Boost Your Deadlift 40 Pounds in 6 Weeks!
by Chad Waterbury


Let's face it, if I gave you the choice of either growing bigger
muscles, or getting bigger and stronger, you'd choose the
latter. Lucky for you, an essential component of getting bigger
muscles is getting stronger. This is a universal law of training no
matter what type of program you follow.
Now, let's take that thought process a step further. Since your
goal is to get stronger and bigger, what exercise do you
think would be most beneficial to add as much mass as
possible?
The deadlift, of course!
Based on the feedback I've received over the years from T-Nation
readers, it seems that the majority of guys have a max deadlift in
the 300-400 pound range. Of course, there are outliers, but this
pretty much hits the fat portion of the bell curve. At that level
of strength, I can boost it around 40 pounds in just six weeks.


Most T-Nation readers can deadlift between 300 and 400
pounds.
Sound cool? I certainly hope so because I'm here to outline one
tried and true method that will boost your deadlift or squat
strength fast. And you better believe it will also add slabs of
muscle to your frame!


Progressive Movement Training (PMT)
Decades before steroids and high-tech lifting gear, Paul
Anderson was discovering some of the most effective strength
training tricks known to man. He was a genius and forerunner when
it came to developing strength, and he had a 1200-pound squat to
prove it.
One of Anderson's most revered methods is Progressive Movement
Training (PMT). It consists of lifting a supramaximal load through
your strongest range of motion and increasing the range of motion
over time. For the record, a supramaximal load is a weight that's
too heavy to lift through a full range of motion.
Here's a simple example. Let's say your one-repetition max
deadlift is 315 pounds. If I threw another 100 pounds on the bar
you could probably just deadlift the supramaximal load a few inches
below lockout. It'd be tough, for sure, but you already know that
building strength and muscle takes effort.
After the session you'd rest a few days and repeat the drill.
The neurological enhancement from overloading your tendons,
ligaments and muscles would allow you to lower the 415 pounds an
extra inch or two due to the carryover of strength to greater joint
angles. You'd continue with this plan until you could achieve a
full deadlift to the floor.
That's PMT, in a nutshell.


Making It Work For You
Since there were no power racks at the time, Paul and his
mentors had to compromise. They would stand in a hole and deadlift.
Over time they'd fill the hole a few inches until they were
standing at ground level. This movement progression is akin to
lowering the pins on the power rack. Thankfully, the movement
progression is much easier for us since we actually have a power
rack. No shovel required.


Thanks to the power rack, you will never have to deadlift in
a hole.
The trick to getting this technique right is to not overwhelm
your system with the first few workouts. The load should be heavier
than you could lift through a full range of motion, but it
shouldn't be devastating. Challenging but doable, that's the
key.
Instinctively you might assume that lifting through the partial
range of motion with just one or two reps will suffice. It won't.
You need as many reps as possible to get the job done. The more you
practice a lift, the better you get at it. My colleague, Pavel
Tsatsouline, calls this greasing the groove. A neuroscientist would
say you're training the cerebellum, a complex area of your brain
that coordinates complex movements. Whatever you call it, the more
you practice a lift the stronger you'll get. And the stronger you
get, the more muscle you'll add, assuming the volume is
sufficient.
As a rule of thumb, the shorter the range of motion, the more
reps you need to boost strength. As you lengthen the range of
motion, shave off reps to avoid burning out your system. Also,
we're trying to boost your 1RM here, not your 10RM.
PMT works best with the deadlift, but the squat is a close
second. Many lifters have successfully used PMT for the bench
press, but it's not something I recommend unless you're a
competitive powerlifter. So stick to the deadlift first, or the
squat if you're built for it.

Short ‹- ROM -›
Long
High ‹- REPS
-› Low



There's no better way to boost your deadlift in record time than
with PMT. However, there are four key points you need to understand
to make it work.


1. Use plates with the power rack
First, it's best to have access to a power rack that has holes
that are only an inch or two apart. Unfortunately, most gyms have
power racks with holes that mandate an extra three inches of range
of motion. In most cases this is too big of a jump. But I've found
a way around this shortcoming.


Unless your rack allows fine adjustment of the pins, you'll
have to stand on plates.
Start with the pins set 2-3 inches below lockout. For the next
workout, stand on top of two 45-pound plates (one plate under each
foot) with the pins set to the same position. This allows you to
only increase your range of motion about half the distance of the
pin holes. For the third workout, drop the pins one position and
don't stand on the plates. For the fourth workout, stand on the
plates with the pins set in the same position as workout #3. For
the fifth workout, drop the pins, and don't stand on the plates.
And so on.


