How Do You Lift?

And... deadlifts are back! Thursday is deadlift day, so I once again hit the trap bar to hoist something heavy and test myself. Last week I did 50kgs for one set of twelve reps then, due to incorrect knee placement, two sets of twelve reps at 40kgs with a band around my knees. If you missed last week's post on this, you can read it here, and this week's goal was to hit 50kgs for three sets of twelve reps. 

Everyone's mentality about a lift is different, some people like to go in knowing exactly what they're going to be lifting, so they can mentally prepare themselves for that, but I'm not that kind of person. I'd actually rather not know the exact weight I'm lifting, because then I can simply prepare myself to lift without over analysing the weight and asking myself the self-defeating question: Am I Strong Enough? 

Pat knows I prepare better this way, so when we load the bar, he doesn't tell me what the combined total is, only that I'm going to lift it. Once I've finished my three sets, then he will tell me what I have been lifting.

So, did I lift 50kgs on Thursday night?

Nope.

​I hit 55kgs for three sets of twelve reps! 

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The above video shows my second set of twelve reps. I apologise for the way it goes blurry at the end, but you get the general idea: this is a 55kg trapbar deadlift. And there's no band! Apart from a few brief wobbles at the end, I keep my knees out and drive my feet into the floor throughout the whole set.

Technique, I believe, is the most important part of weight lifting, as there's no point being able to lift if you can't lift it correctly; it might work for a while, maybe even months or years, but, eventually, if your technique's wrong you're going to injure yourself. Possibly seriously. So, for me, the most exciting part of Thursday night's deadlift was not the weight, although that was pretty cool (I'm getting closer to 100kgs every week!), but that I got the technique almost spot on. 

Next week's goal: 60kgs for twelve reps of three sets.

- Jewels