Six big ones

I’ve been going to the gym for  a long time, since my late teens, early 20’s. That is well over two decades for those of you that don’t want to do the math.  It’s rare that many firsts occur at the gym at this advanced stage of the odometer but today was a rare exception, I did a 6 plate lift. (315 pounds)  I have done much more weight on plate loaded machines like the leg press but I have never lifted a bar with three 45 pound plates on a side off the ground with no safety net.  After today I can no longer say that.

Over the years I have flirted with the three plate on a side feat with both my bench (best of 275) and squat (275 with very poor form and range of motion). Today I knocked down that barrier with a 315 pound dead lift.  Now anyone that knows anything about power lifting knows that 315 is warm up weight for serious lifters but for someone of my body type and muscle mass it is a decent feather in the cap.

My long arms and even longer legs makes for some challenging angles when it comes to using good form on a heavy lift.  I do the best I can, I have the bloody shins from today to prove it.

I also experimented with doing some different pull up routines that I saw on various videos by this guy.  He does a fantastic job of explaining various exercise techniques and why they work.  It was a good non-standard workout. Man are my hands a mess though.

I’m not sure how much further I want to push my one rep max in the dead lift.  It can be like playing Russian roulette with your back.  Perhaps the best route would be to go for increased reps at the same weight.