So i just started lifting again after 2 years off  Deadlift has always been my nemesis, i battle with over exertion to the point I'm falling asleep at stoplights and wrecked in the gym the rest of the week but the workout feels so good i want another as soon as i recover in a week.  

Ive gotten rabdo from it once right before i stopped lifting and blacked out at the dr when i went to find out why i was having dizzy spells.  It was rabdo and low t combined.

I'm getting great gains. 6 weeks back,  only 4 weeks deadlifting. New gains every week. Like a noob again.  Im still shot from my session last thursday. I fell asleep at 7 last night.  

Example from last week
Warmup from cold 200x10 raw
350x10 beltless w/ straps
390x8 beltless w/ straps
425x6 beltless w/ straps
445x6 beltless w/ straps


Workout felt great,  grinders on the last set but 460x6 is there this week or next. I can feel it.  I was pulling 550 on my last work set before,  and would pull 440 for 20+ reps on a volume day so I'm just recapturing that same ability but i can not recover.

Other than 1 brief trial with anavar i was natural before and I'm on dr prescribed trt now.  32 years old.  

Thoughts on workload and weight jumps?

what were you other symptoms that led you to get your T checked out?

I usually ramp mine up something like this:
245x5
325x3
395x1
485x5

I like deads but I hate doing lots of reps. I seem to recover a lot quicker from a little more intensity and less reps. I was able to add weight every week for a long time like that so I don't think I need much volume to get it done.

No reason to go over 6 on deads. If you want higher volume do squats.

If you’re just getting back into it, most of your gains are currently from the neurological standpoint instead of the muscles getting “stronger.”

Chronic fatigue and dizzy spells that hit me about once a week.  Everything was good except t was 300. Replacement dose and not a dizzy spell or fatigue since.

Im very very high energy so fatigue not normal for me at all.

Muscle memory for sure. I was very detrained but we all know it comes back quick.

Are you saying your first pull is 200 x 10?

That’s a very odd configuration to start with.  
Maybe I’m just weak but I always start with:
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 X5
315 x 3 or 1
365 x 3 or 1 depending on how heavy I’m going.
Then do my working sets.

I'm definitely not saying it's right.  I have no clue.  

200 isn't a real pull its just a warm up bc that's my first excercise. I could probably pull 200x200 if i wanted,  it's just to get get loose.  

I used to start with 135x25 then, 225x10, 315x8 405x6, then jump like 20 or 25 pounds a set but that just seemed like a lot of waste.  135 and 225 and even 315 isnt real work so why do it was my thinking.

So i have elbow issues,  i tore my tricep tendon pulling my all time pr and i battle elbow tendinitis. I take deca as part of my trt which helps a ton but i still get some pain when i go heavier. If i cut to that low number of reps I'm pulling a lot more weight and my elbows can't take that after only a month back.  

I'm wondering if i should turn it into more of an accessory type thing,  go down 80 pounds and increase reps to like 14+ like i would on a lat pulldown.

What are your working sets if those 5 sets are just a warm up?

My entire routines are usually only 12 to 16 sets total including warmup. I like to warm up quickly, fail 2 to 4 excercises and move to cardio. My heavy deadlift day is only 8 sets usually. 4 Deads,  4 lat pulldowns or similar, cardio.

I did 18 to 30 sets the first few years of lifting and my body was wrecked. I was crazy strong but i hurt.

I follow 5 3 1

Working sets are typically between 340 and nearing 405 for 5, 3 or as many reps as possible.

I’m definitely not as strong as others here.  
I’m happy to pull mid 300s for a set of 10ish.

Example.
Ignore the warm up and replace with what I wrote earlier up to 315 as I would replace the work set of 300 with 315 x 5

I have 531 and i use that last set to failure idea,  the rest wasnt over the top great for me.  Not bad either.  

Maybe i need to read a few more programming books and decide on my goals better.  I'm not a bro but I'm not a powerlifter either.

The only other book I've read was starting strength and that's great for people but I'm not new and it gets boring.  I'm a little more bro than that.

