Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Sam Coleman, Co-Founder
FACT CHECKED
The mighty deadlift. This single lift can either make you or break you in the gym. Your number can say a lot about you as a lifter, as it's the single best indicator of strength. The problem is that many guys are leaving a lot in the tank, but they're not taking any specific steps to increase their numbers. That's why we're writing out this deadlift-specific program for you to follow to see some meaningful jumps in your deadlift.
What Is The Deadlift?
The deadlift is the king of exercises.
It's a full-body exercise that's going to target your legs, glutes, back, and grip. But in reality, every muscle must fire to complete this lift. Further, it's probably the single best strength and power builder, and we're not sure who said it's not a great mass builder but they probably just weren’t lifting enough. The deadlift and its variations are some of the best exercises you can do to build a wide, thick back.
Not only does it build strength and mass, It's probably the most functional exercise there, as it consists of picking a loaded barbell off the ground. Of course, it's a bit more technical than that, which we'll get into below, but that's the gist of the lift. There’s something heavy on the ground and you need to lift it up.
What Muscles Does The Deadlift Train?
At its core, the deadlift is a hip-hinge movement that trains the posterior chain;
As we mentioned above, the deadlift is also an amazing exercise for training your upper back, including your lats and back. In fact, Frank Zane says that rack pulls were the key to building his infamous back (source). Now, some people will claim that the deadlift isn't a great mass builder.
Further, if you have a weak grip, the deadlift will fix that. Assuming you're not using straps, you must hold the barbell with your hands, which can get heavy fast. Talk to anyone with a big deadlift, and you'll see a strong set of forearms.
What Is A Deadlift Program?
So now, let's talk about what a deadlift program is. There is no clear definition, but the gist is that it's a program designed to improve your deadlift. What this means is that simply doing deadlifts cuts it. Rather, a large percentage of the program will be designed in such a manner to support a better deadlift. Not only will you perform deadlifts, but it will likely contain variations and accessory work – we'll go over these below.
Who Needs A Deadlift Program?
Do you even need a deadlift program? We can't say for sure, but we will say that not everyone does. For example, a beginner doesn’t need any specialized deadlift program as they can basically use any rep scheme with linear periodization and make progress.
Therefore, you should have at least a year of training before you start looking at a specific deadlift program.
Proponents Of A Deadlift Program
So now, let's review the different parts of a deadlift program.
The Deadlift
Obviously, any deadlift program is going to have a deadlift. This is going to be your primary movement, obviously. However, this doesn’t mean you just perform the lift. In fact, this program will have you spending a lot of time on deadlift variations. Sometimes, working on the movement pattern with different range of motions, loads and biomechanics help to either identify or just strengthen the movement.
Regardless, you’ll obviously be training the deadlift but only using very high loads sparingly. Your other reps will be done with a focus on performing, strong, crisp reps.
Deadlift Variations
Another variable of a deadlift program is deadlift variations. These are variations of the deadlift meant to help train various aspects such as lift-off, lockout, or muscle involvement.
Deficit Deadlift
The deficit deadlift might be the best variation, so you will use this movement extensively. To perform one, you simply stand on an elevated as you perform the lift. This increases the range of motion while also placing your body in a way that forces you to improve the pushing part of the deadlift.
As you bend down farther, your knees will have greater flexion. This requires you to use your quads by driving your feet down into the ground to lift the bar off the ground.
Block Pull/Rack Pull
Block pulls and rack pulls are two other great accessory movements for improving maximal brute strength. Opposite the deficit deadlift, the block pull has you raise the barbell so that you start with the dumbbell off the ground, usually a few inches off the ground, but some people will even train slightly above the knee.
As the bar is raised off the ground, you'll have a biomechanics advantage and can lift more weight. This requires every muscle to exert more force, even for a smaller range of motion. Your whole body will benefit from this increased load, but your back and glutes will feel it.
When comparing the two, we prefer the block pull for this situation as it more closely resembles the deadlift. As the plates are on blocks, you still get the bend in the bar as you lift which helps with the lift, even if it’s a small amount. In comparison, rack pulls are performed with the barbell setting on bars. When you pull, there is no bend making it a bit tougher.
Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is a fantastic exercise for improving the hip-hinge pattern and isolating the glutes and hamstrings. However, you'll perform it using the snatch grip (the grip you use when performing the snatch). This is a wide grip that's around 1.5x your normal grip.
Using this wide grip will provide several benefits:
- Increase back strength
- Increase & teach lat engagement
- Teach keeping the bar close
Accessory Work
Improving your deadlift requires more than just doing accessory work. These exercises have specific qualities that will directly benefit your deadlift performance.
Chin-Ups
Chin-ups are a great accessory for anything. They're awesome back exercises that increase overall strength in the back and biceps.
Power Rows
Power rows are well known in the strength world but are a bit rare in bodybuilding or general fitness. The power is like a mix between the deadlift and bent-over row.
Every rep starts on the ground with a deadlift. However, once the bar gets to your knee, you maintain your back position and perform a power row—think about doing a push press but with a row.
Front Squat
Front squats are a great squat variation to use as an accessory to the deadlift. The front squat places more emphasis on the quads so you’ll increase your pushing power. Further, you use an upright torso so it will give your back some relief.
Split Squats
Split squats are another great lower body exercise to increase lower body strength in a unilateral manner.
GHD/Back Extension
GHD or back extensions are always a good add-on to increase your posterior chain strength and endurance.
Farmer Carries
Let's be honest; farmer carries will improve any lift, especially the deadlift! Running farmer carries is going to improve your deadlift through several mechanisms:
- Increase grip strength
- Increase upper back strength.
- Increase core strength and stability.
- Improve conditioning
Proper Deadlift Form
No deadlift program will work if your form is incorrect. Therefore, we we'll review the proper form and touch on some common mistakes.
- Load a barbell on the ground. If possible, set up on a deadlift platform. If you don't have access to a deadlift program, try to use the hardest ground if possible.
- Step up to the bar and set your feet around hip-width apart. One of the easiest ways to find optimal foot placement is to perform a vertical jump and let your feet land naturally. Your body will put you in the most optimal position. Some people may adjust after this, but it's a great starting place.
- Stand next to the barbell so it's over your midfoot and a few inches from your shin.
- Squat down and grip the barbell with an overhand or mixed grip, hands just outside your knees and shoulder width apart.
- Pull slightly on the bar to help get your body tight. Next, push your hips down as you let your chest. At the same time, your body will tilt back. Continue until your shins are vertical and your arms are vertical.
- At this point, everything should be straight and tight. Keep a flat back and shoulders pulled back. Also, be sure to keep your lats engaged.
- Before you lift, pull on the bar slightly to get "the slack" out of the bar.
- Drive your feet into the ground as you lift the barbell. Your back angle will maintain the same position until it hits the knees.
- When the barbell hits your knees, drive your hips forward until your hips are fully extended.
- Lower the bar and reset.
Most Common Mistakes Plus Tips
We will review some common deadlift errors and some tips. Fix these, and you'll instantly be able to move more weight.
- Drag your leg. You need to keep the bar close to your legs. Every millimeter the bar moves away from you takes you out of good form. This will pull your body forward and place extra stress on your lower back. Therefore, we’ll say to “drag the lag”. This basically means you keep the leg on your leg the whole way up. Now, you do need to be careful and not pull it into your leg as this is how people get bloody shins.
- Keep your knees back and shins vertical. Some will let their knees come forward as they set up. This could be due to mobility/form issues or that you're subconsciously trying to recruit your quads more. If you let your knees come forward, you must lift the barbell up and around your knees rather than straight up.
- Drive your shoulders up. Many new lifters will let their hips rise upon initiating lift-off. This could be due to several reasons, but two of them are either lower back weakness or haven't learned how to maintain stiffness in their back. One way to help with this is to think about increasing your shoulders.
- Push the ground away. Pretend like the bar is fixed, and you're pushing the ground down. This will recruit more of your quads to help with the lift-off. So push the ground down, drive your shoulders up.
Your Deadlift Programs
We’re now going to get into your deadlift programs. We’re going to lay out two different ones.
The first is going to focus on two primary variations; the deadlift deficit and block pull. Each of these will be the primary exercise on two different days.
