How often (if ever) do those of you who compete regularly do a training cycle that does not contain one of the lifts in their competition form? I mean doing 6-12 weeks with only close grip benching, front/ high bar squats, or opposite-stance deadlifts.
For context: I have my first meet coming up in a week. Focused solely on that currently, but I’d like to have a plan for what to do once it’s over. Planning on running a linear program (greyskull or something similar) while losing 8-10 lbs over 10-12 weeks. I’ve been toying with the idea of doing trap bar deadlifts during this time because 1. I haven’t done them in a long time and likely will be able to progress on them weekly, while I’m not sure thats the case with conventional deads, 2. I tend to go a bit nuts with deads, especially when I’m given a “+” set. This can make recovery difficult, especially in a calorie deficit. 3. My low back has been feeling shitty lately so taking a more upright stance with the trap bar sounds appealing to my – I guess you could say – softer side.
My only real concern is that I obviously don’t want to spend a a few months building up a lift that won’t have any carry over into my next competition. Currently weigh 184 with lifts at 315/225/415 (but will beat all or most of those by 10-20 lbs in a week) and want to end the training cycle around 175 with gym lifts at 350/250/450.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.