Deadlifting Volume Question

[Lamont Burns]

My current DL 5RM is 240. I have banged out a 1RM of 305 in the past, before I cut some weight(22 lbs) and lost marginal strength.

I want to DL, often. I had thought about a 2x a week frequency, one time being a work up to 3x5, and the next time a work up to 5x3 with a higher weight.

Basically I'm going back to ABA with DL/Dips being the A compounds, and Squats/OHP being the B staples.

Is this going to break me? I will be eating hefty.

 

[brikis98]

I want to DL, often.

Why?

I had thought about a 2x a week frequency, one time being a work up to 3x5, and the next time a work up to 5x3 with a higher weight.

Basically I'm going back to ABA with DL/Dips being the A compounds, and Squats/OHP being the B staples.

Is this going to break me? I will be eating hefty.

Why not just stick with the normal SS or SL 5x5 A/B workouts? Those should help you build up the deadlift as quick as anything, while giving the rest of your body a very balanced/effective workout as well. You are still in the beginner stages of lifting, so doing these routines as-written will probably give you the best bang for the buck.

The problem with doing lots of deadlift is that for most people, it is one of the hardest lifts to recover from. The deadlift works the lower back - which tends to heal slower than other parts of the body - very hard. It also puts a huge strain on the CNS. The result is that doing heavy deadlifts more than once per week gets very hard, very quickly. You can do it while in the beginner stages, but even in SS and SL 5x5, it is just one heavy set of 5 and alternated with the power clean so it's not always twice per week. Despite that, the deadlift is typically the lift that progresses the fastest and for the longest time on these programs (ie, is usually the last one to stall).

 

[Lamont Burns]

I really just enjoy deadlifting. Basically after having done SS, it was my favorite exercise.

In regards to the CNS, SS has you squat every workout. I thought the taxing was of similar quality.

Pulls/Chins I can sub I suppose, just didn't want to I guess. In regards to the rest I am just bored with SS. Kinda thought Dips/OHP/Squats would still be a balanced workout with DLs.

 

[brikis98]

I really just enjoy deadlifting. Basically after having done SS, it was my favorite exercise.

Nothing wrong with that, but it's important to understand that doing more volume of it (or any exercise) doesn't always mean better results.

In regards to the CNS, SS has you squat every workout. I thought the taxing was of similar quality.

For most people, the deadlift is *FAR* tougher on the CNS and lower back. If you look around, countless routines call for squatting multiple times per week, but very few call for deadlifting more than once per week (and if they do, it is very low volume).

Pulls/Chins I can sub I suppose, just didn't want to I guess. In regards to the rest I am just bored with SS. Kinda thought Dips/OHP/Squats would still be a balanced workout with DLs.

A reasonably balanced full body routine will typically include a push & pull for the upper and lower body each day. Looking at a typical SS workout, the A workout has squat and deadlift as push and pull for lower body and bench press and rows as push and pull for upper body. The B workout has squat and power clean as push and pull for the lower body and OH press and pull-ups as push and pull for the upper body. The volume of the exercises is carefully controlled to allow for maximal linear gains. It's simple, time tested and effective.

It's obviously your choice, but most beginners should not be tweaking SS as the changes they make are likely to make the routine less effective. You'll certainly still see results from the routine you are proposing, and if it makes you happy, go for it. But be aware that as a result, you might end up weaker and stall sooner than if you had done the program as written.

 

[Lamont Burns]

Oh squat, how I love and really hate thee.

 

[Deeko]

I deadlift every other week. If you want to improve your deadlift, don't increase your deadlift volume...increase your squat volume. You'll see big improvements in both. If you're squatting deep enough, that is.

 

[MrMatt]

2x per week won't kill you, if you space it out evenly. I currently DL on Mondays, and Fridays. I don't do any lifting on Saturday or Sunday, so the shorter layoff between the two doesn't kill me. Still, I find that my Monday session never has as much 'pop' as my Fridays. I'm doing a more traditional Reg Park 5x5 (1 light set, 1 medium set, 3 right near your 5 rep max). I was trying to do it MWF, but that absolutely wasn't going to fly.

If you're eating heftily as you put it, I don't see why this wouldn't work, say Monday and Thursday. Now having said that, what type of deadlifts are you doing? If you're doing two different types each week, you DEFINITELY should be fine.



Actually I just noticed something...you said your 1RM max was 305, and THEN you cut 22 lbs.....what are your stats, and what's your diet like? 305 is not a very high 1RM by an standards, and then to cut off 22 lbs. of bodyweight after makes me think you must be rail thin at this point.

 

[Lamont Burns]

Naw, not rail thin. I was weighing 227, had done SS starting from scratch(zero strength, my DL 1 RM started at 135)... then cut 22 lbs over about 9 weeks b/c my BF was over 20%. My 5RM of DL had been 255, and it dropped to 240. The 305 day was a day where I just tested my 1 RM about 2 weeks before I cut... no idea if it could have been higher or not. I never really tested it often.

In any case, as an update I have found I also very much like Pendlay Rows. Pendlay specifically. I know Rip would not like it, but it's keeping me on track. I am also just doing BB Bench, and perhaps 2x8 dips on that day if I feel able.

My diet is 1% milk, Beef/Pork/Chicken extremo, tons of spinach and broccoli, fruit salad made of fresh orange/pineapple/apples/banana/grapes I make once a week. I'm aiming for 3500-3700 calories a day, based on a LBM of something in the high 180s. Current weight is 207. I cheat on the weekends, usually Sunday, an offday.

My DL sets are 1x5 as outlined in the SS program. I need chalk and a new DL grip eventually, the 305 was double overhand and I almost lost my grip on the way down.

 

[TallBill]

Phew, I find it very hard to deadlift even once a week. Sometimes I cut back on volume because I'm still worn out.

 

[MrMatt]

Phew, I find it very hard to deadlift even once a week. Sometimes I cut back on volume because I'm still worn out.

how much volume are you doing?