Deadlifts, together with the Squat and the Bench Press will compose the Holy Trinity of Weight Training. If I could do exclusively 4 exercises for the rest of my life, I would do those 3 + Pull-Ups. Programming for deadlifts (and the others too) though is not that easy. I came to find that the regular 3 or 4 sets of 8, 10 or whatever amount of reps you like to do will only take you so far. In one point, if you wish to build humongous strength levels you need to be a bit more specific with your programming.

In this article I’m considering you have proper form, no limitations, injuries whatsoever, and that you are for some reason stuck in your development or seeing very little to no gains lately. After years of training myself and others, I came to realise in my theoretical and practical experience that working with percentages is the most efficient way to build yourself up, simply because you go to the gym with a number in mind, and if you don’t get that number, you will reassess everything and restart from wherever you need to restart, instead of just loading the barbell and seeing how many reps you can do on that day.

STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM – 1ST PHASE:

For most people the most difficult part of the deadlift will be the start of the movement, when you are driving the bar off the floor. Probably the best solution for that would be Deficit Deadlifts (standing on a 7cm podium, more or less). Deficit Deadlifts will force you to build better leg drive, since you have to squat into a deeper position to pick up the bar. In that phase of programming, I usually spend 4 weeks with my trainees doing –

10 x 6 @ 5-0-x-0 Tempo and 180″ rest. 1st week @ 45% 1 Rep Max, 2nd week @ 50%, 3rd @ 55%, 4th @ 60%. (I usually calculate the percentages on the desired 1 rep max you want to achieve by the end of that cycle. Just keep in mind to not calculate something 30kg over what you can do at the moment. A 10kg increase would be great already.)

RESPECT THE TEMPO: this number 5 over there means 5″ descending the bar. RESPECT IT. There is a reason why it’s there. It will place a ton of stress on your lower back and hamstrings with little loads, helping you build tolerance to heavier loads there.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT MISS REPS BECAUSE OF GRIP FAILURE. Forget the regular double overhand grip for now. It is important to GET ALL THE REPS. Your grip strength will be ok, don’t worry. Utilise a mixed grip, and in last case, straps. You are going for a 1 Rep Max attempt in the end of this program. You will not do it with a double overhand grip if you are already lifting some serious weights (2x body weight, more or less).

2ND PHASE:

Another 4 weeks of Deficit Deadlifts. This time you will do 8 x 4 @ 1-0-x-0 Tempo and 180″ rest. Do not forget to COMPLETELY PAUSE THE BAR right after moving it off the floor. This little distance ran will also increase your leg drive from the starting position when you deadlift normally off the floor. Percentages are 65%, 70%, 75%, 80% each week respectively.

3RD PHASE – PEAKING:

Time to get your new 1 Rep Max, 4 weeks to go. It is time to peak, meaning, time to decrease volume and increase intensity. That’s how we’ll roll:

Week 1: 4×3 @ 85%

Week 2: 4×3 @ 90%

Week 3: 3×2 @ 95%

Week 4: Peak week. Warm-Up regularly and build up to your 1 RM attempt. Take long resting times during those weeks, up to 5 or 6 minutes between sets if you feel the need.

During those last 4 weeks you are back to deadlifting from the floor, no deficit anymore. If you did the program correctly, the bar should be flying off the floor. Get your new 1 rep max, make sure you record it, post it in IG and tag me there (@bryanrfarani) so we can all enjoy it, BUT…use that recording to find what you need to work on, and start your next training cycle focusing on that.

Building strength is an art that can ONLY be improved by WORKING ON DEFICIENCIES. Doing the same thing over and over again won’t get you nowhere, it will only get you stressed because you are not seeing the changes expected, and here between us, nobody likes that. Being patient and trusting the process is king.

If you want more tips, I would recommend you go to https://www.westside-barbell.com/ , they have a bunch of great articles there!

Check out my Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/bryanrfarani/

ENJOY YOUR TRAINING!