That is every bit as heavy as it looks.
I’ve long held a theory that I could maintain my overall strength for months after ceasing a weightlifting program, so long as I stayed active with other things. I’ve come and gone from the weight room enough times over the past several years to know that I can usually move close to the same amount of weight after a break. At least for a few reps.
What I did not expect was to get a little stronger. The last time I pulled heavy weight off the floor was at the end of May, and on that occasion I banged out 10 reps of 265. I hadn’t really come to a one-rep max this spring before race season overwhelmed my weightlifting schedule, but I doubt I could have pulled much over 305.
When the board at CrossFit Dedication read “PR Something” (meaning athlete’s choice) for the strength portion, I immediately thought deadlift. Not just because it’s my favorite lift, but because I wanted to see where I stood, after six months away from it. I figured I could still pull a decent weight, but I never expected to get this heavy! I warmed up with small sets of 135 and 225, then started single pulls. 275 came up easy, and 295 wasn’t much worse. 315 was work, but I was surprised at how quickly it came up and I was able to lock it out. I would’ve been happy if I stopped there, since 315 was my deadlift goal at the beginning of the year, but I didn’t feel like I was done.
I added two more 10 pound plates and got lined up. I didn’t have total concentration on my first pull, and stopped before the plates left the ground to reset. But my second pull achieved liftoff, and before I knew it, the bar was past my knees! I locked it out with a yell, and held it for a second before dropping it. 335 pounds! That’s an all-time PR by quite a bit, and it felt so, so good.
I have a dream of a 405 deadlift that I once thought unrealistic, but now that it’s only (?!) 70 pounds away, and at the beginning of my strength training season, maybe it can happen, after all.