The Intermediate Deadlift Cycle

Here are a few max effort variations that work well for the deadlift:

• Mini-band resisted deadlifts
• Deadlifts with bands
• Snatch grip deadlifts
• Sumo or conventional deadlifts (the opposite of what you would use in competition)
• Rack pulls
• Deadlifts standing on plates or boards

In the first week of your cycle, you’re “learning” the movement. I would work up to 3–5 moderate singles without any supportive gear. The goal here should be to have enough weight on the bar to feel the movement but not enough weight to where you need to get jacked up to lift it. Moderate is the key word here.

The second week is your true max effort day. You’ll use the same movement from the previous week, but this time you will do one of two things:

1. If you’re feeling good, belt up and go for a heavy single.
2. If you’re not feeling good, go ahead and belt up but work more in the 90–95% range. Two to three singles should be fine here.

In the third and fourth weeks, you’ll switch it up and use a different movement. I generally cycle 3–4 different max effort movements over the course of a training cycle. I then start over from the beginning. The obvious goal here is to hit a new PR each time you go back to a specific exercise.

Highlighted by palindrome