What is your sets/reps look like for deadlifting?

[adamgentile]

I just started deadlifting last year at the 46 years old. Never did deadlifts when younger, but now it's one of my favorite exercises.

Right now I do 3 sets which looks like this:

185 x 6 reps
225 x 5 reps
225 x 5 reps
235 x 2 reps (I feel I can always do more)

I workout at home and my weight set only goes up to 235lbs. Buying 2 more 45's plates this weekend. I'm happy with my progression as I'm going slow and always concentrate on form. I messed up my lower back a few times when I first started because of crappy form.

I'm not concerned about doing a 1 rep for max weight. I'm more interested in doing reps and sets. But still question what is a good set/rep range?

[Vandeman17]

Best answer for me is variety of reps and sets along with pairing in different moves as supersets

[ironwill2008]

I just started deadlifting last year at the 46 years old. Never did deadlifts when younger, but now it's one of my favorite exercises.

Right now I do 3 sets which looks like this:

185 x 6 reps
225 x 5 reps
225 x 5 reps
235 x 2 reps (I feel I can always do more)

I workout at home and my weight set only goes up to 235lbs. Buying 2 more 45's plates this weekend. I'm happy with my progression as I'm going to slow and always concentrate on form. I messed up my lower back a few times when I first started because of crappy form.

I'm not concerned about doing a 1 rep for max weight. I'm more interested in doing reps and sets. But still question what is a good set/rep range?

After a couple of warmup sets, try doing 5 ramped sets, the 5th being as much as you can lift for 5 good reps. Then, next week, when you Deadlift again, if you got all 25 reps, add 5 pounds to each of your 5 work sets. Every week that you get all your reps, add 5 pounds to each set on the subsequent Deadlift workout, and so on.

[adamgentile]

After a couple of warmup sets, try doing 5 ramped sets, the 5th being as much as you can lift for 5 good reps. Then, next week, when you Deadlift again, if you got all 25 reps, add 5 pounds to each of your 5 work sets. Every week that you get all your reps, add 5 pounds to each set on the subsequent Deadlift workout, and so on.

So for the 5 ramped sets should I keep the reps in the 5 range? This sounds like a great plan, thank you.

[bodyhard]

A video of you deadlifting would be great to see how your form is. Most people don't drive with their legs when doing a deadlift and wind up doing a SLDL instead thus making it difficult to go up on weight.

[adamgentile]

A video of you deadlifting would be great to see how your form is. Most people don't drive with their legs when doing a deadlift and wind up doing a SLDL instead thus making it difficult to go up on weight.

Me deadlifting 225 lbs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOv...ature=youtu.be

[ironwill2008]

So for the 5 ramped sets should I keep the reps in the 5 range?

Yes.

If, for example, your current 5-rep max is 315x5, your Deadlift workout would look like this:

*After a couple of light warmup sets with either the empty bar or a quarter on each side:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
315x5

If you were able to get all 25 reps with good form, next week you'd add 5 pounds to every work set. If you were unable to get all your reps, you'd use the same weights the next week, until you can get all your reps. This progression scheme never changes.


Regardless of what your current 5-rep max might be, the first work set always starts at 135 so as to have the bar at the proper distance from the floor. You'd then roughly equally space out the other 4 work sets up to your current 5-rep max. Set jumps don't have to be exact; just be consistent from week to week in your set scheme.

This sounds like a great plan, thank you.

It is a great plan; it's the backbone of the best intermediate strength program on this planet---Bill Starr's original 5x5.

Me deadlifting 225 lbs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOv...ature=youtu.be

Looks okay. On your last couple of reps, your lower back just begins to round over, which is a normal occurrence if you're working hard. This is the reason why all the sets in the above-outlined plan stop at 5 reps---to help insure that form doesn't break down while trying to complete higher-rep sets.

[induced_drag]

If you just started deadlifting, I would NOT be doing sets of 2.

In fact, I dont think I would go below 5.

Personally I made most of my progress working the 5-8 rep range. At times, I would go as high as 10-12 reps, but those sets are pretty taxing.


The key is to not break form. Working above your points of failure will ensure that. Doing a true 2 rep set, is cutting those margins too close for comfort in my opinion.

[keyboardworkout]

I follow 5-3-1 only for deads it's 3-2-1.

On my squat day I dead the three deload week sets and on dead day i squat the three deload week sets.

Squat 5-3-1
Dead 5 reps each 40%, 50%, 60%

Dead 3-2-1
Squat 5 reps each 40%, 50%, 60%

[HolyEvil7]

I do 1X5 sets, ramping up to my goal weight. If I fail in getting 5 reps at the goal weight, I'll do another set at a lower weight to get the volume up.

eg
60 X 5
80 X 5
100 X 5
110 X 5
120 X 5
130 X 3
125 X 5

[melDorado]

3 Triples every week ramped 10kg (adding 2.5kg each week and reseting after 5 or 6 weeks)

Been running this for about 3 years now but it still works


Also do 3x5 RDL on a different day

[EjnarKolinkar]

See post 7, forget about 2 rep sets as a novice. Good luck on your progress Adam.

