but it will go up. The many singles kind of reinforced that for me. So 40-50lbs jumps just like when I worked up to 537lbs. With how things were going, I was not feeling super confident in things but I decided I’d put the pressure on here and go for 551lbs or 250kgs. This had been the aim in my mind for the top single I’d need if I wanted to have a chance of not zeroing the deadlift in the open class (260kgs). Now that weight is the 3rd lift in the series so it is less about bombing and being competitive. I got really hyped up mentally for this with the music on. If I missed, it would take so much out of me and be quite devastating but if it went up… well that is seemed worth the risk here. I got set and yanked the bastard and I knew it was going up. Let out a good shout after I put it down. Such relief that I’m on I’m on the half way point between 500lbs and 600lbs for a floor pull once again. Hands were shaking after this one and the thing is that I maybe had that 10kgs more in me today. But aim was not the true max but to have something that was enough that it made me go into the realm of needing that true max strength to do it. Everything after this was just gravy really. Initially, the plan was to do the top single and then do 2 paused doubles. Then I thought about with now doing master’s, I may be able to do more than just the opening lift here. So I adjusted to doing a cluster triple with about the weight of the first rep on the deadlift. Walk up and strap in and do a rep and then rest about 15 seconds and do it again and then one more time. This did feel a bit wonky compared to the set and go pulls I was doing leading up to it and I could tell I had put in a bit effort on my brace on that top single as it was a struggle bus now. I had actually thought of doing two doubles this cluster style but went with just a triple so I didn’t have to another set of the nonsense. Dropped off some more weight to do the paused reps. 3 seconds just breaking off the floor. These felt better. I stayed strapped in and took like 5 seconds rest between reps. I don’t know how quickly the weights will get added each rep and I may be better staying in the groove vs going away and coming back, depending on time and such. Want to prep for both outcomes really. The rest of the workout was light stuff. I had liked the combo of rows into jeffersons and was going to do that with a different row variation but then figuring out setup logistics wise had me reconsider it and just do the row since I was going to be not getting 2 days rest after this for my last heavy event session. It has been a good bit since I’ve done the inverted ring rows. And old standby that feels good. Plan was pauses here (really trying to work to get the clean feeling better on log as well as working on holding stuff to the body well) with plan working up to a top set of 8 reps (2RIR) and then doing a set of 12-15 (3-4RIR) after that. Pauses were to be 1-2 seconds. It has been a bit here and I know that holds and such really bring down the numbers I can do on rows so I had to do some testing working up. I’m glad these felt good on my body. The top set went as it should. The down set I just went with bodyweight as I knew it would be tough getting those reps and leaving that many RIR on it. Nice and tidy finishing here. chest supported dumbbell rows and then some stuff for my knees as separate exercises. Finishing up the session like I did last week with offset superset of ATG split squat progression with elevated front foot and Copenhagen planks. These had been a bit rougher than I was expecting them to be last week and my joints were not happy about it initially. This time around, things seemed to be better. I only persisted as things had actually felt good after the session and the following days. For this time around, doing 3x12 on the ATGs and 2x25 seconds on the holds. No adjusting of the height as I used 6” for the whole thing here. Felt pretty good. Keeping an eye on things that feel achy or off when doing the ATG stuff. The holds were fine and I think I was ready for them this go around. Kind of hoping these don’t sap me too bad for my last heavy gym session. Put away stuff and ate dinner before stretching.