Deadlift stuck at 335 pounds for 1,5 year

[Marky1996]

Hey guys, so i got this deadlift problem and I really hope someone can help me. I'll fill you in on what i've done below.

1,5 year ago when i got back from a vacation in the philippines that lasted almost a month and when i finally hit the gym again I increased my deadlift by almost 100 pounds over a few months. After that it was just... stuck. I also remember my strength increasing when I was in England 3 years ago when I was gone for 2 weeks.

Here's what i've tried to bring up my conventional deadlift:

Sumo deadlift (managed to bring it up to the same level as my conventional.. so i increased it by 25 pounds) this had no effect at all.
Deficit deadlift (increased this one by 45 pounds and it had no effect at all)
Tried checking my technique and made sure everything is ok. I've also been looking for tips and cues but none of this has worked.

Everything else is increasing at the moment including my squat but simply not the deadlift for such a longass time.
I've tried deloading several times and taking a week off once in a while yet nothing..

Should I try leaving the deadlift out completely for a while? or take a long break again like I did when i had 3 weeks off 1,5 years ago and when I was in England?

I hope you guys have any ideas or experience with this problem. Some help will mean alot to me.

Regards..

[thinkgreen]

You should probably just change up your programming. 335 isn't really that strong of a number so I would imagine some pretty simple stuff could help you break past that plateau. What sort of routine are you on now? Also where are you sticking on your missed pulls?

[Jasonk282]

Have you been gaining weight?

[dmacdonal9]

You need to back the weight off. Reset by 10% or so and progress back up slowly.

If you keep working at your max and getting nowhere, the accumulated damage offsets the growth stimulus, and you get stuck. It's like when your car gets stuck in the snow; you back off and get momentum going again.

Deloading is not enough if you're just going right back to maximal loading.

[MrFelps88]

Try mixing up your rep range. 75% of your 1 rep max one day, then 85% and 95% the others. Hovering around your max can be very frustrating when it doesn't lead to results, and can also trick you into believing that if you drop the weight you're setting yourself back even further, which is false. I would also recommend wraps or hooks if you're not already using them, since they'll allow you to do a greater number of reps without the bar slipping from your grip. I also wouldn't consider long breaks as a possible solution. All that's ever done for me is make me weaker.

[Marky1996]

You should probably just change up your programming. 335 isn't really that strong of a number so I would imagine some pretty simple stuff could help you break past that plateau. What sort of routine are you on now? Also where are you sticking on your missed pulls?

Right now i'm doing stronglifts and my sticking point is at the ground

[davisj3537]

I was gonna come in here and make a joke about how you needed to take another vacation, but I see you are legitimately struggling with this.

Gain weight man.

[thinkgreen]

Right now i'm doing stronglifts and my sticking point is at the ground

Sticking point on the ground at that low of weight just means you need to gain more strength. Are you stalling on your other lifts too? I'd probably suggest resetting your training max by 15-20% and sort of "starting over" with the deadlift. Also focus on your bar speed, not only on your work sets but every single warm up set as well. You can even pull from a slight deficit on most of your warm up sets to help with this.

Another alternative would be to just switch it up for your deadlifts. Personally I'm a fan of less reps with deadlifts when it comes to building strengt.

[uabeng]

If you're actually doing the 1x5 once a week like he recommends I can see why you're not getting better at deadlifting.

[Marky1996]

If you're actually doing the 1x5 once a week like he recommends I can see why you're not getting better at deadlifting.

Any suggestions my friend? I need anything

[Marky1996]

Sticking point on the ground at that low of weight just means you need to gain more strength. Are you stalling on your other lifts too? I'd probably suggest resetting your training max by 15-20% and sort of "starting over" with the deadlift. Also focus on your bar speed, not only on your work sets but every single warm up set as well. You can even pull from a slight deficit on most of your warm up sets to help with this.

Another alternative would be to just switch it up for your deadlifts. Personally I'm a fan of less reps with deadlifts when it comes to building strengt.

I've tried most of these things. Maybe I should try to lower the reps.

[cgibsong002]

Have you been gaining weight?

Why has this question not been answered?

[tmac4919]

Right now i'm doing stronglifts and my sticking point is at the ground

I have a similar issue. I used to do "touch & go" reps, but found that did nothing but cheat myself. I decreased weight a little, and focused on reps with a pause & full deload in between. Which is actually what a "dead lift" is. I changed my way of approaching the deadlift as well, by thinking of it as a pushing exercise rather than pulling. Pushing through the floor with the heels & thrusting the hips forward. In a sense there is no pulling, but rather engaging the back muscles (and everything else) to support & stabilize the weight. This mindset made all the difference in the world.

[Marky1996]

Have you been gaining weight?

I haven't gained any weight. Strength has increased steadily on other lifts though. But i've weighed the same for more than a year now.

[Marky1996]

I have a similar issue. I used to do "touch & go" reps, but found that did nothing but cheat myself. I decreased weight a little, and focused on reps with a pause & full deload in between. Which is actually what a "dead lift" is. I changed my way of approaching the deadlift as well, by thinking of it as a pushing exercise rather than pulling. Pushing through the floor with the legs & pushing forward with the hips. In a sense there is no pulling, but rather engaging the back muscles to support & stabilize the weight. This mindset made all the difference in the world.

I've been using the same mindset too, yet it hasn't paid off unfortunately.

[uabeng]

Any suggestions my friend? I need anything

I mean it kinda sounds like I'm being an ass, but deadlift more. You're not going to get good at a lift by not doing it and pounding it out. I'm being 100% serious.

