Is strength a skill? I wanted to test this assumption when I attempted to hit my target of 170-kg (375-lbs) in Dead-Lift over a total gym time of only 6 hours! Yes, you read correct – 6 hours! Unfortunately the best I could reach was 150-kg (331-lbs). I failed when attempting my last planned lift of 155-kg (342-lbs) [see chart below].
Why did I choose to focus on deadlifts? Because as Pavel Tsatsouline pointed out, the dead-lift is “a pure “mind lift” that allows one to get very strong without adding much weight.” In other words I did not have to eat like a pig, day in and day out to ensure that I put on enough muscle to be able to reach my target weight. Based on prior experiments, I can say that disciplined eating is the hardest part of any workout program. Without the need to focus on putting on muscle, I could focus on lifting with proper form!
What actually motivated me to try this DeadLift Experiment? Watching a 60-kg girl deadlift 155-kg (342-lbs). She looks like the girl next door and is lifting 2.5x her bodyweight. Isn’t that crazy? When I watched this video (below) I was like “WTF…if she can do it, so can I.”
60kg Melissa deadlifting 155kg
Where did I find the idea for such an experiment? The following post on Tim Ferriss’s blog (click here) is what inspired me to do this over a period of 12 weeks. But didn’t I say 6 hours? Yup, the actual lifting time of the program was only 6 hours.
Here were the simple rules I followed:
1) I did three stretches before the planned lifts. Total time – 5 minutes
2) Actual lift times per set – 30 seconds
3) Break in between sets – 5 minutes
4) Usually 3 days post the workout I had a light deadlift day to work on my form. This weight was a consistent 70kg (154lbs), 5 sets, 5 reps per set with 3 minute breaks in between. I do not count this in my total lifting time because this was optional.
That’s it! Simple right?
So why do I think i failed to reach my target of 170 kg (375lbs)? I think the main reason was my other extra-curricular activities which did not allow my body to get the rest it required. I was playing cricket and badminton upto three times per week. I often felt too tired to make it to the gym so my schedule became irregular. The lack of discipline had to give somewhere!
Another thing that might have influenced my lift is improper form. Find below some resources to help you make sure that you are lifting correctly.
If I had been more disciplines about my diet, chances are that my recovery times would have improved.
The Verdict? Strength is a skill! Lets have a look at the numbers to see why:
1) My Personal Record went up from 100 kg (220 lbs) to 150 kg (331 lbs).
2) My weight increased by 1.8 kg (4 lbs) from 74.8 kg (165 lbs) to 76.6 kg (169 lbs).
3) My bodyfat% as measured with a bodymetrix ultrasound device fell from 11.5% to 10.9%, proving that the weight I put on was muscle weight. [see before and after photos below)
4) I put on 4 inches around my body.
BEFORE (start of program [3 June 2011])
AFTER (end of program [1 September 2011])
Resources:
DeadLift Animation + Instructions
Unrealistic Atheltic Goals: Why & How to pursue them – if you want to follow a similar program, read this post. This was the source of my experiment. I have taken an excerpt from the post to show how you can build your own program [see excerpt below]. I suggest you read the post if you want to follow a similar program.
My DeadLift Experiment – The program I followed*
| Week | Warm-Up (2mins apart) | Weight (kg) | reps/sets | actual reps/sets done |
| 1 | 65×3, 65×2 | 80 | 5×5 | |
| 2 | 70×3, 70×2 | 85 | 5×5 | |
| 3 | 70×3, 70×2 | 90 | 5×5 | |
| 4 | 70×3, 70×2, 75×1 | 95 | 5×5 | Did 3×3 |
| 5 | 70×3, 75×2, 80×1 | 100 | 5×5 | Did 3×3 |
| 6 | 70×3, 75×2, 80×1, 85×1 | 105 | 3×3 | |
| 7 | 70×3, 75×2, 80×1, 85×1 | 110 | 3×3 | |
| 8 | 70×3, 75×2, 80×1, 85×1, 90×1 | 115 | 3×3 | Did 2×2 |
| 9 | 70×3, 75×2, 80×1, 85×1, 90×1 | 120 | 3×3 | Did 2×2 |
| 10 | 70×3, 85×1, 90×1, 95×1, 100×1 | 125 | 2×2 | Did 2×2 |
| 11 | 70×3, 85×1, 90×1, 95×1, 100×1 | 130 | 2×2 | Did 1×1; tried 1×2 but cudnt do 2nd |
| 12 | 70×3, 85×1, 90×1, 95×1, 100×1 | 135 | 2×2 | Tried 1×1 twice. Failed in both attempts |
| Test | 70×3, 85×1, 90×1, 95×1, 100×1 | 140×1, 145×1, 150×1 | didn’t attempt |
*Note: These weights do not include the bar weight of 20 kg (44 lbs).
How to build your own DeadLift Program
[excerpt from Tim's blog post]
Let us design a sample cycle for a deadlifter with a 275-lb [125 kg]. 1RM. 2% of that weight is 5.5 pounds [2.5 kg] and 5% is 13.75 [6 kg]. 10-pound [rounded up to 5 kg] jumps are what the doctor ordered. If our hypothetical puller has twelve weeks to go before competition, his poundages will be:
Week 1: 165
Week 2: 175
Week 3: 185
Week 4: 195
Week 5: 205
Week 6: 215
Week 7: 225
Week 8: 235
Week 9: 245
Week 10: 255
Week 11: 265
Week 12: 275 (2 x 2) < — start with this number and work backward
Week 13: Meet
Do five sets of five every week. It will feel very easy in the beginning. Don’t fret, it is supposed to be, as you are building ‘momentum’. Do NOT do more reps or sets than prescribed and do not reduce the prescribed rest periods! You will walk out of the gym wanting to do more and this is the way it is supposed to be.
At some point, the weights will get heavy. When you have barely made your 5/5 with good form, next workout switch to 3/3. Note that this sudden drop in sets and reps allows one to have a relatively easy workout in order to unload before the peak. It is one of the secrets behind the given cycle’s effectiveness.
Week 1: 165 x 5/5
Week 2: 175 x 5/5
………………
Week 10: 255 x 3/3
Week 11: 265 x 2/2
Week 12: 275 x 2/2
Week 13: Meet
The last two workouts before the meet are 2/2. And the number of 3/3 sessions will vary depending on how long you will keep on making 5/5 gains. This is the beauty of this cycle: it adjusts to you.
This is how things might work out for our 275-pound puller:
Week 1: 165 x 5/5
Week 2: 175 x 5/5
Week 3: 185 x 5/5
Week 4: 195 x 5/5
Week 5: 205 x 5/5
Week 6: 215 x 5/5
Week 7: 225 x 5/5
Week 8: 235 x 5/5 (PR)
Week 9: 245 x 5/5 (PR)
Week 10: 255 x 3/3 (did not try sets of five because the last workout was very hard)
Week 11: 265 x 2/2
Week 12: 275 x 2/2
Week 13: Meet 300 PR
It is also possible that you will have to switch to triples on week nine or even earlier for stronger lifters. No problem, the flexible cycle accommodates any strength growth dynamics.
Tags: experiment, health, WorkoutDiary
