Deadlift: How long did it take you to get from 300 to 400 and beyond?

[SleeperService]

And, more importantly, what helped you get there?

The reason I ask is that I had built up to grinding out a 170kg (375lb) rep at the beginning of this year, only to get two lower back injuries from rugby and squatting with bad form, which put me back to nearly square one. Now I'm stuck at 160kg (about 350lb) and have been for two months.

Admittedly I am trying to lose weight (down from 228 to 214 so far) so I guess this isn't helping, but is there anything I can do to try and offset this, or is it just a case of get to target weight, then eat more and lift more?

[Jtbny]

What helped me was to lower the volume, heavy rack pulls and working on squats. I also follow 5/3/1 and have for quite awhile now.

[Richie71]

You won't get much, or any, stronger whilst cutting! I think the best bet is to maintain strength with low rep lifting whilst cutting. Get lean enough that you're going to bulk properly without worrying about getting fat and then make progress.
Like Jtbny, I don't do a lot of volume on deads. They're an easy exercise to overwork with - I got better progress as I cut down volume.

[LordGrover]

Not even close myself but take a look at hardNheavy2008's journal and posts. I seem to remember reading that his deadlift was nothing special until he sorted out his form. Much studying of his own videos was involved - he is now 'more than competent'.

[-=FLEX=-]

You're going to hate me for this post, but....I pulled 315 first time I ever tried deadlifting and pulled 405 four weeks later, then 500 after 6 months.

I never did any 'assistance' lifts like rack pulls or anything else.

Just my usual high volume and deadlifting once a week every week.


HTH

[bustasinclair]

You're going to hate me for this post, but....I pulled 315 first time I ever tried deadlifting and pulled 405 four weeks later, then 500 after 6 months.

I never did any 'assistance' lifts like rack pulls or anything else.

Just my usual high volume and deadlifting once a week every week.


HTH

^^This

Some people are just built for deadlifting. My very first deadlift was at age 14 and hit 300 pretty soon after I started. My high school max was 370 at a bodyweight of 147#


Just keep working on your form and be patient; it'll come in time.

[highiso]

This is a great program, check it out...

http://tsampa.org/training/scripts/c...lipi_deadlift/

I've gone from a 405 max to 475 in 6 weeks using this same program. In 3 weeks I should be able to pull 500. I'm impatient so I'm trying it today actually.

[pharmamarketer]

5-3-1 works. Good mornings and DB rows have helped me. I think they could help anyone's DL no matter how "good" they are at them. But the best way is to DL

[7THSIN]

300 to 400 about 2 months. hit 405 today actually, been lifting for about 5 months.
hopefully 500 next year

[SleeperService]

What helped me was to lower the volume, heavy rack pulls and working on squats. I also follow 5/3/1 and have for quite awhile now.

I'm using 5/3/1 and have for quite a number of cycles. It's really helped me build strength back up after the injuries, and I like its consistency and progression, as well as its flexibility for both cutting and bulking.

You won't get much, or any, stronger whilst cutting! I think the best bet is to maintain strength with low rep lifting whilst cutting. Get lean enough that you're going to bulk properly without worrying about getting fat and then make progress.
Like Jtbny, I don't do a lot of volume on deads. They're an easy exercise to overwork with - I got better progress as I cut down volume.

Yes, I think this is the right idea. Trying to serve two masters doesn't sound like a good idea.

Not even close myself but take a look at hardNheavy2008's journal and posts. I seem to remember reading that his deadlift was nothing special until he sorted out his form. Much studying of his own videos was involved - he is now 'more than competent'.

Thanks! I'll have a look.

You're going to hate me for this post, but....I pulled 315 first time I ever tried deadlifting and pulled 405 four weeks later, then 500 after 6 months.

I never did any 'assistance' lifts like rack pulls or anything else.

Just my usual high volume and deadlifting once a week every week.


HTH

Hate? No. Jealous? Yes! I would love to be able to do that, but I think it'll be a grind for me.

^^This

Some people are just built for deadlifting. My very first deadlift was at age 14 and hit 300 pretty soon after I started. My high school max was 370 at a bodyweight of 147#


Just keep working on your form and be patient; it'll come in time.

Cheers. I will do.

This is a great program, check it out...

http://tsampa.org/training/scripts/c...lipi_deadlift/

I've gone from a 405 max to 475 in 6 weeks using this same program. In 3 weeks I should be able to pull 500. I'm impatient so I'm trying it today actually.

Thanks. I'll check that one out when it's time to start bulking again (probably end January).

5-3-1 works. Good mornings and DB rows have helped me. I think they could help anyone's DL no matter how "good" they are at them. But the best way is to DL

That seems to be the case: if you want to get better at something, then do that something. Makes sense!

