Did deadlifts for the first time in 4 months

[Robert28]

Haven’t done deadlifts in 4 months and I was surprised I hadn’t lost any strength in them. I was able to do my normal workout I did 4 months ago. I usually warm up with 10 reps of 135, then 8 reps with 195. Then I’ll do 10x5 with 255. It started to kick my ass on set number 7 though. I just use chalk and mixed grip, I can’t do wraps or anything. Then at the end I’ll throw on 315 and TRY to get 3 reps but yesterday I only got 1.
I don’t deadlift every week either, usually every 3-4 weeks.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Haven’t done deadlifts in 4 months and I was surprised I hadn’t lost any strength in them. I was able to do my normal workout I did 4 months ago. I usually warm up with 10 reps of 135, then 8 reps with 195. Then I’ll do 10x5 with 255. It started to kick my ass on set number 7 though. I just use chalk and mixed grip, I can’t do wraps or anything. Then at the end I’ll throw on 315 and TRY to get 3 reps but yesterday I only got 1.
I don’t deadlift every week either, usually every 3-4 weeks.

I'd start doing them more frequently.

 

[Captain Redbeard]

10 working sets in one session is a lot for deadlift. Some would say overkill. And then to add weight to the bar after those 10 sets and try to grind out a few reps is less than intelligent training

 

[Robert28]

10 working sets in one session is a lot for deadlift. Some would say overkill. And then to add weight to the bar after those 10 sets and try to grind out a few reps is less than intelligent training

Nah it’s not overkill. I don’t do anything on that day other than deadlifts. I have found that I’d rather lift at lower weight and better form for more reps than higher weight with bad form and fewer reps with risk of injury. I only did the 5x5x3x1 when I played football.

 

[Robert28]

Is there a point to this post?

Get on a real program and run it. Whether it includes deadlifts or not (until you can pull at least 2x bodyweight you should stick to heavy compounds).

I could most likely do 360 but don’t feel like lifting heavy all the time. I do a lot of compound lifts (manmakers, etc). If you want to test your conditioning do 8-10 sets of deadlifts with 70% of your max. I promise you’ll feel it more the next two days than you would 5x5.

 

[Robert28]

I'd start doing them more frequently.

I need to get back to doing them once a week. Maybe once every two weeks with the amount of sets I do.

 

[Robert28]

Why would I want to test my conditioning with a modality such as deadlifts?

The ROI on sets not taken to failure, or very close to, is not worth the fatigue you generate from them.

Well share how you do deadlifts then, I’d be interested to see your workout and how it differs.

 

[Robert28]

I don't do deadlifts often, though I did them for the last 2 weeks on a 531 template. Powerlifts don't suit my goals so I stopped doing them... too taxing for too little in return. I'd gotten deads to 495x5 and squats to 405x3; I wasn't able to recover from both within the same week, and I couldn't do much for the remainder of my workout.
^This is just my experience after powerbuilding for about 13 years (natty).

I shifted over to hypertrophy focus and said "f it" on powerlifts... my physique made large changes in a surprisingly short period of time.

I wouldn't advise specifically what to do without knowing what your goals are.
If it's to be big and strong but not really caring about looks - powerlifting.
If it's to be pretty and not care about throwing around big weights - hypertrophy.

Yeah I’m definitely not into power lifting anymore. Trying to save my joints from years of playing football lol I don’t even bench anymore, kills my shoulders. I do mostly compound lifts and HITT but high reps (15-20) on everything. I’ll only do deadlifts every couple weeks, I never squat anymore but instead I incorporate legs into just about every workout I do in some form or fashion. Things like 4x15 dumbbell squat press with 35’s for example. I do a lot of explosive stuff like 30” box jumps for 4x15. I’m going after the athletic look with a lot of flexibility and range of motion.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I could most likely do 360 but don’t feel like lifting heavy all the time. I do a lot of compound lifts (manmakers, etc). If you want to test your conditioning do 8-10 sets of deadlifts with 70% of your max. I promise you’ll feel it more the next two days than you would 5x5.

You want conditioning do 5 sets of 12 with a minute break between them at like 60-70% of 1 RM.

Used to do that as my entire workout for the day for a few weeks at a time when I wanted to mix stuff up.

You want to talk about seeing the white light...that put you closer to God right there...

Ended up doing that with 355 lbs at my peak. To this day one of the toughest workouts I've ever had. Outside of the month or two I did NFL player workouts that my trainer gave me(he had a few friends that were headed to the NFL Combine and was training them). Those were absolutely brutal.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Yeah I’m definitely not into power lifting anymore. Trying to save my joints from years of playing football lol I don’t even bench anymore, kills my shoulders. I do mostly compound lifts and HITT but high reps (15-20) on everything. I’ll only do deadlifts every couple weeks, I never squat anymore but instead I incorporate legs into just about every workout I do in some form or fashion. Things like 4x15 dumbbell squat press with 35’s for example. I do a lot of explosive stuff like 30” box jumps for 4x15. I’m going after the athletic look with a lot of flexibility and range of motion.

Smart man...it wasn't worth it in a lot of ways for me. Basically has led to joint issues in my late 30s to early 40s that I have had to fix via replacementss

 

[Robert28]

You want conditioning do 5 sets of 12 with a minute break between them at like 60-70% of 1 RM.

Used to do that as my entire workout for the day for a few weeks at a time when I wanted to mix stuff up.

You want to talk about seeing the white light...that put you closer to God right there...

Ended up doing that with 355 lbs at my peak. To this day one of the toughest workouts I've ever had. Outside of the month or two I did NFL player workouts that my trainer gave me(he had a few friends that were headed to the NFL Combine and was training them). Those were absolutely brutal.

I might have to try that! What percentage of your mead were you doing? I might try 5x12 with 235 to see how that goes, I’ll probably see the white light from that lol

 

[Obee1]

I'd start doing them more frequently.

I would agree he needs to do them more frequently but not with that ridiculous amount of volume. He probably needs 3-4 weeks to recover. Robert28, I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze on that DL program. If you survive that workout without injury you are certainly going to get some hypertrophy but you are missing out on maximizing neural adaptation. You can lift hard or you can lift long but it's difficult to do both. DL is not a lift you want take to failure. Your ability to do that volume tells me you are leaving a lot on the table as far as intensity. I coach a 220 lb lifter that DL's over 700, and missed locking out 800 in competition, and I've got a 145 lb lifter that DL's 500 lbs. They hit 3 sets between 85%-95% of their 1RM every 7-10 days. Just saying. If you're insistent on doing that volume I would seriously consider using a trap bar. It's more forgiving when fatigue or failure sets in.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I might have to try that! What percentage of your mead were you doing? I might try 5x12 with 235 to see how that goes, I’ll probably see the white light from that lol

My 1RM was 565 lbs so 355 was a little over 60% of 1RM