Thread: The Deadlift a king-or a jack of all trades?

Originally Posted by trapzilla

NO so much can't but don't so that I avoid placing any workload on hamstrings, and so keep them fresh for leg day, yet i cna still hit lumars and back with the dead

gotcha...i do deads on back day (thursday) and legs on monday. i have found that my legs are plenty rested by monday. of course i am short legged with long arms and torso, so my legs are not far off strait anyway when i am doing deads. i have heard that if you are trying to go heavy on deads you should not try to do them every week? even some of the strongest powerlifters only do them once or twice a week? of course i am still a novice, or an intermediate lifter at best. so i will do them every week till i can't. has anyone else heard this?

How many reps should i be doing on deadlifts? Should i be doing sets of ten? or are lower reps better with heavier weight?

Originally Posted by jack1970

How many reps should i be doing on deadlifts? Should i be doing sets of ten? or are lower reps better with heavier weight?

<=5 reps.

A lot of people's form goes to shit after about 5 reps. I keep mine under 8 but my form is good through those 8.

you all need to man up and try a 20 rep set of deads with your 10 rep max weight. i remember when i used to those! fuck cardio they'll get ya hearling. even if you have to hitch its still a rep!

Love me some deadfifts, my favorite exercise by far!

Originally Posted by trapzilla

you all need to man up and try a 20 rep set of deads with your 10 rep max weight. i remember when i used to those! fuck cardio they'll get ya hearling. even if you have to hitch its still a rep!

lol been meaning to try juggs version of the 20 rep squat.

2 days of squat, 1 day of deads at 10 rep max.

Though I'm starting to have my doubts about deads. The are probably my best movement in terms of relative strength. I can do 5x5 with 210kg at last check.

This fucks me up though, CNS is completely trashed. I think I might be better off doing some some romanian deads, GM's and hypers instead.

The research continues.

Originally Posted by trapzilla

One thing I have discoverd though is that i can do deads on a back day providing i don't go to the floor on each rep i.e. keep the bar just below knees-ala dorian

So basically rack deadlifts without the benefit of using a rack?

I do DLs on leg day, along with various squats. No straps, just chalk.

many years ago the DL was called the" health lift" since it works everything.

Deadlift all the way I jacked my back up so I have to stay away from that now. Man how I miss it.

Monday = Back

Tuesday = Legs

Wendsday = Rest

Thursday = Chest
Friday =Dead Lifts

^^^Where's the vertical pressing?

Sometimes do a bit mondays, sometimes after deadlifts and sometimes ill deadicate a full session to it but in general i dont go crazy eith shoulders.

Like today was kinda a deadlift/shoulder hybrid session
Deadlift 5 x 5-8
RDLs 3 x 12
Hang clean 3 x 10
Milly press 3 x 8 - 10

Thats the great thing about deadlifts u can work pretty much any muscle round them that u feel uve been neglecting through the week or maybe just lagging

deads are overrated. they just fry the CNS. I did them every week on back day and every other week before that but I've just been doing heavy hypers with a dumbell lately for lower back. And Good Mornings on leg day.

I like squats the best overall. But dead lifts are a strong second for me.

Unfortunately if I want to do both, now I have to do rack dead lifts. Because by the time I get to back/biceps day, my legs still haven't recovered for my legs day to properly do the full range of dead lifts (usually 2 days apart). I supposed I could do dead lifts on legs day, but then that would defeat the purpose of my back day and then my back would not be properly recovered for back day. Also I can't do an entire legs/back day, because that would just be too much time in the gym. My legs like to take a POUNDING

I don't mind doing only rack dead lifts though, because squats give my lumbar plenty of exercise to benefit from.

Also, I do plenty of warm ups for both dead lifts and squats. But once I can no longer grip the bar for dead lifts, I add the straps. And when I am going for a new personal record with squats or dead lifts, I put on my belt as well. When you have had as many lumbar sprains as I have, you will start doing the same. But I only use it for new PR's.

I am also always trying to improve my grip strength throughout my warm up sets and I go up to the point in which my grip gives out which at this time is 315 lbs. But my dead lift right now is at 385 pounds for 5 reps.

Also, I prefer not to go higher than 6 reps for dead lifts as my core tends to not be able to keep itself completely solid as I need it for finish the set with perfect form, which then sets me up for a risky back injury.

I know I may sound like a pussy, but like I said, when you have had as many lumbar sprains as I have, you start approaching the 2 kings of exercises; squats and dead lifts with a little more caution.

[Edit]
PS: Unless I am on AAS, I don't do dead lifts every week. I do them every 2 weeks, because they require quite a bit of recovery time. In the beginning I could, but once you start getting up into the 4 plate range, deads just FRY your CNS and your back and over training in this exercise becomes very easy. Train deads less often, and you will start making better gains with your deads.

I actually alternate deads and squats on leg days, only because my femurs are so bloody long and my torso/arms are so short even a sumo deadlift just destroys my legs.

Back day is saved for pullups.

/\pullups are better than deads for lats IMO. maybe not the spinal erectors but I like to hammer my lats on back day. I might do a couple sets of trap bar deads tomorrow to keep those nerves firing while I take a break from deads.

^^^ I find trap deads worse on my CNS, I can add another 30-40kg compared to my regular dead weight.

I'm with you Diesel, for hypertrophy deads are overrated IMO. However for strength gains they can't be beat.

I'm glad to see so many view points on the deadlift.

I personally will only do deadlifts at the end of a back day, I find I am sttrong enough to still hit decent weights for reps. Most importantly however the weight isn't so heavy my legs are excessively involved so they are not tired for leg day which is the next day.

I still feel people over-rely on deadlifts, hell I certainly used to and when I did my back and legs were shit, now I rarely do them my back and legs are my best bodyparts.

for lumbar strength heavy rack deads cannot be beat particularly if you hyperextend at the top.

I also feel pullups are over-relied on too much but that is a different debate

I seriously hate deadlifts I stay away to avoid injury squads,goodmornings,hyperextentions good enough for my lower back

i really like them, just feels good to move that much weight,outweighs my squat by far. It is hard to put in a routine for me if i'm really going to go near max. I'm actually thinking of switching from a 3 day to a 4 day just to find a way to space them out w/o messing up my squats on leg day. i stay close to a 4-6 rep range

I'm deadlifting today. I'm a little excited but I kind of just want it to be over so I can move to pullups and rows.

IMHO, Deadlifts reign as the single most important lift in my regimen. No single exercise has contributed more significantly to the development of my biceps, forearms...oh yeah, and my back...and my glutes...and...

One commonality I've found is that too many people attempt to push strength over stability - the exercise should focus moreso on the latter than the former. I've told a few people that it's simply a "sitting-back hip hinge", though few want to prescribe to such a method.

Originally Posted by DeathMetal

IMHO, Deadlifts reign as the single most important lift in my regimen. No single exercise has contributed more significantly to the development of my biceps, forearms...oh yeah, and my back...and my glutes...and...

One commonality I've found is that too many people attempt to push strength over stability - the exercise should focus moreso on the latter than the former. I've told a few people that it's simply a "sitting-back hip hinge", though few want to prescribe to such a method.

surely if we are talking about the stability of the lift itself then there is an issue with the performers form?

in which case any issues arrising from the lift are due to improper tenchinque.

Originally Posted by trapzilla

surely if we are talking about the stability of the lift itself then there is an issue with the performers form?

in which case any issues arrising from the lift are due to improper tenchinque.

Agreed