300 to 400 about 2 months. hit 405 today actually, been lifting for about 5 months.
hopefully 500 next year

Good stuff! I think it'll be longer for me but I guess it's just keep practicing and use appropriate accessory exercises on 5/3/1.

Thanks all. I'll try to maintain whilst cutting and then go for it after. Reps all round except where they're on spread (which I think is most of you!).

[ironwill2008]

Admittedly I am trying to lose weight (down from 228 to 214 so far) so I guess this isn't helping, but is there anything I can do to try and offset this, or is it just a case of get to target weight, then eat more and lift more?

You've been training long enough that CNS adaptation (the factor that's largely responsible for the relatively rapid gains that beginners often make) has pretty much run it's course. In order to get stronger, it's now down to your body having to build more muscle tissue.


That's not going to happen while you're in a calorie deficit.

[SleeperService]

You've been training long enough that CNS adaptation (the factor that's largely responsible for the relatively rapid gains that beginners often make) has pretty much run it's course. In order to get stronger, it's now down to your body having to build more muscle tissue.


That's not going to happen while you're in a calorie deficit.

Very true. There are no short cuts.

I'll focus on my goal of reducing body fat and then worry about increasing mass and, hopefully, ability to shift more weight, otherwise I'm just going to be chasing my tail.

[Jtbny]

Very true. There are no short cuts.

I'll focus on my goal of reducing body fat and then worry about increasing mass and, hopefully, ability to shift more weight, otherwise I'm just going to be chasing my tail.

Probably a good idea but IMO keep pushing that DL and your other lifts too.You may not increase while dieting but hopefully you retain your current muscle mass and strength levels (as much as possible anyways).

Good luck.

[ArchAngel'73]

Why would you want to lift sooo much weight?
You're gonna hurt yourself...wait...you already did.

Chase form and feeling, not weight, especially if you've been injured.
It's all good if you're a strength athlete with a meet/comp in mind but sounds like you're more into rugby and this option will keep you in your game.

[SleeperService]

Probably a good idea but IMO keep pushing that DL and your other lifts too.You may not increase while dieting but hopefully you retain your current muscle mass and strength levels (as much as possible anyways).

Good luck.

Thanks. I've been following the 5/3/1 progression and am still hitting at least minimum reps, with the exception of bench press where I've had to deload. I may have to do that with deadlift next cycle.

That's what I love about the program - it caters for pretty much every eventuality.

[SleeperService]

Why would you want to lift sooo much weight?
You're gonna hurt yourself...wait...you already did.

Chase form and feeling, not weight, especially if you've been injured.
It's all good if you're a strength athlete with a meet/comp in mind but sounds like you're more into rugby and this option will keep you in your game.

Yes. I found out what happens when form isn't so good the hard way doing squats. Fortunately I got a lot of help from a friend who is into powerlifting, so it's a lot better than it was. The other injury was a scrum collapse. Not much I could do about it.

I'm pretty cautious about my back as a result, and you're right - I don't want to knacker myself so I can't play sport. That said, at the moment I'm still playing rugby, but those days are coming to a close - it takes longer and longer to recover now, even from a social game. I still want to beat my dad and uncle who played until they were 47 though!

[aj0538]

Op I used 5/3/1 and it was great but I'm following the Coan-Phillipi program and I've progressed very quickly to 500#.

My form was killing my progress. I was starting with my hips too high and a rounded back. Watching this series also helped with my form

[hardNheavy2011]

It took me a long time to make progress, but my success in the last 6 months has mostly been through better technique.

[hammerfelt]

StrongLifts had me at a 600lb competition dead lift in 18 months. 300 and 400 were just another 1x5 workout along the way of linear progression.

[Corbi]

300 I was able to do from day 1, but then at my bodyweight 300 is not very heavy. Got stuck at 405 for quite sone time then finally hit 420 and stalled there for 4 months or so. Then in the space of a little over a week it jumped to 435, then 455 and finally 475.

[induced_drag]

It took me a long time to make progress, but my success in the last 6 months has mostly been through better technique.

My deads were the result of a lot of training in my 20's. Coming back to the gym after a decade off, I pulled 500 within 12 weeks. But much like HnH above, my progress through better techinque helped a TON. I was stuck at 570 for the longest time(over a year). Fixing a few form issues, I added 50lbs to my dead in a matter of 2-3 months.

I have not been working them as of late, but plan on revisiting them again soon.

I think during the initial phase, it is just about building strength. Once you start to peak there, the technique changes really maximize your underlying development.

[naturalguy]

Working on your technique is the quickest way to bring up your deadlift, there are a lot of nuances that can make a big difference. From there you just need to get stronger

[SleeperService]

Op I used 5/3/1 and it was great but I'm following the Coan-Phillipi program and I've progressed very quickly to 500#.

