Thibarmy Question & Answer No 7

Question

My deadlift is 180 kg and I want to reach 200 before the end of the year without gaining body weight. What do you recommend? Had thought of high frequencies or do the Russian strength skill program but with deadlifts every day increasing the weight every two or three weeks. I also want to improve my other movements but the deadlift is my favourite.

arturitotc96

(from the Thibarmy Forum)

Answer

That’s a great question. I don’t think you need a super high frequency right now. Let’s keep some weapons in your belt for the future. The first order of business is to correct your weak links.

You mention a 180kg deadlift. There’s some question that come in my head. With what kind of form is that? Is it a weight you can hit solidly regularly or is it something you only did once and was it a huge struggle? I’m asking these question because I do not put much value in a PR (personal record) when planning a progression. A PB (personal best) is useful. What’s the difference?

The PR, to me is almost worthless when it comes to planning training sessions and progressions while the PB can be quite useful. In fact, using your PR to establish a progression to use for your sessions can do more harm than good. Let me explain:

A PR is the most weight you hit in a lift. Form doesn’t matter so long as it went up and respected the rules (e.g. if you lift you butt off the bench in a bench press, it doesn’t count). It can be an ugly lift but if you complete it, it counts as a PR.

A PB is the best you can do with perfect form and that you can repeat, which is why I call it a personal “best”, whereas the PR is often a one-shot deal.

The problem with a PR is that it was done with improper form (usually), or on a magical day where everything went right, and it can give you a false sense of where you are at strength wise. This can result in an erroneous selection of training weights and unrealistic progression expectations.

If you base your decisions (how much weight to use, how much to add at every session) on a lift done with bad form, mostly out of pure pride, you will hit the wall really fast. You should use the heaviest lift you can do with PERFECT form to evaluate your true strength.

A PR is still important, you still made the lift and you deserve to be proud of it, but using it for your load selection would be an error in judgement.

Why am I saying this? Because as I indicated previously, the first order of business is to correct your weak links and solidify technique and you can’t base this on a less than perfect lift.

Anyway, I digress.  Back to fixing your weak points, I wrote a deadlift article about how to diagnose and fix your weak links in the deadlift… a good start for answering this question would be to read it: The 5 Biggest Deadlift Fails …and How to Fix Them

I have also posted a few videos on that topic on Thibarmy:

Deadlift Series – No2 Three Exercises for a Stronger Start

httDeadlift Series – No.3 Making Romanian Deadlift More Effective and Goodmorning More Effective

Deadlift Series No4 – Three Exercises for a Stronger Finish

These will help you select which assistance exercises to use and which muscles to strengthen.

The first phase of training (4-6 weeks) should have a higher volume of work but a lesser frequency of training on the deadlift, the goal being simply to correct your weak links.  During this first phase, you should deadlift once a week and have a second workout where you do assistance work for the deadlift.

For example:

DAY 1

A) Deadlift Ramp up to a technically solid 3RM… this is not an all-out effort because you should NOT accept bad form. The goal is NOT to add a certain amount of weight every week (although that is a nice bonus) it is rather to lift heavy with perfect form.

B) Deadlift using 90% of your 3RM of the day for 3 sets of 5-7 cluster reps. This means that ONE set = 1 rep/rest 10 sec/1 rep/rest 10 sec/1 rep/rest 10 sec/1 rep/rest 10 sec, etc. This is the SMART way to do deadlift sets of multiple reps because each rep is a “first rep” and in the deadlift the first rep is the hardest… so you get to practice first reps more often and you will become better at them.

C) Deadlift variations to fix your weakness (could be floating deadlift, deficit deadlift, Romanian deadlift, pin pull, etc.) for 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps using a fairly slow eccentric (lowering) tempo (around 4-5 seconds). The goal here is to strengthen your weak point and your position strength (capacity to maintain a perfect posture under heavy loads).

D) Back extensions (with weights ideally) 3-4 x 8-12 reps

E) Hamstring isolation exercise 3-4 x 8-12 reps

DAY 2

A) Main exercise to fix weakness (a main exercise is a compound movement) for 5 work sets of 4-6 reps

B) “Bodybuilding/isolation” exercise for your weakest muscle involved in the deadlift 3 rest/pause sets (6 reps/rest 15 sec/2-4 additional reps). A straight-arm pulldown is a good example

C) “Bodybuilding/isolation” exercise for your weakest muscle involved in the deadlift 3 work sets of 8-10 reps using a fairly slow tempo (to work on mind-muscle connection)

D) “Bodybuilding/isolation” exercise for the lats 3 rest/pause sets (8-10 reps/rest 15 sec/2-4 additional reps). A straight-arm pulldown is a good example

E) Rowing variation 3 rest/pause sets (8-10 reps/rest 15 sec/2-4 additional reps). A straight-arm pulldown is a good example

F) Glutes or hamstrings isolation exercise for 3 sets of 15-20 slow and squeezed reps

IMPORTANT: The reason we use “bodybuilding work” to fix weaknesses is to avoid overloading the CNS that is already heavily taxed from all the heavy pulling and the rest of the heavy work during the week.

After this phase, you deload your deadlift training by only doing 5 sets of 3 with 85-90% of your previous week 3RM on both deadlift days and some bodybuilding stuff.

In the SECOND phase (also 4-6 weeks), you will deadlift twice a week. Once for “LOAD” and once for “VOLUME/TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE”.

