500 lb Deadlift

F

FireFighter

New Member
ok...so here's the deal.

I quit chewing about a week ago.  And as my wife says...I have OCD...I have to have my mind focused on something.

So talking with the guys up at the fire hall I told them that I'm going to Deadlift 500lbs by May 18th.  

Last time I went real heavy...I did 400 for 4 reps.  I'm looking to get 500 just once.

Any suggestions or did I let my mouth overload my a@@?

Or for those of you who have hit the 500 mark.  How hard was it to get from the 400 to 500?

Thanks guys
 
I should also say...I'm just at the beginning of my 10's for my HST cycle. So the 18th of May should put me at the tail end of my heavy 5's. I looked at my layout and it has me going for 3sets of 5 at the end of my 5's. According to one of the calculators that estimate your max, I need to be able to get 400 for 8 reps to be able to do 500 one time.
 
FF, how heavy, tall etc. are you?

400 x 8 should see you able to get 500 x 1 but it's only an estimate and you would need to use your experience to gauge how good or bad that estimate would be for you.

What's your present 1RM? Take 95% of that and see how many reps you can do (preferably on a different day).

If you can get 6 reps with 400 right now then it will be a case of increasing your 1RM by about 5% in just over a month. Probably not possible unless you are regaining lost strength due to not deadlifting much recently. It might be doable though. If you can only make 4 reps with 400 right now then I think you are unlikely to get a 500 lift by May 18th. Sorry. I'd love to be proven wrong though. Go for it!
 
Take it easy. It is better to get the 500lb deadlift later then injury yourself trying to skip steps.
I don't think doing HST is the best way to increase your deadlift 1RM. You should try something with less frequency and volume and work in the 5-1 reps range. Maybe adding some assistance exercises like hack pulls and dropping assistance lifts that won't benefit your deadlift.
 
IMHO it really comes down to how close to your natural potential you already were @ 400 , how hard/not hard you've really worked on your deadlift previously and what level of focus you are willing/capable of bringing to this goal.

Even then there's no guarantee you will reach it in time but man you've gotta respect the kind of guy that would go for it balls out and do everything possible to train to achieve it.

here's some suggestions(none of which are meant to do anything but say "hey if your life depended on making this lift here are some things you could do"):

- It is quite common for certain body types to very quickly add 50 or so pounds to their deadlift simply by switching to sumo.I experienced this myself sometime ago and hear/read about this happening all the time on the intardnet.This would require a time investment of learning the technique as sumo is much more technique driven. There is no guarantee that you are one who is better suited to this style though...

-(this one although offered "tongue in cheek" WOULD actually be a huge step towards the goal) invest in an order of Finaplex from a vet supply company- contrary to "bro" lore , you can see results if taken orally (crush up the pellets as finely as possible) especially if you are very responsive to anabolics (ie. never used before) , again there is "bro" lore and there is reality , these days even Patrick Arnold (prohormone Guru) admits oral delivery will work - just less than transdermal and injection . - transdermal IS a better, more potent option , just order the gel to mix it in (DMSO) readily available on line and just 2-3 finely crushed pellets mixed in is simple , as legally no risk as you can get and needle free. You WILL need PCT if you intend to have sexual relations requiring an erection anytime in the 3-4 month period after stopping use!Also some bail money set aside is a good idea if you tend towrds aggression in any way...
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- drop military /overhead press and any row where the back is unsupported (chest supported rows highly recommended instead)until after the 500 attempt these tax the lower back and are not the best training investment for your goal. Squats and deadlifts are. Use this idea on your entire program - bench for instance isn't going to have carryover so "de-prioritize it".


-eat everything and anything between now and then, if you get fat F@#K IT! lose the weight after the lift...

- Since the lift is on the 18th you could intentionally overtrain between the first and the eighth then take off completely the next nine days. This should be assessed as an option with an eye towards how intentional overtraining/ compensation has worked/not worked for you in the past.

- you're going to want to taper down the reps and increase the load over the interim weeks - anything over a triple during the month of may prior to the lift is a waste of time and CNS resources.

