Yesterday I pulled 495 for the first time in more than a year.
Needless to say my lower back was stiff.
I rarely get sore, and when I do, I make it go away as fast as possible.
Getting blood flow to the area helps with this. So it’s time to train more.
For the deadlift I’ve seen sled pulling and the reverse hyper suggested.
Me?
I figured one arm snatches as they’re light, explosive, and hit all the same musculature over an even longer range of motion/distance.
A power movement to take away the soreness caused by a strength movement.
No real plan as far as sets,reps, or volume, I simply got in a bunch of reps with each hand.
Up to 115 in my left and 125 in my right.
Mostly singles, but a few sets of 3-5 to challenge myself (115×5 right hand being the most notable).
I even snatched into a few overhead carries with turns. Boom! Look at that I’ve now hit shoulders turning it into a full body session.
I goofed around catching low and in split stances. Hell, I even went for a new PR (145lb right hand), which I missed. There’s potential to get some big numbers here getting under the bar in a low split stance.
There’s technique work to do here, but it already allows me to eek out a bit more weight to arm’s length at any given time.
Here’s a mental trick:
Think of one arm snatches as throwing the weight overhead/to arms length.
Not only is this fun, but the thought can add power to your rep as you find yourself visualizing a scenario more on par with tossing hay into a loft or throwing weight over a bar while wearing a kilt.
Tricking yourself into thinking that bar needs to get airborne.
To end I caught a quad and hamstring pump via repping almost the stack on leg extensions and doing a few sets of 50 on lying banded leg curls.
Good session, got to practice what is likely my favorite lift, and now have no lower back soreness.
Give the one arm snatch (preferably with a barbell and bumper plates) a shot when your lower back is sore.
-J