Don't be upset if you need less weight on the bar to get through 25 total reps to start with. All the weight will come ba k on the bar plus much more over time. All reps should have perfect form, even the 135 pound warm up. Look at every rep as practice and something you are working hard to improve.

All the practice adds up to more skill, and skill allows you to keep it together when the weights get heavier.

[Luclin999]

Generally, I try to aim for three sets of 8 and when I increase the weight, sets of at least five reps at the minimum.

If I can't manage at least five reps at the new weight I drop it back down to my previous working weight and stick with that for another week then try again for the increase.

[d2mini]

I just started deadlifting last year at the 46 years old. Never did deadlifts when younger, but now it's one of my favorite exercises.

Right now I do 3 sets which looks like this:

185 x 6 reps
225 x 5 reps
225 x 5 reps
235 x 2 reps (I feel I can always do more)

I workout at home and my weight set only goes up to 235lbs. Buying 2 more 45's plates this weekend. I'm happy with my progression as I'm going slow and always concentrate on form. I messed up my lower back a few times when I first started because of crappy form.

I'm not concerned about doing a 1 rep for max weight. I'm more interested in doing reps and sets. But still question what is a good set/rep range?

I started 6 months ago.
I do my warm up sets and then for working sets I'm now up to...
305 x 6
305 x 6
305 x 6

Will add a little more weight this week.

I'm currently trying to get used to hook grip. I was lifting a little more than the above using alternating grip.
But I don't want to do that anymore. Asymmetry issues and worried about bicep tears.

[bodyhard]

Me deadlifting 225 lbs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOv...ature=youtu.be

Thats actually very decent form for a beginner I have seen so much worse!

I agree with ID I would not as a beginner be messing around with reps of 2 with a heavy weight that is going to break your form. Keep working on form, maybe go heavy enough to fail at or around 5 without breaking form and work from there.

[Silencespeaks]

Used to go for triples and try to max out etc years ago but not anymore.

Now I just do lighter weight for reps like any other exercise. Warmup set and then three sets of ten reps in progressive higher weight.

I need bumper plates to deadlift though and my current gym doesn't have them, so now I just do rack pulls instead. Feels great actually.

[induced_drag]

I need bumper plates to deadlift though and my current gym doesn't have them, so now I just do rack pulls instead. Feels great actually.

Why do you need bumper plates? If you can't set the weight down, go lighter.

[Silencespeaks]

Why do you need bumper plates? If you can't set the weight down, go lighter.

Because I don't want to bend down so low with small plates and make it like a deficit deadlift. I lift low weight for reps less than 135 so I need the larger bumper plates.

[induced_drag]

Because I don't want to bend down so low with small plates and make it like a deficit deadlift. I lift low weight for reps less than 135 so I need the larger bumper plates.

I did not realize you were a woman. I looked at your profile. That makes sense. You can always steal a few aerobic steps and set them up so you can lift off them. Not sure if your gym has them.

[Silencespeaks]

I did not realize you were a woman. I looked at your profile. That makes sense. You can always steal a few aerobic steps and set them up so you can lift off them. Not sure if your gym has them.

Good idea thanks, will try that. And the gym by my mom's house has bumper plates so when I'm there I do real deadlifts.

Yeah I don't lift heavy but it works fine for my goals anyway. Most I ever did was 200 lb one rep max a few years ago. Nowadays when I have bumpers I just do 95 for full set 10 reps which works nicely for me.

[induced_drag]

Nowadays when I have bumpers I just do 95 for full set 10 reps which works nicely for me.

25's on a bar set on aerobic steps is just about the perfect height. I have worked with some doing this.

As a women, many people are looking for the hip/glue portion of the exercise. You can always do Romanian deadlifts (where you start from a rack in the upright position and only lower to load hamstrings)

My gym has tons of these. It is easy to set up what you need.
The style below I have seen too, and they can be adjusted by moving the bottom piece.

[Silencespeaks]

25's on a bar set on aerobic steps is just about the perfect height. I have worked with some doing this.

As a women, many people are looking for the hip/glue portion of the exercise. You can always do Romanian deadlifts (where you start from a rack in the upright position and only lower to load hamstrings)

My gym has tons of these. It is easy to set up what you need.
The style below I have seen too, and they can be adjusted by moving the bottom piece.

Thanks a lot, will try that out! Yes I do Romanians too.

[adamgentile]

Thats actually very decent form for a beginner I have seen so much worse!

I agree with ID I would not as a beginner be messing around with reps of 2 with a heavy weight that is going to break your form. Keep working on form, maybe go heavy enough to fail at or around 5 without breaking form and work from there.

Thank you! Appreciate the advice.

[adamgentile]

Good stuff Ironwill! Thanks for the advice.

[pondman]

Currently doing conventional dead lift 1 day per week @ 6 X 3. I do Romanians and offsets on other days in the week.