- Invest 100$ in a Titan deadlifting suit you can wear it under some sweats and your buds wont know a thing!
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Of course you could do all this and still run an incredibly high chance of not reaching your goal in time - but hey one never knows their limit until they've attempted it...
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Or for those of you who have hit the 500 mark.  How hard was it to get from the 400 to 500?</div>People are so different that responses aren't going to tell you much.  For some, this happens almost immediately and requires no effort at all, for others, it takes a long time.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Any suggestions or did I let my mouth overload my a@@?</div>You're talking about a 50 lb gain on the deadlift, roughly.  If you're a noob, you have a good chance at accomplishing this.  If that's the case, quit doing HST and get on a condensed 6 week phillippi/coan program.  

If you're experienced, there is no way you're going to make this happen, but I doubt you would be running your mouth about a 6 week 10%+ gain in the deadlift if you're experienced and 400x4 is a major accomplishment for you.  That would be really stupid, wouldn't it?  
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Nevertheless, if you are experienced and 400x4 is a
major accomplishment for you, you need to focus on your weak points by doing rack pulls, deficits, sldls, whatever is appropriate to address your weaknesses (but it still won't happen).
 
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(stevejones @ Apr. 08 2009,10:29)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"> 

If you're experienced, there is no way you're going to make this happen, but I doubt you would be running your mouth about a 6 week 10%+ gain in the deadlift if you're experienced and 400x4 is a major accomplishment for you.  That would be really stupid, wouldn't it?  
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Steve is DA MAN!
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Thanks for all the great advise guys.

I'm 6' 225 lbs. I've been deadlifting for about 9 months now and it quickly became my favorite exercise. I use the sumo stance as I feel it works better for my body type (shorter legs, long torso).

When I did the 400 for 4 reps it was the heaviest I had ever tried. I should mention that the workout started with a 10 minute run on a treadmill at about 8 mph and followed by 3 sets of 8 with 325.

I was feeling good that day so I said the hell with it and went for the 400 mark.

If I hit the 500 mark I'll be thrilled...if I don't...It gives me something to push for. Now the only problem is one guy at the fire hall told another, who told another, who told another....and now they are all preparing to come over and see it.

I'll start at 400 or so and knock out 1 rep and keep going up from there. I don't have a need to blow out my back.

Thanks for all the help and I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Keep sending the advise
 
I need another bit of help. I've never had a day where I went in to test my 1 max rep. Anytime within the last decade that I tested my max it was always at the end of a workout when I happened to be feeling really good.

So....Let's say I wanted to try to get a 450lb deadlift to see how I'm doing. What is recommended prior to trying the 450?

Thanks....hope the above makes sense
 
Here's how I do it (max testing)...  Use a sliding scale both for load and rep count to ramp up to your max tries.  For example, if you start your warmup at 185, start it off by doing between 6-8 reps.  Add 20-30 pounds to the bar and do 2 fewer reps than you did your first set.  Continue trending the load upward and the rep count downward until you get into the 80% range of your goal.  Reduce the rep count to 2 for maybe two more sets, and then do singles until you can't maintain form, adding weight all the way.

It'd look like this...

185 x 8; 215 x 6; 245 x 4; 275 x 4; 305 x 3; 335 x 3; 365 x 2; 385 x 2; 405 x 1; 425 x 1; 435 x 1; 445 x 1; 455 x 1

Good luck!

edit: Forgot to add... Before you do a max test, make sure that you are comfortable with your form. That's about it. Do the test itself by feel - if you start to get fatigued because of the rep count being too high, reduce reps accordingly.
 
It's pretty unlikely that your form will be spot on for a true 1RM test but don't let it stray too far from good form or you'll just go and sustain an injury as your body structures are stressed differently.

For a 1RM attempt I'd tend to do less prelim stuff than Tim.

For a 450 attempt I'd probably do this:

5 min bike ride for a general warmup if I was attempting this from cold followed by 135 x 8, 225 x 5, 315 x 3, 385 x 1, 425 x 1, 450 x 1

I'd have up to about 5 min rest before the 450 attempt.