DAY 1

A) Deadlift ramp to a technically solid 2RM (again no break of form is accepted)

B) Deadlift using 90% of your 2RM, do 4 sets of 2 focusing on speed and execution

C) Deadlift variation to fix main weakness 4 work sets of 2-4 reps

D) Rowing variation 3 rest/pause sets of 6-8/15 sec/2-4 more reps

E) Hamstring exercise 3 rest/pause sets of 6-8/15 sec/2-4 more reps

DAY 2

A) Deadlift 85% of your previous day 2RM do singles with 30 seconds of rest. Stop when your form breaks down, you start to grind or when you have reached 20 lifts (whichever comes first)

B) Back extension 3 sets of hold top position 15 seconds then do 8-10 reps (if weight if possible)

C) Romanian deadlift or Goodmorning variation 3 sets of 12-15 reps with a fairly slow tempo

D) Rowing variation 3 sets of hold peak contraction 15 seconds then do 8-10 reps

E) Hamstrings exercise 3 sets of hold peak contraction 15 seconds then do 8-10 reps

At the conclusion of the phase, take a 1 week deload on the deadlift days by only doing 5 x 2 with 85% of your previous week 2RM for your deadlift on both days, accessory work stays the same

The THIRD PHASE is a specific phase and lasts 3-4 weeks. You will deadlift 3 days a week… YOU NEED TO STOP TRAINING THE SQUAT HARD ON THIS PHASE, so don’t do any more squatting or lower body work than my recommendation below:

DAY 1

A) Deadlift ramp up to a technically solid 1RM. Here, discipline is important. Do NOT attempt a weight you are not at least 90% sure of nailing. This is not a test day, it’s a day where you learn to use your strength in a 1 rep effort

B) Squat variation 5 sets of 5 WITH A MODERATE WEIGHT (around 70-75% of your max, leave 2-3 reps in the tank on every set, this is IMPORTANT)

C) Rowing variation 5 sets of 5 heavy sets but with good form

D) Back extension isodynamic contrast II = Hold top 20 sec/do 3 reps/Hold top 15 sec/do 3 reps/Hold top 10 sec/do 3 reps… this is one set (add weight if possible)

E) Hamstring exercise 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps with a fairly slow tempo

DAY 2

A) Deadlift 80% of the 1RM from Day 1. 10 x 1 with 60 seconds of rest

B) Rowing variation 4 sets of 8-10 squeezing the peak contraction 2 seconds per rep

C) Hamstring exercise 4 sets of 8-10 squeezing the peak contraction 2 seconds per rep

D) Back extension isodynamic contrast II = Hold top 20 sec/do 3 reps/Hold top 15 sec/do 3 reps/Hold top 10 sec/do 3 reps… this is one set (add weight if possible)

DAY 3

A) Deadlift 70% of the 1RM from day 1. 20 x 1 with 30 sec of rest

B) Romanian deadlift or Goodmorning variation 3 x 8-10 with a slow eccentric

C) Rowing variation 3 x 8-10 with a slow eccentric

D) Back extension 3 x 15-20 (with weight if possible)

Finally, PHASE FOUR is the peaking phase and lasts three weeks. This is THE WHOLE PLAN for that phase, everything else is put on hold while you peak the deadlift… don’t do anything more.

The ideal schedule for the peak phase is:

Monday: DAY 1

Tuesday: OFF

Wednesday: DAY 2

Thursday: OFF

Friday: DAY 3

Saturday: DAY 4

Sunday OFF

PEAK PHASE WEEK 1

DAY 1

A) Deadlift 70% of your last 1RM. 15 x 1 with 30 sec of rest

B) Bench press 5 sets of 5 (heavy but not all out)

C) Rowing variation 5 sets of 5 (heavy but not all out)

DAY 2

A) Deadlift 80% of your last 1RM. 9 x 1 with 45 sec of rest

B) Military press 3 x 6-8 (not to failure)

C) Rowing variation 3 sets of 6-8 (hold peak contraction 2 seconds per rep)

DAY 3

A) Deadlift 90% of your last 1RM. 6 x 1 with 60 sec of rest

B) Incline DB press 3 x 10-12

C) Rowing variation 3 x rest/pause sets of 8-10/rest 15 sec/2-4 additional reps

DAY 4

1. A) Sled pull or prowler pushing… LIGHT WEIGHT for recovery 10 sets of 30m with 2 minutes of rest

PEAK PHASE WEEK 2

DAY 1

A) Deadlift 75% of your last 1RM. 15 x 1 with 30 sec of rest

B) Bench press 5 sets of 5 (heavy but not all out)

C) Rowing variation 5 sets of 5 (heavy but not all out)

DAY 2

A) Deadlift 85% of your last 1RM. 9 x 1 with 45 sec of rest

B) Military press 3 x 6-8 (not to failure)

C) Rowing variation 3 sets of 6-8 (hold peak contraction 2 seconds per rep

DAY 3

A) Deadlift 95% of your last 1RM. 6 x 1 with 60 sec of rest

B) Incline DB press 3 x 10-12

C) Rowing variation 3 x rest/pause sets of 8-10/rest 15 sec/2-4 additional reps

DAY 4

A) Sled pull or prowler pushing… LIGHT WEIGHT for recovery 10 sets of 30m with 2 minutes of rest

PEAK PHASE WEEK 3

DAY 1

A) Deadlift 80% of your last 1RM. 9 x 1 with 30 sec of rest

B) Bench press 2 sets of 5 (heavy but not all out)

C) Rowing variation 2 sets of 5 (heavy but not all out)

DAY 2

A) Deadlift 90% of your last 1RM. 4 x 1 with 60 sec of rest

B) Military press 2 x 6-8 (not to failure)

DAY 3

A) Deadlift 70% of your last 1RM 3 sets of 2

DAY 4

Work up to your true max on the deadlift

Hope I answered to your question correctly and it helps.

– CT