Deadlift Session 1
- Deficit Deadlift (See Below)
- Conventional Deadlift (See Below)
- Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift 10/8/6/4*
- Split Squat 3X8-10/leg
- GHD/Hyper/Back Extension 3X10-12
- Farmer Carry 5X10m
Deadlift Session 2
- Block Pull/Rack Pull (See Below)
- Front Squat 10/8/6/10*
- Power Row 3X8-10
- Chin-Ups 3X6-10
- GHD/Hyper/Back Extension 3X10-12
*Perform 4 sets using the assigned rep scheme. However, only work up to an RPE7. This means that if you choose a weight for 8 reps and hit a RPE 7 at rep 6, stop there. You can then just use that same weight for your next set of 6 reps or even drop a little. The purpose here is getting in some volume with progressively heavier weight; it is not to max out.
Finding Your Deadlift Training Max
If you know your deadlift max, then you can just start this program using that. If you don’t know your deadlift max, you’ll need to find it. Either way, this does not need to be a true max number. Sometimes we may say a “training max” which means the max amount of weight that you can hit confidently on a regular basis. It’s heavy but not an all out, true max.
Deficit Deadlift/Deadlift Progression
When you perform the deficit deadlift, use a lift that has you about 1-2 inches off the ground. No need to get 4 inches up right now, especially if this is your first time doing deficit deadlifts. The main purpose of these is to improve your quad involvement while also making the range of motion longer.
Depending on the person, their deficit deadlift could be anywhere from 5-15% less than their deadlift. We’re going to use 10% so subtract 10% for your deficit number. For example, if your deadlift max is 400lbs, your deficit deadlift will be 360lbs. This will be the number you use for the following progressions. Note, will be an approximation to get you started. You may need to increase or lower spending on your deficit performance. If your quad engagement is weak, it will be lower, if your quad engagement is strong it may be higher.
With that said, you can make some alterations if you feel it’s appropriate, especially if you feel it’s too heavy. If you feel the deficit is very challenging, that’s actually a good thing (we like to look at the bright side!) because we can assume it’s due to having poor quad involvement. In other words, we found an issue and we can now fix it!
- Week 1: 3 X 8 70% + 2X3
- Week 2: 3 X 6 75% + 2X3
- Week 3: 3 X 4 80% + 2X3
- Week 4: Ramp up to 1 single at 90%
- Week 5: 3 X 5 50% (Of deadlift) from floor
After performing each deficit set, you will then lift the same weight from the floor with the given rep scheme. These weights from the floor should be very light for the prescribed rep scheme so really focus on form and max effort for every rep. Your goal is performing ultra crisp deadlifts with as much power as possible. You’re trying to get up as fast as possible while of course, using great form.
Keep in mind that on week 1-3 of your deficit deadlifts, your reps should not be brought up to an RPE9. The goal here is to increase your pushing power as well as power with your speed work. You are not maxing out so keep it at 7-8 and adjust if needed.
Also if you have never done deficit deadlifts, your first week may be followed by big progressions so you can make some adjustments if you need.
Block Pull Progression
Now, when we get your block pull, you’re going to work up to a higher number than your deadlift during the first block, specifically on week 3 and possibly week 2. The exact number can vary a lot depending on the person’s experience but more importantly, where the bar is raised to.
Ideally, we want you to pull from mid-shin level. For these, you’re going to ramp up to a single top set using at least 5 sets. Just remember that you’ll still use maximal intent on all sets. This means your first few sets may look like speed reps.
The last set should be at about 95% intensity so it’s not maximal effort but it’s just about there. You’ll then take off 15-20% and perform 1 back-off set until about a RPE7-8 but we want at least 4-5 reps.
We’re now going to use some made-up numbers just so you can see how this would look percentage wise. Mind you, you don’t need to use exact percentages but it may help in choosing weights. Let’s say your 1RM is about 405lbs. Here’s how your ramping up could look for sets of 5.
- Set 1: 260 X 5 (65%)
- Set 2: 280 X 5 (70%)
- Set 3: 300 X 5 (74%)
- Set 4: 320 X 5 (80%)
- Set 5: 340 X 5 (84%)
- Set 6: 290 X RPE7-8
Note, the percentages will vary depending on your ability to lift multiple sets and maintain strength. Some people may end up only lifting 80% at set 5 while some may work up 90%. Again, the exact percent is not the primary factor, it’s that you’re working up to 95% effort so this will depend on you a bit. Just keep in mind that after the first month, you’ll have numbers that you want to beat, obviously by using progressive overload.
