Deadlifts -

The best exercise for building a thick powerful muscular body
By Lee Hayward


There was a day when bodybuilders were characterized by thick massive torsos, tumbling traps, and sweeping lats that hung like boxcar doors from broad-beamed shoulders. All this came about from slapping as many iron plates as possible onto a barbell and dead lifting it off the ground in whatever manner it took to get the weight up.

The deadlift is the oldest of all weight training exercises and is one of the most effective exercises for overall body development. Deadlifts are not pretty and neither are the men who hoisted them, but this movement made their physiques the biggest, thickest, and strongest in the world.

The deadlift is a compound movement that works all of the major muscles in the body, with most of emphasis on the traps, spinal erectors, hips, glutes, and hamstrings. The remaining muscles are involved in stability control.

It is the purest single test of strength because it is one of the few lifts where you lift a dead weight off the ground. In most other lifts the weight changes direction or starts from the top position and you can use reverseal strength and momentum to rebound and assist in lifting the weight, as in the squat and bench press.

In this article I’m going to cover three different variations of the deadlift as well as an effective 7 week deadlift training cycle that you can use to help sky rocket your deadlift poundages and pack on slabs of thick dense muscle mass on your frame.

Deadlift Workout
One of the best ways to improve your deadlift strength is to perform multiple sets of single reps. Here is a sample 7 week deadlift cycle to help increase your deadlift 1 rep max. I’ve used this cycle several times with great results each time. With each lift focus on pulling the weights as fast and explosively as possible. The faster you lift the weight, the more stress you’ll apply to the muscles, and the stronger you’ll become.


7 Week Deadlift Cycle

The weights are based on a percentage of your current 1 rep max.

• Week one: 70% – 15 sets of 1 – rest one minute between sets
• Week two: 75% – 12 sets of 1 – rest one minute between sets
• Week three: 80% – 10 sets of 1 – rest 90 seconds between sets
• Week four: 85% – 6 sets of 1 – rest 90 seconds between sets
• Week five: 90% – 3 sets of 1 – rest two minutes between sets
• Week six: Rest (no deadlifting)
• Week seven: try for a new max deadlift. Rest as long as you need in between sets (i.e. 3+ minutes)

Note: You can use this 7 week deadlift cycle for either the sumo or conventional deadlift. Do Not use this routine for the Romanian Deadlift, for this exercise it is best to use lower sets and do multiple reps (i.e. 3 sets of 10-20 reps).

To show an example with some real numbers, lets assume the lifter has a 1 rep max of 405 lbs.

Week one: 15 sets of 1 rep with 285 lbs.

Week two: 12 sets of 1 rep with 305 lbs.

Week three: 10 sets of 1 rep with 325 lbs.

Week four: 6 sets of 1 rep with 345 lbs.

Week five: 3 sets of 1 rep with 365 lbs.

Week six: rest

Week seven: work up to a new 1 rep max…

To pyramid up to a new 1 rep max the weights should go like this:

135 lbs.
185 lbs.
225 lbs.
315 lbs.
365 lbs.
405 lbs.
425 lbs.

Each set after this, add approx. 5-10 lbs. to the bar until you reach your 1 rep max.

Most folks who are used to bodybuilding type workouts will probably be quite surprised by the idea of doing multiple sets of single reps. But this is one of the most effective ways to develop strength and power. Obviously you will not be pumping out reps until failure, but rather you’ll be explosive and feel strong and powerful with each single rep set. Generally, after the first few sets you’ll actually feel stronger and be able to pull the bar up harder and faster. This is due to getting comfortable with the exercise and getting into your individual groove where your body position feels strongest.


By using the training tips and suggestions covered in this article, and following the 7 week deadlift workout cycle you should have no problem blowing past your personal deadlift 1 rep max.

Brown Bears.....

Ron Teufel

The following routine is the one he used in training for the Teenage America and USA contests:


Monday & Thursday

CHEST --- Sets --- Reps

• Bench press --- 5 --- 6-8
• Incline bench press --- 5 --- 8-10
• Incline dumbbell press --- 4 --- 10
• Dips --- 4 --- 10-12

BACK

• Wide-grip rows --- 4 --- 8-10
• Close-grip rows --- 4 --- 8-10
• Seated rows --- 4 --- 12-15
• Dumbbell rows --- 4 --- 8
• Chins --- 6 --- 10-12
• Lat-machine --- 6 --- 12-15

Tuesday & Friday

SHOULDERS

• Seated press --- 5 --- 6-8
• Behind-neck press --- 5 --- 12
• Dumbbel shrug --- 4 --- 12-15
• Upright rows --- 4 --- 12-15
• Lat raises --- 4 --- 12

ARMS

• Preacher curls --- 5 --- 8
• Curls --- 5 --- 8-10
• Dumbbell curls --- 5 --- 12
• Triceps pushdowns --- 4 --- 15
• Triceps extensions --- 4 --- 10
• Dumbbell triceps extension --- 4 --- 12

Wednesday & Saturday

LEGS

• Squats --- 6 --- 15
• Hack squats --- 5 --- 15-20
• Leg press --- 4 --- 20
• Leg extensions --- 6 --- 15-20
• Leg curls --- 4 --- 15

CALVES

• Toe raises --- 5 --- 20
• Toe presses --- 5 --- 20

Monday – Wednesday – Friday

ABDOMINALS

• Sit-ups --- 1 --- 100
• Roman chair --- 1 --- 200
• Leg raises --- 1 --- 200
• Twists --- 1 --- 200

Sundays would be a day of rest for most, but for Ron it means an early morning run of four or five miles.


