The Complete Deadlift Program and Everything You Need to Know To Deadlift Heavy

There might not be a more powerful or more primal exercise than the deadlift so including a deadlift program in your routine is essential.

Aside from the squat and the bench press, guys probably ask you how much you can pull on a raw deadlift more than any other lift.

In my opinion, a well-balanced athlete should always have the essential strength to pull heavy and pull quickly. This means having a complete deadlift program that allows for anyone with any physique to benefit from the strength and power developed through deadlift workouts.

Understandably, the deadlift is one of the most simple exercises to perform – yet in order to master it, you must understand the complex nuances of movement cues and positioning.

Deadlifting is not as simple as lifting a heavy bar off the ground.

Deadlifting is about movement efficiency. The athletes who have mastered even a simple deadlift program, have a powerful posterior chain and understand the importance of bar position will always be able to deadlift heavier than the biggest guys who have poor form.

Think about the biggest deadlifts you have seen in the gym. Lots of times it’s not by the big guys. There’s always that one guy that’s deadlifting 2x his bodyweight and is making it look easy.

How?

A complete deadlifting program with an even better understanding of mechanics and position.

If you are trying to break plateaus and boost your deadlift than its time you take it seriously and start learning about proper deadlift workout principles.

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Fundamentals of Deadlifting

The first step to any good deadlifter (even before a deadlift workout) is to understand the mechanics involved in a deadlift.

Form = Function

The form in a deadlift is rather simple. Your goal should always be to put the point of emphasis on training the biggest muscles in the body.

You want your hamstrings, glutes and lats to do most of the work – these will help you to handle the weight without running into injury.

Poor form when completing a deadlift workout means a high onset of injury and a nightmare for overload and progressions.

When it comes to deadlifting heavy, form will always equal function.

Movement Cues Are Essential In Any Deadlift Program

Far too many people get overexcited about lifting heavy that they forget about the most important movement cues in a deadlift.

Here are a couple movement cues that can help boost your deadlift:

1. Hip Extension

At the end of the day, lifting heavy is about getting the bar from the ground to your hip – that’s it. This is why I always try to tell people not to stand up, but rather to think about getting their hips into extension. This will help to turn on the glutes and save your back from excessive pulling.

2. Neutral Neck

Maintaining a neutral neck is essential. Far too many people look up as the deadlift which can help you lift heavy for a one-rep max, but over the course of many months of training, this is a sure-fire way to injure yourself.

3. Hand Position

Your goal in a deadlift is to lift through the shortest possible range of motion. When you have your hands as close to your body as possible (just outside the hips) you will save yourself inches everytime you lift.

A closer hand-grip also makes it easier to lock in a good hook grip – which could help you to lift heavier without the need for straps while completing your deadlift workout.

Here is a good video explanation on a hook-grip.

4. Bar Position

The bar should start over your midfoot – not on your shin. This is because you want to keep the bar weight as close to your body as possible – but you also want to ensure you are engaging the hamstring right from the start.

To do this you should keep the bar over your mid-foot and dorsiflex your shin into the bar. This will allow you to press through your feet evenly and pull faster.

Simple Principles to Increase Deadlift

The last step before you get into our simple deadlift program is to ensure you have a basic understanding of principles of training – this way you can make your own changes or progressions as you see fit.

Specificity

This training principle states that if you want to get better at the deadlift you need to deadlift more often.

There is no sense is squatting 3x a week when you are trying to improve your deadlift. Keep your program specific to your actual goals.

Overload

The deadlift is an exercise that will work best when you place a consistent amount of overload on the muscle. With that said I do not think this exercise would be best trained at a high volume.

Since this is an exercise that is generally trained in a lower-rep scheme with higher weight there is no need to train with a high volume. Keep your training frequency to 2-3x per week at a maximum.

Recovery

Deadlifting is an exercise that requires some big muscles to work together. Big muscles take much longer time to recover than smaller muscles. They require more fuel (calories) to recover and might even need soft tissue treatment in order to ensure you are limiting injury.

For this reason, I would recommend that you use at least 36 hours between deadlifting sessions as total recovery.

Sample Deadlift Program (3 Week Cycle)

Now that you have an understanding of the basic principles surrounding deadlift training here is a sample deadlift program.

CONDITIONING WEEK

WEEK 1 – Deadlift Routine 1
Exercise	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS
Deadlift @70%	6	4	3110	3m
Hamstring Curl	12	3	2111	3m

WEEK 1 – Deadlift Routine 2
Exercise	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS
Deficit RDL	4	4	4111	4m
Death March	6	3	1010	3m

OVERLOAD WEEK

WEEK 2 – deadlift Routine 1
Exercise	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS
Deadlift @85%	5	5	10X0	3m
Death March	12	3	2020	3m

WEEK 2 – Deadlift Routine 2
Exercise	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS
Low-Bar Back Squat	5	5	3110	3m
Hyperextension	12	3	2110	3m
Calf Raises	12	3	2111	3m

RECOVERY/DELOADING WEEK

WEEK 3 – Deadlift Routine 1
Exercise	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS
Deadlift @70%	5	4	10X0	3m
Seated Good Morning	8	3	2111	3m

WEEK 3 – Deadlift Routine 2
Exercise	REPS	SETS	TEMPO	RBS
RDL with Shrug	6	3	3110	4m
Death March	8	3	1010	3m

Bottom Line: Mentality and Persistence Will Always Prevail

There is one last piece of advice I want to leave you with – deadlifting is a game of persistence.

Progress will come slowly. The lifting will challenge everything about you. Your entire physiology must be perfect – your movement cues perfect and your form on point.

This will take time.

Do not get frustrated and start lifting for ego – this is an easy way to get injured.

The guys you see doing heavy deadlifting routines have been doing this for years and have perfected their crafts. Take your time to make sure your training is sound, your recovery on point, your hormone levels balanced and your dietary intake is perfect.

Be persistent, challenge yourself and remember to allow your body enough time for rest. The strength game is all about time – there is no need to constantly overload the muscle and pray your body will recover in time for the next session.