Can You Deadlift Every Day?
Is a deadlift everyday program a good idea?
If you think daily progressive resistance training is a new idea, think again.
Over 2500 years ago, Milo of Croton, a famed wrestler of ancient Greece, trained for the Olympics by carrying a newborn calf on his shoulders every day until it grew to maturity four years later (when he allegedly slaughtered, roasted it, and ate it!)
What were the results of his daily strength training?
He only won six consecutive Olympics and remains an icon of superhuman strength and progressive resistance training 2600 years later.¹
Human bodies have not changed much over the last 2500 years, and if daily strength training worked for Milo, why wouldn’t it work for you?
While there is always a risk of injury in any physical activity, and weightlifting has its fair share, there are many fantastic benefits of deadlifting every day.
Deadlift everyday benefits
Why is the deadlift one of the best exercises you can do, even every day of the week?
Here are some practical reasons to deadlift every day:
#1. Hit all the major muscle groups of your entire body
With only one exercise, you can build, tone, and define the most important muscles of your lower body like your;
- quadriceps,
- hamstrings, and
- glutes, and those of your upper body, like your;
- abdominal muscles,
- spinal erectors,
- lats, and
- traps.
Also, maybe even more significantly, these muscles encompass the much neglected back half of your body, your posterior chain.
#2. Train your nervous system
Strength means that your nervous system can better communicate with your muscles.
You might think that you are only exercising your muscles when you lift weights, but in fact, you are training your nervous system to connect to your muscles.
Strength is “a neuromuscular adaptation, meaning the ability of your nervous system and muscles to produce internal tension (in the muscles and connective tissues that pull on the bones) to overcome an external force [or external load].” (National Academy of Sports Medicine)
Deadlifting every day helps you train all of the nervous system connections that power a deadlift, meaning most of the muscles of your body!
#3. Improve your core strength
Your core is those muscle groups besides your head, arms, and legs.
The deadlift targets your core musculature, such as your abdominal muscles on the front half of your body and the spinal erectors and latissimus dorsi muscles spanning the back half of your body.
#4. Building muscle mass improves your other barbell lifts
For example, while the deadlift does not target the prime mover muscles of the bench press (pectorals), it does work your entire back musculature, which can only help you stabilize your bench press.
#5. Increase your athleticism and regular activities of daily living
For example, Steph Curry famously used the trap bar deadlift to strengthen his “glass ankles” and become one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Or consider the fantastic transformation of Shirley Webb, a 75-year old Grandma who could barely stand up without assistance.
That is until she began to deadlift.
Within a year, not only did her mobility improve, but she also started to compete in powerlifting!
My anecdotal evidence is that I had knee pain from a torn medial meniscus in my left knee.
After six months of deadlifting, I was able to walk once again pain-free, which is why I sometimes deadlift every single day of the week – to maintain my mobility.
#6. Resistance training is proven to increase testosterone
For example, one study on the effects of a 12-week weight training exercise program using three sets of 8 to 10 reps concluded that “strength training can induce growth hormone and testosterone release, regardless of age.” ²
This study used nautilus equipment, where you are seated, so you can only imagine the benefits from deadlifts, one of the most challenging types of resistance training you will ever experience.
More testosterone will help you build more muscle, get stronger, and thereby help improve your bench, sports, and everyday life.
#7. Build overall body strength
There are few exercises as practical as the deadlift for building overall muscle mass and body strength.
Within my first few months of deadlifting, I felt like I added a layer of body armor at 56.
Imagine how deadlifts change your body if you are younger!
#8. Perfect your deadlift technique
Practice makes perfect, and focusing on your deadlift form five times a week will help you master the deadlift.
#9. Improve neuromuscular adaptation
“Developing maximal strength depends on neuromuscular adaptations resulting from consistently and progressively overloading muscles with higher intensities” (NASM).
When you deadlift every day, you will use lighter weight most days to focus on your form, thereby improving your mind-muscle connection.
#10. Is deadlifting good for weight loss?
You might not think of deadlifting as a way to lose weight, but it is.
I can vouch for it since deadlifting helped me lose 75 pounds in 6 months, a feat I thought impossible to achieve.
The rational explanation is that deadlifting can burn hundreds of calories during the workout and after.
How do you burn calories even after a workout?
The answer is EPOC.
“EPOC, an acronym for Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (also known as Oxygen debt), is the amount of oxygen required to restore your body to its average resting level of metabolic function (known as homeostasis).
