Who is Ed Coan?
First of all, what can you learn from the Ed Coan deadlift program? If you're new to deadlifting, you probably never seen or even heard of Ed Coan. I understand, because neither did I.
But, you will want to get better at the deadlift once you're hooked. And before long, you run into the name of Ed Coan as I did too.
Here is why Ed Coan is the Deadlift Maven:
In 2015, Ed Coan was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame which states that:
“Coan set over 71 powerlifting world records. For many in the powerlift community, He is the greatest powerlifter of all time. He was also the lightest person to cross the 2,400 pound barrier in the powerlifting total.”
The powerlifting total is the sum of three lifts. The bench press, the squat and our interest here – the deadlift. These 3 lifts make up the sport of powerlifting.
This is the world record powerlifting total that Ed Coan set:
- Squat – 1,003 pounds or 455 kilograms
- Bench press – 573 pounds or 260 kilograms
- Deadlift – 887 lbs or 402.5 kilograms
- Powerlifting Total – All three lifts combined add up to 2,463 pounds or 1,117.5 kilograms
Ed Coan achieved this mind-bending total at a height of 5 feet 6 inches and a weight of 239 pounds.
Watch Ed Coan deadlift 901 pounds at a bodyweight of 220 pounds in this Video
Ed Coan is a six time IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) World Champion.
He was born on July 24th, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois.
Today in 2018, Ed Coan is now age 55 years old.
Now that you saw Ed Coan deadlift over 900 pounds, who better to learn from? Here are the 5 greatest Ed Coan deadlift program tips:
1. The Foundation of the Ed Coan Deadlift Program
Ed's number one tip is to record every single set, rep and weight for every exercise you do. This is a big difference between people who ‘workout' and those who ‘train'. Working out has no particular goal, whereas training needs continual measurement.
The first rule of success in the deadlift or any other goal in life is to write a plan.
Ed wrote and used his plan and went on to spectacular achievements in powerlifting. Do you currently write down every single set, rep and weight that you lift?
Success leaves clues.
If you ever hope to beat the results of the Ed Coan deadlift program, take this first tip to heart. Start to record and measure all of your training. Here is a 12 week deadlift program that you can use.
2. Use a 3 Month or 12 Week Cycle
How long should a training cycle be?
It is difficult to see results when your training cycle is too short. And you need rest periods at some point in order to recover for a new cycle.
Nature gives you a clue as to how long a cycle should be. During every year you experience four distinct phases, winter, spring, summer and fall. Magically, they are each 12 weeks long.
A 3 month cycle works great for weight loss and strength training. If you need to lose weight, stop trying to lose 20 pounds in one month. Or worse, in one week. Have patience, do not punish your body and follow a safe plan to lose 20 pounds in 3 months.
3. Do Assistance Work Exercises – Not Only the Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press
You need to do deadlifts and more. You cannot deadlift only and expect to get a balanced training outcome. Besides, you risk injuring yourself by overdoing one exercise.
If you deadlift every day, you might end up with lower back pain. Or believe it or not, even tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis.
You need to mix up your style of training, exercises and the poundages. Training with heavy deadlifts every day is a recipe for disaster. Create a balanced training schedule that includes squat, deadlifts, bench press, as well as assistance exercises.
This 12 week deadlift routine contains recommended assistance work exercises for beginners.
4. Deadlift Heavy Only Once a Week
Can you imagine deadlifting over 900 pounds? You can save a lot of time by listening to an expert like Ed who actually did it. Why reinvent the wheel?
See this Ed Coan deadlift program created for Mark Phillipi. Coan never scheduled heavy deadlifts more than once per week. And he only prescribed 1 – 3 heavy deadlifts once per week. The rest of the deadlift work are speed deadlifts resting 90 seconds between each set. Phillipi said “I used this routine the last 10 weeks to take my deadlift from 505 to 540 pounds. I am a true believer in this routine.”
The Ed Coan Deadlift Program as described by Mark Phillipi.
https://www.ontariostrongman.ca/resources/training/coanphildead.html
| WEEK | WORK SETS | SPEED WORK |
| 1 | (75% of your 1 Rep Max) x 2 reps | (60%) 8 sets x 3 reps (90 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 2 | (80%) x 2 reps | (65%) 8 sets x 3 reps (90 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 3 | (85%) x 2 reps | (70%) 6 sets x 3 reps (90-120 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 4 | (90%) x 2 reps | (75%) 5 sets x 3 reps (90-120 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 5 | (80%) 3 sets x 3 reps | (65%) 3 sets x 3 reps (120 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 6 | (85%) x 2 reps | (70%) 3 sets x 3 reps (120 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 7 | (90%)x 2 reps | (75%) 3 sets x 3 reps (120 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 8 | (95%)x 2 reps | (70%) 3 sets x 3 reps (120 sec rest b/w sets) |
| 9 | (97.5%)x 1 rep | (70%) 2 sets x 3 reps (Rest as needed) |
| 10 | (100%)x 1 rep | (60%) 2 sets x 3 reps (Rest as needed) |
| 11 | MEET DAY – Achieve your desired max | N/A |
See this spreadsheet for the assistance exercises like power shrugs and good mornings during weeks 1-4, weeks 5-6, weeks 7-8 and weeks 9-10. Additional credit goes to https://powerpage.net as well.
5. Beat Your Lifts Every Week Till You Max Out
Few people on the planet will ever pull the weight of an Ed Coan deadlift. So, do not compete against anyone but yourself. Make your goal to lift a bit more than last week, until you reach your own deadlift potential. With a one week rest, try to add another 5 – 10 pounds on your lift.
The following video on youtube from Laurin Conlin is a real treat and worth every minute.
Watch Training Intelligent Q & A with Ed Coan by Laurin Conlin
Conclusion
Who better to give deadlift advice than Ed Coan? In summary Ed shares 5 terrific deadlift secrets:
- Make a plan
- Use a 3 month cycle
- Do assistance exercises
- Deadlift once a week
- Compete against yourself
Last but not least, for technical tips on how to conventional deadlift, watch this video from Mark Bell – Sling Shot below:
And watch Ed Coan deadlift 505 pounds with almost no effort at all.
Please pin the image below to share 5 of the Best Ed Coan deadlift program tips:
Rich is a certified personal trainer-AAPT and the author of 