In the past I've done something like 531 or even just a warm up and some heavy sets, and then gone back at the very end with 5x10 or similar.  Kind of like the BBB part of 531.  It's like hay bales but hard.

Use the chart.

Attached File

I'm in a similar boat: I've taken some weeks/months off lifting due to work and life, having to start all over at the end. Longest was 7 months, and worked up to 315 the first day back.

This last break was due to a minor disc herniation, so I stop at 315 on straight bars. From there I stack 315 up to 635x6 on a trap bar then move on to whatever I'm doing that day. Not sure if it was the injury or getting older but I plateaued at 498 for like 2 months. Maybe just having to rebuild glute/ham power.

Deadlifts have been my favorite warm-up for the past 4-5 years, hell I do a few warm up sets even on run and swim days. I haven't found a better full-body warmup that dials in my HR and builds confidence. Can also be meditative, which I like when life gets busy.

Your jumps seem normal to me, you must be dialed in on nutrition/recovery. I'd say just be prepared to plateau and listen for weaknesses that need isolation work.

I eat bro, I'm naturally very strong and thick. But I'm incredibly intense so what my mind can do,  my body can't always keep up with. My joints are not strong.  

I'm playing with a new program. I'm thinking similar to what I'm doing but only every other week.  One week deads,  the next week bench and squat.  Still do the accessories but on that week i don't do the heavy compound, replace that with an extra accessory I'm weak at for that body part. The body part still gets hit but I'm not exhausted all the time from the heavy compound lift.  

I love heavy weight but I'm just trying to feel good and be attractive to the ladies so i need to remember that even though i struggle with not being a powerlifter. Lol. I was scheduled to do my first power meet when i met my wife.  I had a tendon tear a month out,  met her and took a break.  

There's literally a kid in here right now (I'm doing cardio and watching him like a 'omo) that is deadlifting 95, he benches 65 on his heavy set.  He's fucking shredded. He looks way better than i do.  I have veins bulging and look like a sloppy bloated mess that you only want when you need to move furniture. I need to back off weight and focus on lean.  

Have to identify your goals.

You don't need high volume on deadlifts, and if you can't recover from them, there's your proof.

Here's my typical "volume" deadlift day (my max is 600 and I pulled 585 last week):
Warm ups-
135x8
225x6
315x5
405x3

Working sets:
455x3
495x3
515x3
515x3
515x3
455x3 (paused)
405x5

315x5x5 stiff legged

Sometimes I'll go heavier (545-585) but pull doubles or singles. I don't always do multiple working sets either if I plan to squat heavy later in the week-I might do the warm ups then a couple of heavy pulls then switch to the leg press.

Deadlifting smashes your nervous system, so you need to keep it to once a week, and then rest three days before squatting or doing another intense lower body workout.

Oh, and ditch the fucking straps. You want strong hands.

Agree with the volume. I went down to 3 reps max and feel better. Every other week only.  

Im got some pretty serious repetitive use issues with my hands/elbows/forearms. I own several businesses with family and work as a self employed mechanical contractor so that means for 14 hours a day my hands are gripping, turning, texting. I do all big equipment so my tools are heavy, big fittings, heavy gearboxes, everything is big and heavy and taxes my grip. My elbows and forearms are beat up. I'm in pain just grabbing my water jug at this point.

Im at the finish line.  My wife's online business is taking off so i think i can quite the mech businesses this year to run that.  Go to 8 hour days. I make 250 a year doing this,  that's the only thing keeping me going.  

I did go for a full vist with an ortho to have my knees looked at. I decided to go to a light weight fluff and pump type workout. Both of my knees are going to need replaced soon. Imaging showed very little cartilage left and I'm going to need fluid drained off the right one regularly. Very unstable, i fell on xmas stepping off a curb, sprained my ankle and broke 2 toes.

So my dad blurted this out a few days ago.  No one talks about medical stuff in my house.  Very ignorant. He said every one of my uncles has had knees both replaced and his dad has twice. One uncle had them done at 20. So i guess I've just got some crappy joint genes.

Either way.  Get better daily friends. I'll keep plugging away.  Cardio and lifting doesn't bother my joints much other than my elbow, mainly my job does which is gone soon.