How many sets of deadlifts should I do? This is a question that gets asked a lot, and unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The number of sets you do will depend on factors such as your fitness level, goals, and how much weight you can lift.
Deadlifts are one of the best exercises that you can do to tone your body and improve your strength. To get the most out of your leg day, it is important to incorporate deadlifts into your routine.
Deadlifts are a powerful compound movement that target many key muscles in the legs and hips, including the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps.
They also require proper form and technique in order to be effective. With dedication and consistency, you can expect to see improved strength and muscle gains from incorporating deadlifts into your routine.
What Is The Deadlift Exercise, And How Can It Benefit Me?
The deadlift is a compound movement that involves lifting a heavy weight off the ground in one fluid motion.
Deadlifts are an excellent way to build strength and increase muscle size, as well as enhance overall athletic performance.
Deadlifting Tips
When you’re trying to deadlift, it’s important to be mindful of the weight you’re loading onto the barbell. Overloading it with too many plates can put a lot of strain on your muscles and joints, leading to injuries or strains that will keep you off the gym floor for weeks.
If you’re new to deadlifts or just looking to increase your strength and performance, it’s best to start out with light weights and focus on form and technique.
This includes keeping your core engaged, maintaining a neutral spine, and driving through the legs as you lift the weight off the ground. This will help ensure that you are lifting properly and safely, while still getting a great workout.
As you gain more experience with deadlifting and start lifting heavier weights, it’s important to take care when choosing how much weight to add to the bar.
Pay attention not only to how much weight is on each plate but also how it feels when you are lifting, if something feels off or uncomfortable, it’s best to ease up rather than pushing yourself too hard.
You can also incorporate other compound exercises in your routine, such as squats or lunges, to help build strength and increase muscle mass before moving on to deadlifts.
Deadlift Variations
Romanian Deadlift
1. The Romanian deadlift is a challenging exercise that targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. To perform this exercise, start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
2. Next, hold a weight in each hand and hinge at the hips to lower yourself down towards the ground. Keep your back straight and avoid rounding your shoulders as you bend forward.
3. Once you reach the bottom of the movement, squeeze your glutes and return to standing while keeping your arms straight up in front of you.
Be sure to keep control of the weights throughout the entire movement, focusing on using your hamstrings to lift and lower yourself rather than relying on momentum or swinging your body around with the weights.
4. When you are first starting out with this exercise, it can be helpful to practice without any weights until you are comfortable with the movement pattern.
Trap Bar Deadlift
1. Start by standing in front of a loaded trap bar with your feet shoulder-width apart and the bar set just in front of your shins.
2. Bend at your hips and grab the bar with both hands, making sure to keep your back straight and your chest up as you do so.
Your arms should be slightly bent as you grip the bar, with your hands placed just outside of your legs.
3. Begin the movement by pushing through your feet to stand up tall, lifting the bar off of the ground as you do so.
As you lift, focus on keeping your back flat and engaged, tightening your core to help stabilize yourself throughout the movement.
4. Continue driving through your heels until you have fully extended your hips and knees at the top of the movement, drawing in a deep breath as you do so for extra stability and power throughout.
5. Once you have reached the top position, slowly lower back down to the starting position by bending at the hips and controlling the descent with your glutes and hamstrings.
Be sure to keep a tight core throughout this part of the exercise too, focusing on maintaining good form rather than rushing through it.
6. Once you have lowered down to the ground, pause briefly before repeating the movement for desired reps or sets.
Sumo Deadlift
1. Begin by loading a barbell onto the floor with an even amount of weight on each side.
Then, position yourself in front of the bar so that your feet are slightly wider than hip-width apart and your toes are pointing slightly outward.
2. Next, bend at your hips and reach down to grasp the bar with an overhand grip that is just outside of your shins.
Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart, with your arms fully extended and your back straight.
3. Once you have a solid grip on the bar, use your legs to lift it up off the floor, keeping your back straight and shoulders pulled back as you do so.