Now, because block pull performance will vary between individuals (some stronger, some weaker), these are estimates so your first time will simply take some educated guesses. This is especially true between performing rack pulls and block pulls with rack pulls being harder.
With that said, here’s how your weekly progressions will look.
- Week 1: Work up to top set of 5 + 1 Back Off Set
- Week 2: Work up to top set of 3 + 1 Back Off Set
- Week 3: Work up to top single + 1 Back Off Set
- Week 4: 5 X 5 50-60%
- Week 5: Work up to a new deadlift max from ground.
If you feel like you need a deload, you could use one on week 6 and then continue.
Other Lifts?
These sessions will essentially act as two lower body sessions. You can use this in conjunction with other training sessions such as working on your bench press and shoulder press so you could set up two other upper body days or what works for you. Note that you do get a bit of back training within those sessions so keep that in mind when putting in other back exercises.
Now for squatting, you should keep this to a minimum if at all. You will be using the front squat so using the back squat isn’t really necessary. Further, the deficit deadlift is much more quad dominant so you’ll still get the work.
If you wanted, you could perform some light weight sets just to maintain form.
Alternative Deadlift Program
This deadlift program is a bit more simple and straightforward and uses ramp-up sets every week where you progressively put more weight on the bar. This could be used by anyone depending on their program.
- Deadlift (See Below)
- Front Squat 10/8/6/10
- Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift 3 X 8-10
- Chin-Up 3 X RPE7-8
- GHD/Back Extensions 3X12-15
- Farmer Carry 5X10m
Deadlift Rep Scheme
You’re going to use the following rep scheme every week.
- Set 1: 6 reps at 70% of 1RM
- Set 2: 5 reps at 75% of 1RM
- Set 3: 4 reps at 80% of 1 RM
- Set 4: 3 reps at 82.5–85% of 1 RM
- Set 5: 2 reps at 85–87.5% of 1RM
- Set 6: 1 rep at 92.5–95% of 1RM
The next week, you’ll then use a slightly higher 1RM estimate. Follow this for 4 weeks then take a deload on the fifth week. You’ll then continue on the 6th week.
Training The Deadlift: Other Things To Know
Here are just a couple more little bits and pieces you should know about training the deadlift.
Treat Every Rep Like A Max!
We all know that we must take our training seriously, which means every exercise. However, the deadlift requires a little extra attention. One of the best little hacks you can apply to your training is to treat every rep like a max.
This means giving 100% effort every time you put weight on the bar and lift, including your warm-up sets; don;t just go through the motions. By doing this, you'll teach your muscles how to fire to optimize your deadlift performance.
It really does make a big difference. Think about training the deadlift as a mix of “Practice makes perfect” and “Perfection through repetition”.
Listen To Your Body
Another crucial lesson when training the deadlift is to listen to your body. Even when using proper loads, training the deadlift can build up fatigue. Maybe you didn't sleep well or are or are a bit sick. Therefore, don't be scared to adjust your training if you're not feeling it on any specific day.
We have a program, but if you're not feeling it one day, don't push it. Drop the load or whatever you need to do and start back up the next day.
That said, this shouldn't happen that often. If it does, it indicates that something is off.
- Your diet
- Poor sleep
- Not enough training experience
- Too much volume (lifters of levels can respond better or worse to volume.)
Eat!!!
This program is built to be used in a caloric surplus as this is the easiest time to make gains. This doesn’t mean dirty bulk but a good 300-500 caloric surplus will be needed. As far as macros, break it down like this:
- Protein: 1.6-2.0g/kg
- Fat: 30-40% total calories
- Carbs: Fill in the rest
…And Sleep!!!
You’re also going to need to sleep, especially on the night of your deadlift training. Sleep is your best form of recovery and if you're cutting it short, you’re just making it harder than it needs to be. Obviously everyone is different but a good 7-9 hours should be suffice.
Time To Get Your Deadlift Number Up!
Now it's time to get to work! We know what it's like to start a new program with all the excitement; just be sure to take it slow. Your deadlift will not increase overnight, so keep the long game in mind! The good thing is that it will increase if you put in the work in the gym and take care of your body outside.
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Garett Reid
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