A deadlift Personal Record with No Deadlift Training?
Recently I put a ludicrous idea to the test — could I beat my all-time best Deadlift without ANY deadlift training?
In short, yes.
But that isn’t nearly as interesting as the process and the WHY this could occur. Let’s break it down step by step.
What is a deadlift?
Someone out there might not know what a deadlift is. Here is a conventional barbell deadlift.
Why would you want to deadlift to begin with?
Many folks are intimidated by this lift. It has the potential be very heavy. It is not without a bit of risk if completed incorrectly.
But completed correctly, conservatively and patiently over time is widely regarded as a foundational component of fitness and strength training. It utilizes the glutes, hamstrings, quads as the primary movers making it a very efficient lower body workout. It also engages the arms, back and core to a high degree making it a rare “full body movement” that has a lot of upside for athletic training and life in general.
There are downsides as well. It is a very taxing movement making it a less optimal choice for isolation of the above muscles because of the stimulus to fatigue ratio. Because it will tend to be very heavy, it will simply be more time consuming in execution. Because it is heavy, it is very important to have excellent form otherwise you risk injury.
There is a lengthy internet debate underway involving all of the above, but let’s keep it simple:
For some people it is a great inclusion to your fitness program. For others, it is not great.
What does this have to do with Pain Free Fitness?
Everything! There is a nearly 1on1 to ratio between those that have movement dysfunction and lack of ability in the deadlift. Put another way, if you can deadlift heavy and proficiently there is a pretty good chance you don’t have back pain and are strong enough for what life throws at you.
If you mechanically cannot deadlift due to movement restriction or it cannot be completed pain free — there is a glaring probability that you have significant movement dysfunction.
But here is the twist — for most people it is the expression of a deadlift that is important. Not the training itself. About 1/3 of people really like the movement, so they do it. About 1/3 of people don’t really care and are concerned about the benefits, not the enjoyment. About 1/3 of people are leery of it and would rather not do it if they don’t have to. By the way, these are just my rough estimations — don’t quote me on that. Suffie to say, there are plenty of people that “don’t care” about deadlifting at all.
So now we are back to center: is it possible to improve the expression of your deadlift without doing deadlifting training.
Here is a great example of why this is important:
- Someone is older
- They have never deadlifted before
- They have current and persistent back pain
- They have tight hips/hamstrings/low back making the position difficult
- They have a reluctance to undertake the task of learning all of the above needed
- They still would like the outcome of what a deadlift provides
A purist might say that this person needs to “sack it up and solve their problems. Nothing in life is free!” But I am here to offer solutions, not admonishment.
I have encountered dozens of people over the years as a trainer who HAVE persisted in getting their deadlift on point and still not succeeded. The conclusion we have jointly come to is that maybe deadlift just isn’t a movement for them.
So what then?
How I structured my training for Deadlift Efficacy without Deadlift
There were three major components I had to consider: spinal tension, hinge lever and hamstring stability. You could break down a deadlift in a thousand small nuances, but your glutes, hamstrings and low back are the big ones to discuss.
The movements were simple and foundational in nature. This is the absolute, unadulterated, let-me-say-that-again, highlight of the experiment.
The movements were foundational in nature. I use them with almost every single private client I train.
Seated Good Moring for Low Back efficacy (and hinge contribution)
Back Extensions for Glute Efficacy (and some minor low back efficacy)
Nordic Curls for hamstring stability (machine hamstring curls to build this if Nordic training isn’t possible)
I trained Nordics and Back Extensions on the same day. Seated Good Mornings as a supplement on another day. I trained each of them for about 3 to 4 sets. I trained each movement only ONCE per week. I trained in this manner for about 8 months.
I typically progressed them like so:
Nordic Curls
4 Sets of 5, increase by a single rep next week if successful completion of the reps
Upon completing 4 Sets of 10, lower the chest target to make the movement more challenging
Back Extensions
4 Sets of 20, working until I had 20 unbroken reps
I have had people start with as little as sets of 5 due to back weakness
Work to 20, then proceed to single leg
4 Sets of 5ea leg, increased by a single rep next week until successful completion of reps
Upon completing 4 sets of 15ea leg, add load, drop reps and start over
Seated Good Mornings
4 Sets of 10, increasing the load by 5 total pounds if successfully completing the sets with good form
In the next installment, we’ll discuss where I began, my historical PRs, the timelines leading up to the test and my reflections on confounding elements in this experiment.