Continue lifting until you come to a standing position, making sure to keep your shoulders back and chest proud throughout the motion.
4. From here, begin to lower the bar back down towards the ground by bending at your hips and knees while keeping a flat back and maintaining good form throughout the movement.
When you reach the bottom of the lift, use your glutes and hamstrings to drive yourself back up into starting position.
5. Repeat this movement for 8-10 reps in a controlled manner, taking time between each rep to reset before lifting again.
To increase intensity or add more weight to this exercise, try using bumper plates or weighted chains for added resistance.
Dumbbell Deadlift
1. Start by standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
2. Keeping a straight back and flat abs, bend at the hips and slowly lower the dumbbells down towards the ground until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings.
Make sure that you are not rounding your back or swaying your hips as you lower down.
3. Once you have reached the bottom position, use your glutes and hamstrings to drive yourself back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top of each rep to help engage your core even more.
4. Repeat this movement depending on your fitness level and goals, resting between sets as needed.
How To Properly Breathe During Deadlifts
When performing a deadlift, it is essential to breathe properly in order to get the most out of your workout. To do this, start by taking a deep breath in through your nose as you grasp the bar and prepare to lift.
Then, as you begin lifting the bar off the ground, engage your core and exhale fully through your mouth, using your diaphragm to power the movement.
As you continue lifting the bar, focus on maintaining good form and keeping your back flat and engaged.
When you reach the top of the lift, pause briefly to collect yourself before lowering down in a controlled manner. Remember to always inhale as you lower down, making sure that you are breathing deeply into the lower part of your lungs.
How Many Sets Of Deadlifts Should I Do? Sets And Reps
There is no definitive answer to how many sets and reps you should do when performing deadlifts, as this will depend on your individual fitness goals, level of experience, and overall strength and conditioning.
That being said, most experts recommend starting with lower rep ranges (such as 3-5) for beginners or those new to deadlifting, gradually increasing the number of sets and reps as you become more comfortable with the movement.
Additionally, it is generally recommended to mix up your training routines by incorporating different rep ranges and weights, in order to continue challenging your muscles and building strength over time.
Whether you’re doing conventional deadlifts or using dumbbells or a barbell, taking proper form and alignment into account is key to getting the most out of this challenging exercise.
So be sure to focus on engaging your core and keeping a neutral, straight spine throughout each movement, while using your glutes and hamstrings to control the descent and drive yourself back up.
Beginner And Intermediate Programs
If you are just starting out with deadlifts or looking to improve your form and technique, there are a variety of beginner and intermediate programs that can help you get the most out of this powerful exercise.
9 Week Conjugate Powerlifting Program
One popular program is the 9-week conjugate powerlifting routine, which emphasizes heavy lifting and compound movements like the deadlift to help you increase strength and build muscle.
T Nation Simple Deadlift Program
If you are looking for a simpler program that focuses on the fundamentals of deadlifting technique, you may want to try the T Nation Simple Deadlift Program.
Another option is the 5×5 lifting program, which involves doing 5 sets of deadlifts with a given weight, plus 3-4 other compound exercises for each muscle group.
What Is The Optimal Weight For Me To Lift?
To calculate the weight you should be lifting, determine your one rep max. Use our guide below for help with this process.
1. To work out your one rep max, you will need to find the heaviest weight you can lift 4-6 times.
2. Next, use the following equation: (4.6RM X 1.1307) + 0.6998. This will give you an estimate of your one rep max.
3. Once you have your one rep max, you can calculate what percentage of that weight you should be lifting to build explosiveness or endurance, based on the goals of your workout routine. For example, lifting 50% of your one rep max will likely focus on explosive strength, while lifting 70% may be better for endurance training.
Deadlift For Hypertrophy
When it comes to training for hypertrophy, there are a few key principles that you should keep in mind.