If the 425 went up pretty slowly then I'd probably try 435 or 440 rather than jump to 450.
 
im more in line with LOLs thinking on this one.
keep your typical warm-up in mind (dont want to stray too far from what comfortable) but, IMO, its more about equal parts warm-up/acclimate to the wgt.

the trick is to be warmed up well......hence the bike and reps at light to modr. wgt. .......but not burn any unnecc. energy all while preping for one big pull. if you jump too much too soon (say 315 to 450) it will feel way heavier then it needs to and you risk passing on it. if you do too much on the way up your low back and glutes are not at 100% when you need them. thats why i like the 385 and 425 for a single. it will be heavy but do-able without really tapping in and you will know if 450 is in the cards.

good luck.
 
As a counterpoint to both Lol and bluejacket - in line with the whole &quot;everybody's different&quot; thing...

I actually tried a method very similar to what Lol presented last year, and it really didn't work for me. What I outlined is almost exactly what I used to hit my last deadlift PR - and at that time, it was a full 25 pounds heavier than my previous attempt.

I'm not trying to start an argument in any way, all - I just want to be sure that for FireFighter's benefit, what I wrote wasn't just something I pulled out of the air - it's the approach I used to hit every one of my current PR's, for all lifts.

My $.02.
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(_tim @ Apr. 20 2009,1:12)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">As a counterpoint to both Lol and bluejacket - in line with the whole &quot;everybody's different&quot; thing...

I actually tried a method very similar to what Lol presented last year, and it really didn't work for me.  What I outlined is almost exactly what I used to hit my last deadlift PR - and at that time, it was a full 25 pounds heavier than my previous attempt.

I'm not trying to start an argument in any way, all - I just want to be sure that for FireFighter's benefit, what I wrote wasn't just something I pulled out of the air - it's the approach I used to hit every one of my current PR's, for all lifts.

My $.02.  
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tim

i take no offense at anyone suggesting an alternate method, part of the reason i sugg. keeping his normal warm up in mind since he shouldnt stray too far from it.

that being said my concern lies in the amount of reps performed before you even get close to a max. if hes shooting for 450 and follows the plan you laid out he would be doing 32 reps of DL before he even got to 400lbs and then an addit. 4 reps at increasing wgts over 400 (and within 50lbs of his max attempt). to me, if someone can realistically aim for 450 then they could skip the 215-275-335 and even 385 incriments. anything over 400 is going to feel real heavy so id limit it to 400 and 425 singles which should tell you if 450 is realistic as well as prepare you to lift that kind of poundage of the floor.

again to each his own and you have to do what works for you but if you could complete this w/o and then PR... i would think with some warm up practice (bigger jumps less reps) ones PR could be considerably higher.

hope it helps
good luck
 
I can see I've not been needed anymore! Good work guys, and I must say that age is a factor too. Tim's routine would have me worn out way before getting heavy, but a younger guy might need the progression to last out, but I think shorter is still better.

I had aspirations for the big dead myself, but stalled out at 425 for a double twice; I don't know why. Lately I've lost strength staying heavy before going trucking (which is on hold) but I started SLDL's about 3 months ago for the first time ever. They came up really fast, now pulling 365 for reps. I think they may be a real benefit for dead training even over rack pulls, because of the extra ROM.
Today was my first day doing 15-20 rep sets and it like near to killed me! I gotta get back in shape!
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Just a quick update for those of you who may be interested. I was doing squats about a week ago, went to low, my pelvis roated down and in, the arch in my back dissapeared and my lower back flaired up. I've been stretching it and taking some anti-inflammatories but in the end, my quest for a 500 lb deadlift has been put on hold. I did some light weight deads (205 lbs) today and my back told me it still wasn't ready. I'm not hobbling around or anything so I don't believe I hurt it too much, just something that requires a little down time.

My thanks to everyone for their advise, I'll use it again in the future.
 
Sorry to hear about your injury FireFighter. That sux.

Some back extensions might be a good idea to get plenty of blood flow to the area.

All the best for your recovery and pursuit of your goal.
 
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