The deadlift is one of the best exercises for strengthening your back for both rehab and performance. Here are some commonly asked questions I get about improving deadlift strength.
What are the most effective deadlift training programs for increasing strength? In general for increasing strength, a deadlift program with lower relative rep, higher relative weight will be most effective for increasing strength. Any deadlift program that includes sets performed close to failure anywhere from 1-3x/week can effectively build strength. So this can definitely include higher repetition sets. However in general, to bias strength, focusing on rep ranges from 3-5 can be the most effective. A pretty commonly used deadlift training program for increasing strength is 5×5 performed anywhere from 1-3x/week. In terms of choosing frequency, it depends on what other training, how much you can handle, and how well you are managing recovery (good balanced nutrition with adequate caloric intake, protein intake, sleep, and stress management).
‘How long does it typically take to see progress in deadlift max?’ Progress in the deadlift max varies based on your level of experience. Beginners will generally see very dramatic increases early on. Intermediate lifters will see more moderate increases. And experienced lifters will take the longest to increase. How fast it progresses heavily depends on a lot of other factors as well including your programming, what other training you do, genetics, your diet, your sleep, and other activity in your life whether that be work or recreational.
‘What exercises are best for enhancing deadlift performance? The best way to improve performance in a specific exercise is doing that exact exercise. So this one is easy, it’s the deadlift. But again for intermediate and advanced lifters especially, it can often be hopeful to take training blocks of some variations such as Romanian Deadlifts, Strict Deadlifts, Sumo Deadlifts, Barbell Back Squats, and Back Accessory Strength Exercises such as Back Extensions, Reverse Hypers, or Good Mornings.
Why is my deadlift not improving? This is a hard one to answer because there can be many reasons why, and likely requires an individualized assessment. However, if I were to attempt to take a broad stroke at this, a more common reason for the deadlift not improving, it could likely be some of the following: Sets not taken close enough to failure, not enough sets done in the week, Poor Recovery (primarily Nutrition, Sleep, and Stress Management) to name a few big ones. Overall, you need the sets to be very challenging for a proper stimulus, but likewise, you need to be just as good about recovery because if you are not, it can beat you up real quick.
Should you deadlift every week? Should is a tough word to use. It completely depends on your goals. If your goal is to get strong in the deadlift, or to improve back strength, you should absolutely deadlift every week, anywhere from 1-3x/week. But not everyone needs to do it. It depends on the individual and the goal.
Is sumo cheating? This is semantics, but I would say generally sumo is not cheating. If you are competing in traditional deadlift, then yea sure sumo is cheating. But in general, its not cheating. Sumo is just a different exercises that challenges the body in a different way, and a way in which most people can lift more weight than they would on a traditional deadlift. Its not bad, its just different.
Does grip strength limit deadlift strength? Yes the vast majority of the time grip strength does limit the deadlift. This is because nearly everyone has a significant amount more strength in their legs and back than they do in their hands. This can definitely be trained to be closer to match, and there are some people who can deadlift an impressive amount without any assistance to the grip. But I will say that most people likely would benefit from some sort of grip assistance. This includes anything from chalk, to using switch grip, to using strips. Those are all great options to support the grip and allow you to lift more weight than your grip would otherwise be able to do.
Can you improve deadlift without lifting heavy? It depends on what you mean by improve. If you want to improve how much weight you can lift, I would say there is no way around lifting heavy. But sure you can improve technique, you can improve endurance, and you can improve power (by doing power cleans as an example), without lifting heavy.
