1x5 Deadlift?

[sokonmatsumura]

I am curious why both Stronglifts and Starting Strength Programs only call for 1 set of 5 reps on deadlift? ?I have been doing 5 sets of 5 reps. I'm up to doing that workout with 300 lbs. Should I be increasing my weight and only doing the 5 reps? What's the reasoning behind doing only 5?

[JSyrak]

Mark Rippetoe is afraid of the overtraining boogie monster. Stronglifts is a direct rip-off of Starting Strength. The two reasons

[RS6759]

I am curious why both Stronglifts and Starting Strength Programs only call for 1 set of 5 reps on deadlift? ?I have been doing 5 sets of 5 reps. I'm up to doing that workout with 300 lbs. Should I be increasing my weight and only doing the 5 reps? What's the reasoning behind doing only 5?

You should be following a beginners program as it's laid out and not trying to mix and match. If 5x5 is working, keep doing it. If it isn't and you've been trying it for awhile, change to a different beginners program.

[sokonmatsumura]

So how do you know if your over training? Isn't the point to strength training kicking your own ass and coming out bigger and badder? And what's up with the never deviate from the program stuff that seems so rampant among lifters? I love farmer's walks but it's not in any routine like Riptoe or Stronglifts? And besides I workout at home with free weights so I can't perform conventional squats in the first place which already deviates me from the program.

[baxtej44]

BEGINNING lifters shouldn't/don't need to deviate. they don't need to do box squats. they don't need to do reverse band benches. they don't need to do pulls from a box. but what they DO need to do is get better technique at the bench, squat, and deadlift - which is accomplished most easily by a simple and easy to follow, hard to screw up, program like stronglifts or starting strength.

if your deadlift is in the 300's, your squat probably is too, but what is your bench? i'm willing to guess a lot of guys here would still consider you a beginner.

[strongname]

do they have you do 1x5 so that you are more ready for the squat?

[Horizon92]

Well, I'm doing SL 5x5 and I'll tell you that doing 5x5 DL after 5x5 squats would just be absolutely terrible. It would be way harder to keep adding weight to my DL in a linear fashion with 5x5 when its done the same day as squats.

With that being said, I believe both SL and SS are overzelous when it comes to being simplistic. If you wish to do 5x5 or whatever then do it, just understand the concepts behind getting stronger and get to it IMO.

[sokonmatsumura]

I am sure I am a beginner but I also know I am naturally pretty strong. In high school when only fiddling around with bench press I did a max of 265, which is pretty good for never really working out. I have now been training consistently training for about a year with weights. One issue is that I never try to push myself too hard in bench because I have no one to spot me and workout at home. I have been training with 200 lbs on bench. Though I think my max would be a lot heavier.I also don't have a squat rack and haven't really figured out a good alternate. Maybe hack squats? My goals is not to be a champion bodybuilder, but to be stronger, look stronger, and have a GI joe kungfu grip. My workout regimen is three days a week with the main workouts being compounds then some isolation exercises being thrown in. I also do farmer's walks. And sometimes throw a rock around.

[Retardo-pex]

I am curious why both Stronglifts and Starting Strength Programs only call for 1 set of 5 reps on deadlift? ?I have been doing 5 sets of 5 reps. I'm up to doing that workout with 300 lbs. Should I be increasing my weight and only doing the 5 reps? What's the reasoning behind doing only 5?

In each case there is usually only 1 actual work set though right? I mean for a 5x5 you might be able to count the 3rd and 4th sets as well but they are still nowhere near a 5rm. I always read 1x5 as an implied " work up to a heavy set of 5" which is basically what most programs are having you do anyways.

[sokonmatsumura]

So you could be doing 5 sets of five reps on deadlift except that it would be like a warmup progression? Such as each set gets a little heavier until you have the heaviest you can manage in the 5 rep range? That does make sense. I have just been slamming out the heaviest I can do on all 5 sets. Pretty brutal and could probably lead to injury. I am inexperienced obviously. I took a little weight training in college. But it was more like free gym with o guidance. Now I am working the home gym with free weights. And trying to teach myself.

[baxtej44]

luckily you are here now, and thus, you don't have to teach yourself. just pay attention to some of the more frequent posters and don't automatically negate everything everyone says because they likely know more than you, both in theory and practice. read the stickies, lurk around for a while, and just learn in general.

[chrisisjim]

I am curious why both Stronglifts and Starting Strength Programs only call for 1 set of 5 reps on deadlift? ?I have been doing 5 sets of 5 reps. I'm up to doing that workout with 300 lbs. Should I be increasing my weight and only doing the 5 reps? What's the reasoning behind doing only 5?

you can progress longer only doing 1x5

[sokonmatsumura]

One unresolved issue is that I don't have a squat rack and can't go to the gym, so what can be a good squat alternate? Maybe hack squat and/or sumo deadlift?

[sokonmatsumura]

I do also have a lesser desire to build 2 inches on my biceps do you think a whole body workout will do this? Could I continue on a workout till I get the biceps I desire then switch to a whole body workout?

[Newmanzz]

You do 1 set of 5 reps because its much easier to recover from then 5 worksets of 5 reps, why do more for the same results? You can probably ride 1x5 to about 400-500lbs if you have decent genetics I'd recon.

High-rep front squats, just clean the bar and bang out reps, and get a squat rack asap!

[Retardo-pex]

So you could be doing 5 sets of five reps on deadlift except that it would be like a warmup progression? Such as each set gets a little heavier until you have the heaviest you can manage in the 5 rep range? That does make sense. I have just been slamming out the heaviest I can do on all 5 sets. Pretty brutal and could probably lead to injury. I am inexperienced obviously. I took a little weight training in college. But it was more like free gym with o guidance. Now I am working the home gym with free weights. And trying to teach myself.

I think thats how stronglifts 5x5 programs most of there work in but I've never actually run that specific program. In the bill star/madcow version of 5x5 you do 4 or 5 sets but with a ramping weight for deadlifts and 5 ramping sets for squats bench and row.

You shouldn't be going for a new 5 rep max every deadlift session exactly but more along the lines of building up to your "working set" or the heaviest load you will be using for that particular training day. In the madcow 5x5 it starts pretty light and by week 4 you are basically using your original 5 rep max as the final set, then you continue to bump it up by a fixed percentage ( or specific weight if you are more advanced).

Its not 100% required for everyone in all situations to only do one working set of deadlifts but with all the new stress being placed on a beginner lifter's body its probably the easiest way to avoid injury.

[Retardo-pex]

One unresolved issue is that I don't have a squat rack and can't go to the gym, so what can be a good squat alternate? Maybe hack squat and/or sumo deadlift?

Search for do it yourself threads. I've seen some very impressive squat racks and benches made entirely of wood.

[sokonmatsumura]

I am curious if you had to be doing power cleans and then a front squat because you don't have a powerack, and as part of SS you have a day of squats and powercleans, could you not do a combination of powerclean and front squat? That would be one rep, technically your doing both exercises simultaneously. That also leads into the idea that the same day also calls for overhead presses. So could you not do a large combination of powerclean, front squat, and overhead press? I guess if you did them all as one it may not be a good enough workout right? But 5 sets of 5 of that would probably kick your ass. But would it be a good enough workout by itself.