1 Rep Max Deadlift - Gym Jones Cert (Day 2)

It's Day 2 of the Gym Jones Cert and today (amongst other things) we worked on the 1 Rep Max for The Deadlift. This is a test of maximal strength.

Of course it is not something you step into cold, we 'warmed' up with 10 reps, then 5 reps, working up to 3 reps, then onto 5 single rep efforts. Increasing the load at each stage until we could lift no more.

First a little background, my previous PB (Personal Best) was 148kg which I deadlifted in May. I am now recovering from a hamstring injury so I was not expecting too much today.
However, I was pleasantly surprised with the result:

• 10 Reps : 60kg
• 5 Reps : 80kg
• 3 Reps : 120kg
• 2 Reps : 140kg
• 1 Rep : 150kg
• 1 Rep : 160 kg
• 1 Rep : 170 kg
• 1 Rep : 180 kg (just exceeds twice my bodyweight)
• 1 Rep : 190 kg/418lb (new PB)

At the 1 rep max efforts, there was a minimum of 2-3 minutes rest for recovery. I tried 2 attempts at 200kg/440lb, the bar moved an inch on the first attempt. No movement on the second.

This lift today made me realise I was far stronger than I previously thought. Of course peer pressure (as well as support) played a part and anyone who knows me personally acknowledges I am very competitive.

To be honest this was not about competition. It was a practical experience of removing some of the mental limitations to performance.

No excuses about:

• not being built to deadlift,
• or that I hadn't done it for a few months,
• or being too old to do this 
  
  - regardless of what happened today I knew it was my best effort.

Today I focused more on the act and experience of lifting, not on how much I was lifting or by comparing myself to others. I just enjoyed the journey.

Thanks Mark and Rob of Gym Jones for the experience today, it reinforces my belief that we impose artificial limitations on ourselves far too often. I wasn't the only one to experience this. Many people surpassed their previous PB's today.

190kg (418lb) Deadlift (Photo: Mark Twight - Gym Jones)

The worrying thing was shortly afterwards we did a workout called the 'Jones Crawl'! I will post a video of this max lift and the subsequent workout in the next day or so.

Update on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 15:37 by Darryl Edwards

Video Link as promised:

http://www.thefitnessexplorer.com/home/2010/11/9/1-rep-max-deadlift-gym-jones-cert-video.html