It also explains how your body can continue to burn calories long after you’ve finished your workout.” (ACE – American Council on Exercise)
It stands to reason that heavy resistance training, like deadlifts that use your body’s most massive muscle groups, will create a more significant Oxygen debt.
The notable EPOC effect of deadlifts also explains why years of walking on the treadmill and dumbbell curls did nothing to help me reach a healthy weight for my height.
Therefore, if you are significantly overweight today, between the extra muscle mass you build and the EPOC effect of deadlifts, don’t be surprised if you lose excess weight.
#11. Simple to set up a home deadlift studio
You might no longer have a gym to work out because of the lockdowns since March 2020.
In that case, you still need to exercise.
But, what can you do?
If you have nowhere to play basketball, swim, or run, especially in the winter months, you can set up a home deadlift studio.
A place to deadlift takes up a minimum amount of space.
Once you have your mat, barbell, and weights set up, all you have to do is lift whenever you want to.
No commuting to the gym or waiting for a turn to deadlift is necessary.
#12. Avoid back pain
For example, I could no longer get to a gym because of the covid pandemic, which began in March of 2020.
I had nowhere to deadlift and could not find any weightlifting equipment.
I thought pushups and walking might be enough, but six months later, I had to go to a physical therapist to treat back pain I first noticed while walking!
The PT concluded that my back pain resulted from the sudden layoff from my pattern of weekly weightlifting.
The moral of the story is that having a place to deadlift is urgent because you likely spend a large part of your time on the most significant muscle of your body, your butt!
And a lifestyle habit of constant sitting will result in weaker glutes and back muscles and cause lower back pain.
Deadlifting correctly every day using the appropriate weight, reps, and rest scheme is vital to avoid seeing a physical therapist for back pain.
Considering all of these great benefits, is it any wonder that many athletes and coaches think of deadlifts as the King of exercises?
How to Deadlift Everyday Without Hurting Yourself
Deadlift Everyday Program
#1. Which deadlift variation should you use?
The conventional deadlift or sumo deadlift is a good starting point.
Go with the trap bar deadlift if you have back issues.
Of course, you can substitute other deadlift variations or include deadlift accessories like straight leg deadlifts, deficit deadlifts, rack pulls, kettlebell swings, and pause deadlifts.
However, the traditional barbell deadlift is the best option since it 1) it can pack on the most muscle of all deadlift variations, and 2) it is a legal lift in the sport of powerlifting should you ever want to compete.
#2. Know Your One Rep Max
What is a one-rep max?
You must know your one-rep max for the deadlift everyday program.
Your one-rep max (1RM) is the highest weight you can lift one time in a given exercise.
Think of your one-rep max as your current personal record and the foundation of your strength training program.
#3. How much should you be able to deadlift?
How much you can deadlift is relative to you.
In this deadlift everyday program, you lift heavy weights or a higher percentage of your one-rep max no more than once a week.
Theoretically, you do not even need to test your one-rep max every week; keep working on increasing your intensity over time.
However, it is motivating to see your strength increase week to week or month to month.
So, once a week, you can test for a new one-rep max.
Note: unless you are competing in a Powerlifting competition, you will never test the absolute max you can lift.
Even the greatest deadlifters of all time, such as Herman Goerner, never pushed themselves to lift their one-rep max regularly.
So, there is no reason for you to do the same unless you are an athlete attempting to break Eddie Hall’s world record deadlift.
Instead, you will estimate your 1RM by following the guidelines of the next section.
#4. How to find your 1RM
- Warm-up for at least 5 minutes on a treadmill, elliptical, or walking
- Do two sets of 10 – 15 floor bridges to activate your hip flexors, which are essential to deadlifting
- The amount of weight you can deadlift depends on your gender, age, body weight, and deadlifting experience
- Choose a weight that you can likely lift according to the deadlift strength standards below, published by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore in the 2nd edition of Practical Programming for Strength Training. ³
Deadlift Standards in Pounds – Credit Dr. Lon Kilgore
Note: See how to deadlift if you need a refresher on the proper deadlift form.
- Do a warm-up set with a lightweight you can comfortably lift 8 – 10 times.
- Take a 3 – 5 minute rest.
- Add 10 – 20% of your starting weight and do 3 – 5 repetitions.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you achieve failure between 3 and 5 repetitions.
