I was scrolling through past pictures I’ve posted to Instagram (@rosenthalec) on the T this morning (as does everyone), and I came across the picture below.
The caption read, “Finally hit that 4 plate #deadlift”. The picture was posted 119 weeks ago, which equates to the first week of May 2013. At the time this was a huge deal to me. A 405 lb deadlift is pretty respectable, especially in a college weight room where you’re surrounded by people pumping away at their chest, bi’s and tri’s for hours on end. Not that many people were deadlifting, let alone north of 315. I was very satisfied with where my training had taken me up until that point. Little did I know, I would blow that number out of the water over the next two years.
Fast forward to May 2015 and my first powerlifting meet at the USAPL MA & RI State Championships. Going into the meet, my max had increased to 500 lbs. I opened up deadlifts with 210 kg (463 lbs), which I had hit for triples in my training. Easy. My next attempt came in at 230 kg (507 lbs). Although this would be a PR for me, I was 100% sure that I could hit this weight given how quickly 500 came up in my training. I assumed correctly and 230 kg went up very smoothly. My last attempt was at 245 kg (540 lbs) and would finally get me into the 3X bodyweight club. I blasted Eye of the Tiger in my headphones before the lift and my adrenaline levels were through the roof. I attacked the bar with more ferocity than I had ever approached a lift before, and shot through it with what felt like a bit more in the tank.
Now some of you may be thinking that two years is a long time, but anyone who’s had a significant amount of time under the bar knows that progress doesn’t come this quickly very often, if at all. I’ll admit that I was still on the “beginner” end of the spectrum back in May 2013, but I don’t think that a 405 lb max is anything to scoff at, especially at 23 years old. My training approach and lifestyle would change significantly over the next two years, allowing me to make rapid progress over a relatively short amount of time.
Diet and Alcohol
Around the time that I hit my 405 lb deadlift, I had begun changing my diet and actually gave up drinking alcohol for about two years. I’ll admit that going cold turkey on the alcohol consumption wasn’t 100% necessary, but I believe it had a significant impact on my training. I no longer had hangovers on Saturday and Sunday mornings, allowing me to get solid training sessions in on those days. Anyone who has ever lifted weights in college can attest to how awful your sessions go when you’re hungover.
I’m not even going to pretend to know the science behind how alcohol affects muscle growth and strength, but from an anecdotal standpoint I can say that my recovery was much better and I seemed to be making progress at a quicker rate (along with the other changes I made). If you’re more interested in this subject, I’d recommend doing some research of your own. Evidence can be conflicting, but the general consensus is that it should be consumed in moderation if you’re going to drink.
In terms of my diet, I began tracking my macronutrient intake using the MyFitnessPal app. I don’t think this is absolutely necessary for everyone, but it seemed to work for me. I was able to methodically manage my weight and ensure that I was consuming adequate amounts of protein. It really helped me drill down on my diet and gain a better understanding of the macronutrient composition of what I was consuming and what worked best for my body. I felt much better both physically and mentally and no longer felt guilty about consuming “unhealthy” food as long as it fit my macros.
Tracking my Lifts
As you can see in the first picture, I was already tracking my workouts in a journal when I hit 405 lbs. At that time, I had only been keeping a journal for a couple months though. A written record of all of my progress took all of the guess work out of what weights I should be using for each exercise. If I went through a training cycle without performing RDLs, for example, I could simply flip back to where I left off last time I did that exercise. It eliminated the possibility of retracing my steps and gave me the assurance of what I was already capable of handling. Plus, going into the gym and trying to remember what weights you used last week and for how many reps is a pain in the ass. This is a simple and calculated way to track your progress and even become aware of volume PRs.
Submaximal Intensities
Before I had any idea what proper programming or periodization was, I would basically go into the gym and try to max out almost on a weekly basis. The first program I followed that really taught me anything about submaximal training, without me even knowing, was Wendler’s 5/3/1. The program has checks and balances built in so that you don’t approach burnout and stay within optimal ranges. For starters, all lifts are calculated based on 90% of your 1RM. This ensures that you don’t over estimate and use weight you aren’t capable of handling. Intensities are prescribed up to 95%, but this is really only around 85% of your true 1RM (simple math).
The following is something I never want you to forget, especially if you’re training for a meet. You should never fail on a lift in the gym. This is not the same as pushing a set to failure, which should be done in moderation anyway. Not only is attempting a 1RM and failing it too taxing on your CNS, but it can also be damaging to your psyche.
Leave the maximum attempts for competition or save up for them over time. The vast majority of your training should be done within the 60% to 85% range.
You may not believe this, but it’s the honest truth. I haven’t missed a 1RM deadlift attempt in at least two years. I don’t even remember when the last time was or how much weight was on the bar. I attribute a big part of this to training submaximally and saving one rep PR attempts for competition or testing (which shouldn’t be done frequently).
Accessory Specificity
Gone were the days of training without a purpose. I wanted to increase my deadlift and made sure that my training reflected this. I cut out the bi’s and tri’s day and built all of my workouts around my squat, bench, and deadlift.
The vast majority of my accessory movements either trained a basic motor pattern involved in these three lifts (hip hinge for deadlift) or trained muscles that are directly used in the lifts (hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae, lats, for deadlift). Some of these exercises include RDLs, good mornings, glute ham raises, barbell hip thrusts, and prone leg curls.
I also added in dynamic speed work and deadlift variations. Dynamic speed work taught me to be explosive with every repetition and attack the weights as if I were performing a 1RM attempt. It was a good way to challenge myself without throwing a bunch of weight on the bar. Deadlift variations that I used included RDLs, block pulls, deficits, and rack pulls. You can also use trap bar, sumo deadlifts, stiff leg, bands, chains, or any other variation you can think of.
When adding an accessory movement or variation into a program, think about what purpose it serves. If it doesn’t have a direct (motor pattern) or indirect (muscle strength/hypertrophy) carryover to your goal, you probably don’t need it at all.
Frequency
High frequency deadlifting certainly isn’t for everyone. It takes a long time to accumulate the volume to be able to do this, and you need to make sure your form is spot on so that you minimize the risk of injury.
With that being said, what if someone told you that they’d give you a million dollars of you could add 50 pounds to your deadlift in two months? How often would you deadlift? Once per week wouldn’t be enough.
Adding more frequency to compound movements is something that should be done gradually. A good place to start would be keeping total weekly volume the same but splitting it up into two separate workouts. From there, you can add more volume to each day respectively.
Although my approach wasn’t as calculated and methodical as that, I started slow by adding a second deadlift day with lower intensities than my heavier days. I was eventually able to work my way up to performing deadlift variations (conventional, blocks, deficits, RDLs, etc.) three times a week. The fact that I did this gradually ensured that my body was able to adapt to the added volume over time. A typical week would include one day of conventional (relatively heavy), one day of lighter or dynamic speed work, and one day of a deadlift variation.
I attribute the increased frequency to be the single most important factor to my success with the deadlift. If you want to lift more, you need to lift more. It’s really that simple.
You can probably tell that all of this can be applied to increasing any of the three main lifts. I just happen to be better at deadlifting than squatting and benching, so the progress came quicker with this lift. However, I may have never unlocked that potential if I didn’t make these lifestyle and training changes. They produced great results for me and I’m confident that they would do the same for others. Give them a try and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Rosenthal Fitness 