2. Add 10% to your full range of motion 1RM
You'll probably be scratching your head when you read through
the following parameters. For the first workout you'll be
performing 6 reps with 110% of your one-repetition maximum (1RM).
How's that possible? Because the 110% is for your full range of
motion.
Don't fret, you should be able to lift this load six times when
the range of motion is shortened to just a few inches. If you can't
pull six reps, you went too heavy. Remove 10 pounds for your second
set.
For example, let's say your full range of motion 1RM for the
deadlift is 405 pounds. You'll add 40 pounds to the bar and set the
pins so you're only training the top 2-3 inches of the lift. Knock
out two sets of six reps and your deadlift or squat training is
finished. Follow it up with a handful of upper body lifts and
you're good to go.


3. No shoes allowed
You should train without shoes. In fact, all of my clients now
train sans sneakers. Here are some reasons why.
First, modern tennis shoes typically have cushioning that lifts
your heel slightly. This creates ankle dysfunction by diminishing
ankle dorsiflexion due to a shortening of your soleus. If your
ankles can't dorsiflex to a normal range of motion, your knees,
hips and low back will eventually feel the pain.
Second, cushiony shoes alter the muscle recruitment pattern and
decrease the transmission of force between your feet and hips.
Third, you'll enhance ankle stability strength by training
barefoot. I suppose you could use Chuck Taylors, Birkenstock
sandles, or ballet slippers, but why? Just slip off your shoes for
each set and you'll reap the benefits of better ankle, knee, and
low back health while also boosting your strength.

If your gym insists on shoes, you can always wear these.
Otherwise, bare is best.


4. Stretch your hip flexors and activate your
glutes
Part of excelling at the deadlift requires strong glute
activation. When your glutes fire optimally it boosts your strength
and protects your low back and hamstrings. However, as the great
Dr. Stuart McGill likes to say, many people suffer from gluteal
amnesia. Part of the problem are tight hip flexors that don't allow
you to fully lock out (extend) your hips.
There are two drills I like to use to prepare my clients for
deadlifts. The first is a hip flexor stretch. Hold the following
position for 15-20 seconds on each side. Repeat once more. This
will free up hip extension.

The second drill will enhance nerve transmission to your glutes.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Squeeze
your glutes together as hard as possible so the anterior portion of
your pelvic bone tilts up. Hold this contracted position for five
seconds. Squeeze to the point where you're trying to make your
glutes cramp. Make a fist with each hand to develop a stronger
glute contraction.
Now your hips and low back are ready to pull some big weights!





Progressive Movement Training for the Deadlift or
Squat
Here's a sample strength-boosting plan using the PMT
method.
Frequency: twice per week (Monday and Thursday, for
example).
Exercise: deadlift or squat
Load: 110% of your full range of motion 1RM
Rest: 2-3 minutes between each set of deadlifts

Week 1: 2x6 with pins set 2-3 inches below
lockout*
Week 2: 2x5 standing on plates*
Week 3: 3x4 with pins set to next lowest position
Week 4: 2x3 standing on plates
Week 5: 3x2 with pins set to next lowest position
Week 6: test your 1RM at the end of the week**
*Use wrist straps if needed.
**Assuming you follow a Monday/Thursday training plan, your last
workout will be on Thursday of week 5. Test your 1RM for the
deadlift or squat the following Saturday or Sunday on week 6. This
allows 8-9 days of rest for full recovery.
For your upper body movements, shoot for 15-25 reps with a load
you could lift 6-8 times while fresh. Ideally you'll choose one
upper body pushing and pulling movement for each workout, but the
exercise choices are up to you.
Pull-ups and chins are great upper body exercises because
stronger lats will boost your deadlift or squat. This is due to the
fascial cross connection between your lats and glutes: they're
constantly pulling on each other. Remember though, this phase is
for boosting your deadlift, so keep most of your energy focused on
it.
It goes without saying that this type of training is very
intense, but I'm going to say it anyway: this type of training
is very intense.
Keep your supplemental exercise to a minimum, and don't repeat
this phase in an effort to double-up your results: it won't work.
This type of training should be limited to three times per year,
with at least three months of rest between each phase.


Final Words

This is one of the fastest ways you'll ever use to add 10% to
your squat or deadlift. Keep in mind, if your 1RM is 405 pounds,
that's a 40-pound increase with just five weeks of
training!

For more of Waterbury's information pick up his e-book The
10/10 Transformation here.

His book Muscle Revolution can be purchased here.



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