- Use the Fit Apprentice One Rep Max Calculator to determine your one-rep max.
How to Use HashiMashi’s One-Rep Max calculator:
- select pounds or kilograms
- enter the weight that you lifted between 3 and 5 repetitions
- the 1RM calculator will display your one-rep maximum
- Click on the show/hide intensity table
Enter weight or reps% of 1RM Weight Reps
Deadlifting every day without burning out
Start with 50% to 60% of your 1RM for improving your strength and endurance four days a week. These days are your lighter training days.
- Warm-up for at least 5 minutes on a treadmill, elliptical, or walking
- do two sets of 10 – 15 floor bridges to activate your hip flexors, which are essential to deadlifting
- do three work sets of 8 to 12 reps with 50% to 60% of your 1RM
- Once you can do 12 reps, increase the weight by 5lbs
- focus on perfecting your deadlift form and technique
You train with lighter weights to improve your form, conditioning, and neuromuscular adaptation. If you are starting to deadlift for fitness, you can begin with the goal to deadlift your body weight.
How to Retest Your 1RM
Once a week, test your 1RM by lifting 65% to 85% of your 1RM, which is your maximal strength day.
- Warm-up for at least 5 minutes on a treadmill, elliptical, or walking
- do two sets of 10 – 15 floor bridges to activate your hip flexors, which are essential to deadlifting
- do 1 set of 2 – 3 reps starting at 60% of your 1 RM
- take a 3 – 5 minute rest
- add 10 to 15lbs and do another 1 – 3 repetitions
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you achieve failure between 3 and 5 reps
- Use Hashi Mashi’s One Rep Max Calculator to determine your new one-rep max
An example of retesting your 1RM
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#5. Increasing Weight
Do not move up to a heavier weight until you can perform three sets of 8 reps on your lighter lifting days and one set of 5 reps on your max weight day once a week.
Remember, your max weight day will never be 100% of what you can lift one time.
Instead, it will be in the range of 80 – 95%.
#6. Perfect Form
Whether you are lifting 60% or 90% of your 1RM, use the exact proper form for every deadlift repetition.
Concentrate on improving your technique, such as;
- Starting position
- Correct posture
- Range of motion
- Important Cues
See how to do the deadlift for detailed suggestions on perfecting your deadlift form.
#7. How much rest between sets?
Take rest periods of 3 to 5 minutes between sets.
Use shorter rest periods of 1 – 2 minutes if you want to work more on toning and conditioning on your lighter days.
Take a 5-minute break between all sets on your max weight day.
#8. What are the rep ranges for deadlifts every day?
The number of reps for lighter intensity days is 8 to 10 reps and 1 to 5 reps for your max deadlift day.
That said, never attempt to deadlift the most weight you think you can handle.
Instead, train smart and you a 1 rep max deadlift calculator to determine your one-rep max deadlift.
And then use a percentage of that one rep max for your training.
Your heaviest deadlifts should be in the range of 80 to 95% of your one-rep max.
#9. Proper Nutrition and Sleep
When you deadlift every day, proper nutrition and sleep are even more critical if you want hypertrophy – muscle growth.
So it would help if you had excellent food and sound sleep.
You will not want to ruin your daily deadlift workout with junk food or staying up too late at night.
Use common sense; eat food that grows, like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and lean protein, and shoot for 8 hours of sleep every night.
#10. When to deadlift?
Do your deadlift workout before cardio exercise.
You push against the ground hard to lift the barbell instead of attempting to lift with your back.
As a result, your legs will feel like rubber after a few sets of deadlifts, even if you are not lifting heavy weights.
Therefore, you will likely lose much of your leg power if you do cardio before deadlifting.
FAQ
How often should you do deadlifts?
That depends on your goal and fitness.
For an absolute beginner, the first time you do a deadlift workout routine, expect that you will not be able to deadlift again for another week or maybe longer!
You can easily experience DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) for seven days or more.
In that case, deadlifting once a week is the best place to start.
Also, many powerlifters who aim to compete will not deadlift more than 2 or 3 times a week.
And they will follow the general system of only one heavy training session per week or even two weeks.
Is it bad to deadlift every day?
No, not if you use light weights or practice other deadlift variations such as; paused deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, rack pulls, kettlebell swings, or Romanian deadlifts.
It is wrong, even dangerous, to deadlift any day when you do not warm-up or when you neglect proper form.