During his routine, he supersets throughout. In most of his exercise he uses weights heavy enough to tax the muscles within the set/ reps indicated. However, a month before a contest, Ron trains two times a day, five days a week and once on Saturdays. He also works his abs six times a week. In addition, he goes on a strict diet which consists primarily of protein and little else with the exception of a green salad.

BOYER COE - TEEN-AGE MR AMERICA - 1966

Boyer is a heavy eater, having between four and five large meals a day. Boyer believes in using additional protein in the form of a good protein supplement with each meal. He also takes a good vitamin and mineral food supplement and wheat germ oil with every meal. His meals consist of meats of all kinds, (beef being his favorite), eggs, cheese, and cottage cheese. To balance out this high-protein meal, Boyer eats fresh fruit and vegetables. He avoids all high carbohydrates, such as bread, cakes, candy, ice cream, and gravies. He uses milk in large quantities during the year, but avoids it completely the last 4 to 6 weeks before a contest.

The following is the exact training routine Boyer used two months before the Teen-Age Mr. America.

The workout was divided into three separate workouts. Monday and Thursday we worked chest, shoulders, triceps; Tuesday and Friday, thighs, back, and biceps; Wednesday and Saturday, trapezius and lower back. The abdominal section and calves were worked every day. We did about fifteen minutes of many different abdominal exercises, such as sit.ups, leg raises, and all sorts of twisting exercises. For the calves, we did 15 sets of 15 repetitions of toe raises.

The rest of our program, then, looks like this:

MONDAY AND THURSDAY

Exercise Sets Reps

• Bench Press 4 6
• Inclined Bench Press 4 8
• Dips 4 8
• Press Behind Neck 4 6
• Press on Press Machine 4 8
• Lateral Raises to Side 4 8
• Push Down on Lat Machine 4 8
• French Press on Bench 4 8
• Reverse Grip French
• Press on Bench 4 8

TUESDAY AND FRIDAY

Exercise Sets Reps

• Squat (full) 4 6
• Leg press 4 8
• Thigh Extension 4 8
• Chins (Back of Neck) 4 8
• Chins (Front Wide Grip) 4 8
• Pull Down on Lat Machine 4 8
• Incline Bench Curl 4 8
• Curl on Preacher Table 4 8
• Regular Curl 4 8

WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY

Exercise Sets Reps

• High Pulls 4 6
• Shoulder Shrug (Barbell) 4 8
• Shoulder Shrug (Dumbbells) 4 8
• Stiff Legged Dead Lift 4 8
• Prone Hyperextensions 4 10
• Forearm Work 10 20

Bill Pearl -Training for the Mr America Contest

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I would commence my workouts with a light warm-up with dumbells and then get down to work:

• Chin behind neck four sets 15 reps.
• Swingbell pullover two sets 10 reps. 85 pounds
• Supine Press, close grip three sets 10 reps 250, 250, 280
• One arm rowing three sets 10 reps. 105 pounds
• Swingbell pullover one set 10 reps. 85 pounds
• Inclined laterals three sets 10 reps. 85, 90, 100
• Bent-arm laterals two sets 10 reps. 100 pounds
• Dumbell corssovers two sets 10 reps. 40 pounds
• Military press, seated two sets 10 reps. 145 pounds
• Triceps “kick-backs” three sets 10 reps. 120 pounds
• Dumbell curl and press, seated three sets 10 reps 50 pounds
• Triceps extensions, dumbells three sets 10 reps. 60 pounds
• Sit-ups 300 reps
• Leg-raises 300 reps

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays I would go through the following workout:

• Dumbell swings, for a warm-up 10 reps. 15 pounds
• Bent-over rowing three sets 10 reps. 170 pounds
• Pull-down on “lat” machine three sets 10 reps. 180 pounds
• Swingbell pullover one set 10 reps 85 pounds
• Press behind neck three sets 10 reps. 150 pounds
• Breathing squats one set 15 reps. 250 pounds
• Straight-arm pullover one set 10 reps. 70 pounds
• Breathing squats one set 15 reps. 275 pounds
• Straight-arm pullover one set 10 reps 70 pounds
• Breathing squats one set 10 reps. 285 pounds
• Straigh-arm pullover one set 10 reps. 70 pounds
• Squats (45-degree angle machine three sets 10 reps. 300, 325, 350
• Leg curl three sets 20 reps. 70 pounds
• Leg-extensions five sets 12 reps 15 pounds
• Rise-on-toes, standind three sets 30 reps. 200 pounds
• Rise-on-toes, seated three sets 30 reps 245 pounds
• Sit-ups 300 reps.
• Leg-raises 300 reps.

Some days during these six weeks of training I would do a completely different workout, very light, to “get a good pump.” I took this lighter workout on days when I was rather tired or just couldn’t keep my mind on my regular training.