The main goal of any hypertrophy-focused workout should be to create a large amount of tension on the muscles over a sustained period of time.
This can be accomplished by using heavy weights and lifting explosively, or by lifting lighter weights at a slow and controlled pace.
Make sure that you are consistently adding weight and challenging yourself over time, whether by increasing the number of sets and reps or slowly working up to heavier weights.
Deadlift Essentials
Lifting Belt
One key piece of equipment is a lifting belt, which can help provide support for your lower back and core as you lift heavy weights.
Wrist Straps
Another option is to use wrist straps, which can help you maintain proper form and alignment as you grip the weight.
Flat Shoes
When you’re working out, it’s important to have a stable foundation. That’s why flat soles are ideal for training; they allow your foot to fully splay out, giving you more stability and power. Some lifters even prefer to deadlift with no shoes, only socks.
Knee Braces
If you are prone to knee pain or injuries, it may also be helpful to wear knee braces when you train. This can help protect your knees from any damage or strain as you lift heavy weights.
How Many Times Can I Deadlift Per Week?
There is some debate about how often you should deadlift in order to maximize these benefits.
While some experts recommend doing 3–4 deadlift workouts per week, others warn that this could lead to overtraining or other injury risks. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to deadlifting frequency.
Different people will have different needs and recovery rates depending on their individual bodies and lifting goals. The best approach is to experiment with different training schedules and see what works best for you.
You may need to adjust how often you lift, how much weight you use, or how long your rest periods are in order to meet your fitness goals.
More Training Does Not Guarantee Better Results
When it comes to training for better fitness results, many people focus primarily on increasing the amount of time they spend in the gym.
However, this is not necessarily a guarantee of better results, as there are several other factors that contribute to success.
One key element to consider when trying to get more from your training is the frequency with which you train.
In particular, if you increase the number of times you hit the gym each week, you may need to lower the volume or intensity of your workouts in order to avoid overtraining and injury.
Additionally, training at a higher intensity can lead to greater fatigue and less recovery time between sessions, so it may be necessary to cut back on the number of deadlift sessions you do each week in order to give your body sufficient time to recover.
How Long Should I Rest Between Deadlift Sets?
it is recommended that you experiment with different rest intervals in order to find what works best for your goals and abilities.
Some general strategies that may be worth considering include resting for 3–5 minutes between sets if you are training for absolute strength or muscular power.
Rest for 30–60 seconds if you are focusing on muscle growth or muscular endurance, and experimenting with shorter rests in between sets if you want to maximize intensity and minimize downtime.
Can Deadlifts Lead To Injury?
One of the most important things to remember when lifting is to always maintain proper form, which includes keeping your back straight, engaging your core, and focusing on proper breathing techniques.
Additionally, it is important to start with lighter weights and gradually work up to heavier loads in order to avoid stressing your joints and muscles.
It’s also important to stretch before deadlifts because this can help reduce your risk of injury and ensure that you get the most out of your workouts.
Overall, by making sure you are using proper technique and maintaining a safe pace when lifting, you can reduce your risk of injury and enjoy all of the benefits that deadlifts have to offer.
FAQs
Is 12 reps for deadlifts too much?
How many sets of deadlifts you should do will depend on a variety of factors, such as your fitness goals, how much weight you are lifting, and how much recovery time your body needs.
Some people may find that doing 12 reps per set is too much, while others may be able to handle this amount without experiencing any negative side effects.
How long should a deadlift set be?
Most experts recommend starting with shorter rest periods between sets, and then adjusting how long you rest based on how your body is responding.
How many reps of deadlifts is good?
Some people may find that doing higher reps of deadlifts can be effective for building muscle and strength, while others may prefer to do fewer reps for more intensive, strength-focused workouts.
Ultimately, how many sets of deadlifts you should do will depend on your individual goals and how your body responds to different training schedules.
However, by experimenting with different rest periods, weight loads, and reps, you can find the approach that is best suited to helping you meet your fitness goals.