I used to follow the bull**** beginner programs by adding 5-10# per lift every time, stall, back it off, and then try again and just do my 5 sets of 5. Since I've got a feel for my body and what works I'll deviate.... If I get in the gym one day and I feel like a greek god doing squats by god I'm going to squat and squat and squat. Same thing for any other lift.

Let's say one day you put 295# on the bar and only get 4 reps. Big deal, put 315 on it next time and get 2+. Keep going and adding weight to the bar. That's what I do. I'll probably get some backlash from this but oh well.

[Mcginnm1]

Was stuck at 325 for the longest time, I tried everything, varied rep ranges, rack pulls, and completely giving up my physique to eat a lot in hopes to get stronger, but it still didn't work. So I asked a power lifter at my gym for advice and here's what he told me: 1. Film your technique, make sure it's on point. 2. Find your weak spot. ( mine was the initial pull, so he recommended elevated deads, where you stand on a block so bar's right above feet) and those helped tremendously. And rack pulls I'm sure you already know. 3. He says he doesn't wear a belt unless he's maxing out to build up core strength, thought it was crazy at first but it works, and back feels great. And he said to lose the straps as well to but I broke all my fingers when I was younger so Itd hard to hold on. Took all that advice, went for a max every other week, and went from 325 to 415 @ 172lbs in almost a year hope this helps man. Oh and I was CUTTING in that whole process btw.

[cgibsong002]

I haven't gained any weight. Strength has increased steadily on other lifts though. But i've weighed the same for more than a year now.

Gaining a little strength here and there on certain exercises is one thing, but expecting to gain significant strength on something like a deadlift while maintaining your exact weight is a little silly, don't you think? You're spinning your wheels man. Not everyone can just sit at maintenance and grow. Eat some food, and don't overthink it!

[thinkgreen]

I've tried most of these things. Maybe I should try to lower the reps.

Tried maybe, but also make sure to stick with it. Improving deadlift speed off the ground takes a long time to develop. I think you may be s little green for this but look into some of Hepburns stuff. I like his training when it comes to deadlifts.

[Jasonk282]

I haven't gained any weight. Strength has increased steadily on other lifts though. But i've weighed the same for more than a year now.

I would gain weight.

[davisj3537]

A complete lack of traditional cut and bulk cycles is a HUGE hole in your training plan. You're looking for all of these other tips and tricks to improve your DL, but you aren't doing anything with your nutrition man. A good program is NOTHING without the right nutritional approach.

[thinkgreen]

A complete lack of traditional cut and bulk cycles is a HUGE hole in your training plan. You're looking for all of these other tips and tricks to improve your DL, but you aren't doing anything with your nutrition man. A good program is NOTHING without the right nutritional approach.

Do you think it's really necessary for a 200 pound man to gain weight to get his deadlift to 4 plates? Legit question...

[Dan3317]

A complete lack of traditional cut and bulk cycles is a HUGE hole in your training plan. You're looking for all of these other tips and tricks to improve your DL, but you aren't doing anything with your nutrition man. A good program is NOTHING without the right nutritional approach.

This is fact. Your body needs the energy to build the strength. Definitely try working some more calories into your diet and see what happens before changing up your programming.

Do you think it's really necessary for a 200 pound man to gain weight to get his deadlift to 4 plates?

I can see why you'd think that, it just seems the majority of people at novice strengths are limited first by their diet. When he says he's been at the same weight for the past year and a half, diet flaw is the first thing that comes to mind.

[uabeng]

Do you think it's really necessary for a 200 pound man to gain weight to get his deadlift to 4 plates?

Yes and no. If the guy is eating empty foods and not getting the right nutrients yea his lifts are going to suck.

[Jasonk282]

Do you think it's really necessary for a 200 pound man to gain weight to get his deadlift to 4 plates? Legit question...

yes and no. However without cutting and bulking he's hasn't really build any more muscle that he currently has. had he say cut to 170, bulked back to 200, cut again bucked again he'd be much better off.

For example. when I pulled 405 I was 185 lbs, but I also bulked from 165-200 then cut down to 165 and was bulking back up to 200 when I hit it.

[cgibsong002]

Do you think it's really necessary for a 200 pound man to gain weight to get his deadlift to 4 plates? Legit question...

I honestly don't see how someone's weight has any correlation to strength. People have different strengths at different weights. If you want a sure fire way to get stronger, you need to bulk, plain and simple, regardless of weight. Normal rules of bulking and cutting still apply regardless of the weight.

[SuffolkPunch]

It's not how much he weighs now (since a lot of that will be bodyfat), it's about actively being in a calorie surplus while training. This is what grows muscle. Muscle is the foundation of strength. There is only so much you can do insofar as neural efficiency is concerned without gaining muscle.

[thinkgreen]

Meh, I pulled 405 at ~170 and was not bulking. I think there is a limit on how much strength you can gain without weight gain though.

[ironwill2008]

If someone hasn't gained any weight in a year, that would certainly qualify that person to be considered to be eating at maintenance.


Maintenance = remaining the same.

[thinkgreen]

This is fact. Your body needs the energy to build the strength. Definitely try working some more calories into your diet and see what happens before changing up your programming.



I can see why you'd think that, it just seems the majority of people at novice strengths are limited first by their diet. When he says he's been at the same weight for the past year and a half, diet flaw is the first thing that comes to mind.

Yeah, good point. I'm not saying that gaining weight doesn't help, because I know it does, but I also think there are other factors when it comes to building strength. Things such as smart programming, good recovery habits, proper technique, etc. go a long ways. I think adding those to a small(ish) surplus in calories in the best way to go about things.