If you don’t have the time or patience to warm up and focus on perfecting your technique, do not bother deadlifting!
You are the Scientist
How does your body react to deadlifting every day?
That is the question.
Everyone is different, and one man’s workout might not be the best for another person.
You need to find out for yourself.
All I can do is share my deadlift everyday results with you.
So far, I want to continue and see what happens down the road.
The goal is to deadlift every day, get leaner, stronger, and fitter in under 30 minutes a day because of the unparalleled benefits of deadlifts.
That said, you should be flexible as to how many days a week you deadlift.
As mentioned, don’t be surprised if you need a week to recover when you first begin to lift.
Listen to your body and rest when necessary.
For example, you might find your body responds better to deadlifting two or three times a week with bodyweight workouts on your non-deadlifting days.
You make the choice.
A word of caution
The deadlift will tax your nervous system because deadlifting is an intense full-body compound exercise.
Therefore, you cannot deadlift the same weight load every day!
Experienced powerlifters might deadlift twice a week, one day for lighter weight and another for their heavier deadlift weights.
So, even a competitive powerlifter will not look for a personal record more than once a week.
Your nervous system cannot take it.
Plus, if you are a beginner deadlifter, your body needs to adapt to the new stresses of deadlifting.
Don’t make the same mistakes I did as a deadlift beginner.
That is a sure way to get tennis elbow, bruised shins, and lower back pain deadlifting.
Yes, I have gone through all of them, so you do not have to.
The most important lessons I’ve learned are:
- determine your one-rep max
- learn how to deadlift with proper form
- use a sensible program for deadlifting every day
A deadlift workout is not enough.
You need to train with a system to achieve progressive improvement.
That is how you get leaner and more muscular.
And you must keep records of your training.
While the deadlift looks simple, pick a weight up off the floor, it is not as simple as it seems.
There is a lot of technique you need to master.
Respect the deadlift, and you will do great.
Deadlift Everyday – Wrapping Up
Deadlifting every day goes against conventional wisdom, which says that while the deadlift is a great exercise, you can do too much of a good thing.
And if you train too often, you run the risk of injury or burning out your central nervous system.
The purpose of this post is to explain –
1) the benefits of deadlifting every day and
2) to provide a sample program for doing so without hurting yourself.
Anyone who wants to get fit will benefit, and especially if you’re are looking for a low-maintenance home workout without buying many different machines.
The most important points are:
- deadlifting every day is a good idea because it is a total body exercise, and practice makes perfect
- if you choose to lift daily, then deadlift most days with a lighter weight and volume and focus on perfecting your form and technique as explained above
- deadlift heavy once per week when you retest your one-rep max
- with only one lift, in a small space, you can train most of your body’s most important muscle groups
The more you deadlift with good form, the better will be your mind and muscle connection.
In essence, you are not so much deadlifting every day, as much as you are training your nervous system via the deadlift.
This post lifts the lid on why it is an excellent idea to deadlift every day and how to structure your program so as not to burn out or hurt yourself.
Whether you use a personal trainer or not, this article can help motivate you to deadlift and give you a sample workout routine that will provide you with real-world results.
What’s Next?
What happens if you only do deadlifts?
Because maybe you only have enough space in your home for a deadlift area.
Or perhaps you don’t have sufficient time or mobility to squat or bench press as in the classic 3×5 strength workout.
See 27 Sensational Ways How Deadlifts Alone Change Your Body.
Related Posts:
- 7 Deadlift Muscles Worked That Will Change Your Body & Life
- How Often Should You Deadlift Per Week – A Beginner’s Guide(Opens in a new browser tab)
- 5 Allyson Felix Deadlift Workout Plan Results for the GOAT(Opens in a new browser tab)
- The 10 Best Exercises for Over 50 and Out of Shape(Opens in a new browser tab)
- How Many Deadlift Reps and Sets Should You Do – A Beginners Guide(Opens in a new browser tab)
- 11 Best Steph Curry Deadlift and Training Secrets
- How Deadlifting Helped a Grandmother Regain Her Mobility
- Hermann Goerner’s Deadlift Records Will Leave You Speechless
- One Great Beginner Deadlift Workout Routine for Powerlifting & Fitness(Opens in a new browser tab)
- The Simplest DIY Deadlift Platform for Beginners
Footnotes:
¹ Climbing: Training for Peak Performance
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer), an