Deadlift Strength Training – Introduction
What is an excellent deadlift strength training program you can do at home?
According to many fitness experts, successful strength training involves elaborate workouts and an extensive array of often expensive equipment, not to mention a gym bag full of exotic supplements.
This, they say, is the only way to get stronger, build muscle, or get ripped.
And while complex training plans can work, they’re often hard to stick to, and that’s the problem!
When it comes to getting results, the best workout routine is the one you can stick to.
Not for a week or a month but for the foreseeable future.
If a training plan or diet is so complicated that it’s impractical, you won’t stick with it long enough for it to work.
And that’s why training simplicity and minimalism are so valuable.
Simple workouts remove many of the barriers to consistent exercise.
Another way to ensure you complete more workouts than you skip is to exercise at home.
Home workouts are naturally more streamlined than gym-based workouts because you have fewer exercise choices.
So, for this article, I’m going to share a deadlift-based home workout for building muscle and strength.
Combined with a sensible diet, this plan could also help you get ripped.
Deadlift Strength Training at Home – Overview
This program involves three deadlift-based workouts per week.
The conventional deadlift is the foundational exercise, as it’s the move that provides the biggest bang for your buck.
However, you need more than the deadlift if you want to develop all muscle groups equally, so there are supplemental exercises in each workout.
Each workout involves different exercises to hit your muscles from different angles and the set and rep schemes revolve from one week to the next.
All this variety means you should be able to make progress from one week to the next and steer clear of progress plateaus and workout boredom.
Of course, before you begin any of these workouts, you should spend a few minutes preparing your muscles and joints for what you are about to do.
Start with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio, e.g., jump rope or jogging, followed by dynamic mobility and stretching exercises for your main joints and muscles.
Finally, and especially on “heavy” training days, do a couple of ramped sets to work up to your training weight for the day.
For example, if you’re planning on doing three sets of five repetitions with 200lbs, your ramped warm-up sets might look something like this:
- 10 reps 45 pounds (empty bar)
- 7 reps 100 pounds
- 4 reps 140 pounds
- 2 reps 175 pounds
- 5 reps 200 pounds (first work set)
Deadlift Strength Training at Home Workouts
Warmed up and ready to go?
Good to hear!
Do each of these workouts with one or two rest days in between, e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The numbers below refer to sets x reps.
So, if the program called for 5 x 5, that means you do five reps five times, resting three minutes between each set.
In contrast, 3 x 10 means three sets of ten reps.
For rest periods, take three minutes between sets of five, two minutes between sets of eight, and one minute between sets of 10+.
Really short of time?
I hear you!
In that case, feel free to skip exercises 4-6 from each program.
Think of these exercises as nice to do rather than compulsory.
The workouts won’t be quite as balanced or effective if you miss out on the last three movements, but you’ll still get good results.
It’s better to do a little less and train regularly than skip entire workouts and not train at all.
Workout 1
Finisher: Run or row one mile as fast as you can.
Workout 2
Finisher: 100 burpees (no push-ups or jumps)
Workout 3
Finisher: Tabata jump rope intervals (20 seconds fast, 10 seconds rest, repeated for eight sets).
FAQs
The beauty of minimalist training is its simplicity, but you may still have questions about this workout.
No worries; we’ve got the answers!
#1. How much weight should I use for each exercise?
Unfortunately, this is one question I cannot answer because I don’t know how strong you are.
Instead, use a weight that takes you within a couple of reps of failure for each exercise.
So, if the program calls for five sets of five reps, choose a load you feel you can lift 6-8 times.
Don’t get too hung up on the amount of weight or even the exact number of reps you’re doing.
Instead, get close to failure somewhere near the prescribed rep count, and you’ll be fine.
#2. How do I progress from workout to workout?
The most logical way to make your workouts progressively more challenging is to add a little more weight to the bar, e.g., 5-10 pounds.
Alternatively, you can do your sets with greater technical proficiency to make the exercise harder, i.e., slower and with good technique.
#3. Can I change the exercises?
If you don’t like or cannot do any of the prescribed exercises, you are free to make tactical substitutions.
But, one word of warning: make sure you use similar compound exercises.
For example, you could do deficit deadlifts or rack pulls instead of Romanian deadlifts, as these compound movements are all but identical.
In contrast, something leg extensions are far too dissimilar and would not make a good substitution.
#4. Is this a cutting or a bulking program?
The effects of this program are determined by your diet.
For example, if you eat more than your TDEE (total daily calorie expenditure) and create a calorie surplus, you’ll gain weight and build muscle.
However, if you consume fewer calories than your TDEE and are in a calorie deficit, you’ll burn fat and lose weight.
You will also get stronger and may build muscle, but it’ll be at a slower rate than if you were eating more.
Adjust your food intake based on your training goal.
#5. What is the finisher, and do I have to do it?
The finishers are designed to challenge your cardiovascular system and burn a few extra calories.
They also develop mental toughness.
There is no reason NOT to do them, but if you are pressed for time, you don’t have to end your workout with a finisher.
However, finishers are very effective for enhancing fat loss and building cast-iron willpower, so do them if you can.
#6. Where does cardio and core training fit into this program?
You can do cardio either after your strength training workouts or on the days in between.
20-30 minutes three times per week is all you need to do.
If you feel you have to do more cardio, e.g., for weight loss, you are probably overeating and should fix your diet before doing more cardio.
As for core training, just choose a couple of exercises, e.g., planks and hanging leg raises, and do a couple of sets 2-3 times per week.
Done correctly, all the strength training exercises involve varying amounts of core engagement, so you probably don’t need to do a whole lot of extra abs training.
Deadlift Strength Training – Wrapping Up
Building muscle, getting stronger, and losing fat don’t need to be time-consuming or complicated.
In fact, the simpler and shorter you can make your workouts, the more likely you are to stick to them, and the better your chances are of reaching your fitness goals.
These workouts might not be Instagram-worthy or have lots of “sexy” exercises in them, but they will build muscle and increase your overall strength.
Sort your diet out, and you’ll get ripped, too.
Plus, your deadlift strength is going to EXPLODE!
Consistency trumps workout complexity every time, so commit to training three times a week and see how much of an improvement you can make in your physique and deadlift performance.
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer),