Deadlift is nuts

[IronFist]

Here's a brief summary of my last few months of training:

Chrismas break: (Dec15-Jan15 or so) A month of mass training. Ending weight: 170 or so.
This semester: (Jan 15-May6 or so) I probably lifted weights 5 or 6 times

For three weeks last month I was pretty sick and didn't eat much.

Weight last week: 161

Weight this week: 163

So I pretty much slacked off with the lifting, right? As you may have expected, my bench and squat went DOWN. I haven't deadlifted in like 5 or 6 months at least. But the other day after doing squats I was just messing around with deadlift and what did I do? I PULLED MY OLD PR! Now, it didn't come up quite as easily as last time, but that's not the point.

I have come up with a formula:

Old Deadlift PR = 6 months of not deadlifting + 4 months of slack off lifting + 3 weeks of eating < 1000 calories a day = New Deadlift PR

Does anyone know why?

I've heard that to some extent, bench and squat are reliant upon mass (ie. there comes a point where you won't make significant gains in these two lifts without adding some mass), but deadlift seems to be exempt from this rule. Is it because there's no real negative portion?

I'm serious, does anyone know?

IronFist

[cutter]

perhaps it's because your deadlift technique is is more ingrained into your nervous system. if you lift anything, a box, a couch, etc, you are using a deadlift technique.

or perhaps you could have pulled more than you thought on your old pr.

[Ford Prefect]

It could be psychological factors.

[IronFist]

I have been deadlifting for less time than any other lift, so I would think it would be ingrained in less.

Ford, perhaps it is psychological, but to not lose even 1lb on my 1RM for 5 weeks? That's nuts.

IronFist

[Cheese Dog]

That does seem very odd. I know when I stop lifting for a while all of my lifts go down, even if it's only 10-15 lbs. Deadlifts usually drop about 20-25 lbs., but they come back in only a couple of workouts, quicker than any of the other compound lifts. Benches and military presses come back the slowest.
Perhaps something to do with the fact that your neuromuscular effeciency is lower in the lower body than the upper?

Your guess about there being no negative portion is interesting though.

[Ford Prefect]

I just started DL'ing heavy again myself, and I've had the same results. I had squatted/goodmorninged in the 8-20 rep range and I also did light romanian dl's in the 15-20 rep range for the past 8 months. I decide to start dl'ing again and my first time out I absolutely blow my old 1RM out of the water. I did kind of hit a wall today, but I'm still amazed at how much it went up.

[Samurai Jack]

Ah, the effects of adequate rest/recuperation proven once again!