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Fitness

Put Yourself in a Position to Win (Athlete Journal 90)

Leaving my gym bag at home turned out to be a good mistake, as I set a new beltless deadlift record.

Written by Charles Staley Last updated on May 16, 2014

Coming off of last week’s 515lb miss on block pulls, I needed to carefully weigh my decision-making about my deadlifts this week. Given that I’m only a month away from competition, this would be my last opportunity for a big pull.

I needed to hit something at least reasonably big for confidence-building purposes, but I couldn’t afford another miss so close to the meet. I had several possible options to choose from. A big set of five reps, three reps, or even one rep was near the top of the list, but no particular choice really stood out as a clearly superior option.

What I was looking for was the easiest way to pull off a win of some type. As it turned out, a dumb mistake on my part led me to something I wouldn’t have otherwise considered – I forgot my gym bag, which contained my belt. Sure, I could have gone back home to get it, but I had a busy day planned and didn’t want to take the time.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me: why not attempt a new beltless personal record (PR) for the deadlift? I happened to know my current best (455lb), and having had recently listened to an inspiring podcast featuring Joe DeCena (creator of the popular Spartan races), I was in the mood to get out of my comfort zone anyway. Cutting to the chase, I managed to pull a new beltless PR of 460lb, which did exactly what I needed it to do for me – improved my confidence for the 100% Raw! American Challenge next month.

Every workout, look for a chance to come out on top, even if things aren’t exactly going your way. If it’s looking like you’re not going to hit a planned goal for that day, find another target to shoot for. If it looks like nothing is going to go your way at all, find some way to make the best of the situation anyway. After all, this is training we’re talking about, right? It’s not supposed to be easy!

In addition to the beltless pull I just discussed, I was particularly happy with my bench press this week, on two fronts. First, despite benching heavy twice a week for a while now, my shoulder has been feeling pretty good. Not completely perfect, but much better. Secondly, I managed to hit 225lbsx5 this week, which isn’t a PR per se (I think I’ve done six), but it’s a record for this year. Another recent trend is that I’m finding myself doing a lot of uncharacteristic back work lately – chest-supported rows in particular, which feel really safe and productive.

That’s all for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and questions!

Weekly Volume And Noteworthy Lifts:

  • Volume: 43,380 lbs (Last Week: 33,985 lbs)
  • Bench Press 225×5
  • Beltless Deadlift: 460×1
  • High Bar Box Squats

Tuesday, May 6, 2014, 7:35 PM

Bodyweight: 203.8 lbs

Volume: 14,610 lbs

CAMBERED BAR SQUAT

Set 1: 65 lbs × 5

Set 2: 115 lbs × 5

Set 3: 155 lbs × 5

Set 4: 205 lbs × 3

Set 5: 245 lbs × 2

Set 6: 295 lbs × 1

Set 7: 305 lbs × 1

Set 8: 305 lbs × 1

Set 9: 275 lbs × 3

BACK EXTENSION

Set 1: 145 lbs × 10

Set 2: 145 lbs × 10

Set 3: 145 lbs × 10

LEG EXTENSION

Set 1: 150 lbs × 10

Set 2: 150 lbs × 10

Set 3: 150 lbs × 10

DEADLIFT

Set 1: 135 lbs × 10

Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 8:23 AM

Bodyweight: 201.4 lbs

Volume: 12,225 lbs

BENCH PRESS

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 45 lbs × 5

Set 3: 95 lbs × 5

Set 4: 115 lbs × 5

Set 5: 135 lbs × 5

Set 6: 185 lbs × 3

Set 7: 205 lbs × 1

Set 8: 225 lbs × 5 (Video Below)

Set 9: 245 lbs × 1

NEUTRAL-GRIP PULLDOWN

Set 1: 115 lbs × 10

Set 2: 115 lbs × 10

Set 3: 115 lbs × 10

ELASTIC SEATED ROW

Set 1: 120 lbs × 10

Set 2: 120 lbs × 10

Set 3: 120 lbs × 10

BICEP CURL (DUMBBELL)

Set 1: 90 lbs × 5

Set 2: 90 lbs × 5

Friday, May 9, 2014, 9:00 AM

Bodyweight: 201.6 lbs

Volume: 7,170 lbs

BELTLESS DEADLIFT

Set 1: 135 lbs × 3

Set 2: 135 lbs × 3

Set 3: 135 lbs × 3

Set 4: 225 lbs × 3

Set 5: 315 lbs × 1

Set 6: 385 lbs × 1

Set 7: 435 lbs × 1

Set 8: 460 lbs × 1 (Video Below)

14.5″ HIGH BAR BOX SQUAT

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 3 (Video Below)

Set 4: 185 lbs × 3

Set 5: 225 lbs × 3

Set 6: 225 lbs × 3

Set 7: 225 lbs × 3

Saturday, May 10, 2014, 5:10 PM

Bodyweight: 202 lbs

Volume: 9,375 lbs

BENCH PRESS

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 1

Set 5: 205 lbs × 1

Set 6: 215 lbs × 1

Set 7: 225 lbs × 1

Set 8: 230 lbs × 1

Set 9: 230 lbs × 1

Set 10: 230 lbs × 1

CHEST-SUPPORTED ROW

Set 1: 70 lbs × 8

Set 2: 80 lbs × 8

Set 3: 80 lbs × 8

Set 4: 80 lbs × 8

BICEP CURL

Set 1: 65 lbs × 10

Set 2: 75 lbs × 10

Set 3: 85 lbs × 8

Set 4: 95 lbs × 6

TRICEP PUSHDOWN

Set 1: 45 lbs × 10

Set 2: 45 lbs × 10

Set 3: 45 lbs × 10

A big believer in practicing what he preaches, Charles Staley trains and competes just like his clients. Every Friday you can read what Charles has done this week in his workout sessions.

About Charles Staley

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Well known in the U.S. and across the world, Charles is recognized as a innovative coach and a thought leader in the field of human performance. His experience, reputation, and self-effacing persona have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show and The CBS Early Show, along with numerous radio and podcast appearances. He has penned more than a thousand articles for major publications and online websites in the industry.

Often referred to as a visionary, an iconoclast and a rule-breaker, his methods are leading-edge and ahead of their time, capable of quickly producing serious results.

Charles is not only a thinker, but also a doer: currently, he competes at the national and world level in weightlifting and powerlifting on the master’s circuit and holds three World Championship titles in the sport of raw powerlifting. Find Charles online at Target Focus Fitness, or follow him on his popular Facebook page.

Charles has had a successful online coaching service in place for several years. This is a way people to train under his direct supervision even if they aren’t local to him. If you’re ready to invest in yourself, Charles would love to be on your team!

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