My form was killing my progress. I was starting with my hips too high and a rounded back. Watching this series also helped with my form

Thanks. That's the program highiso mentions. I wonder if I could keep doing 5/3/1 but substitute that in for deadlift day?

It took me a long time to make progress, but my success in the last 6 months has mostly been through better technique.

Yes, this seems to be key to progress.

StrongLifts had me at a 600lb competition dead lift in 18 months. 300 and 400 were just another 1x5 workout along the way of linear progression.

Crikey! That's pretty impressive stuff!

300 I was able to do from day 1, but then at my bodyweight 300 is not very heavy. Got stuck at 405 for quite sone time then finally hit 420 and stalled there for 4 months or so. Then in the space of a little over a week it jumped to 435, then 455 and finally 475.

Did you do anything different to break that plateau?

My deads were the result of a lot of training in my 20's. Coming back to the gym after a decade off, I pulled 500 within 12 weeks. But much like HnH above, my progress through better techinque helped a TON. I was stuck at 570 for the longest time(over a year). Fixing a few form issues, I added 50lbs to my dead in a matter of 2-3 months.

I have not been working them as of late, but plan on revisiting them again soon.

I think during the initial phase, it is just about building strength. Once you start to peak there, the technique changes really maximize your underlying development.

It certainly sounds like it - you can make progress by just grunting it up, but it seems like if you want you hit big numbers then technique is a must.

Working on your technique is the quickest way to bring up your deadlift, there are a lot of nuances that can make a big difference. From there you just need to get stronger

There's a definite theme here - technique, technique, technique! Looks like I have a good bit to learn.

Thanks all. On recharge at the moment, but will pick up tomorrow.

[drudixon]

300 - 350 simply took form improvements. The other 50 about 4 months. Biggest thing imo re Deads, is to dead as often as you can without torching everything else.

[DuracellBunny]

I don't remember, it was 20 years ago, but not long.

I'm built to DL: long arms, long torso and short legs. Getting to 4 plates was very fast, but getting to 5 and 6 was dependent upon my squat in my case. Until my squat started to kick in I was semi stalled at 4 and a bit plates as I had used up the fast gains and natural leverage advantage.

[Smelly bull]

This is a great program, check it out...

http://tsampa.org/training/scripts/c...lipi_deadlift/

I've gone from a 405 max to 475 in 6 weeks using this same program. In 3 weeks I should be able to pull 500. I'm impatient so I'm trying it today actually.

I have run this program a few times...I found it excellent.

[Tedp]

Honesly the first 400 wernt hard just worked on my form to perfect it as close as possible. In sep I hit 435 and havent trained that well the past 10 week due to a lot of travel and hit 475 today, so close to 500 I can taste it. I think spending the better part of six month perfecting form really helped.

Ted.

[SleeperService]

300 - 350 simply took form improvements. The other 50 about 4 months. Biggest thing imo re Deads, is to dead as often as you can without torching everything else.

I can manage once a week. More than this kills my back. This could be form related though.

I don't remember, it was 20 years ago, but not long.

I'm built to DL: long arms, long torso and short legs. Getting to 4 plates was very fast, but getting to 5 and 6 was dependent upon my squat in my case. Until my squat started to kick in I was semi stalled at 4 and a bit plates as I had used up the fast gains and natural leverage advantage.

Long arms, long torso, long legs. Not ideal!

I have run this program a few times...I found it excellent.

If you guys, who have good results, recommend it, then it must be good. Very tempted to sub in for deadlift day on 531 when I go back to bulking at end January.

Honesly the first 400 wernt hard just worked on my form to perfect it as close as possible. In sep I hit 435 and havent trained that well the past 10 week due to a lot of travel and hit 475 today, so close to 500 I can taste it. I think spending the better part of six month perfecting form really helped.

Ted.

Yes. It seems that getting form right is absolutely vital. I'll study the vids provided and work on this hard.

On recharge again. Will green everyone I've missed tomorrow.

[ralavoie]

I am new to deadlifting myself and have been doing it for only 6 weeks or so now. I think form totally makes a huge difference. I watched some of the form videos posted here yesterday and then did 315 lbs for sets last night where 275 was my max for sets prior.

I am finding the first 3 - 4 inches off the floor to be the hardest for me, not the rest of the lift, which makes me think my form is still off. I need to record my form next week and post it up for you guys to review and correct. I don't see any one else in my gym deadlifting so there isn't anyone there for me to ask.

I am curious now to see how quickly I can get to 400 and how much of the remaining 85 lbs is achievable via correct form.

[Malbranque]

Am relatively new to Deadlifting myself. At the moment, I'm struggling at 300lbs, and it's kicking my a$$.