20 Rep Deadlift

So I’ve seen quite a few people try the 20 rep squat program and like it a lot, have any of you tried applying it to deadlift? Just wondering if it would be good idea or bad idea to try it with deadlifts also.

considering how much your back is used in other exercises and the fact that your grip would not allow you to handle your true 20RM deadlift max.

Youd have to use straps or lower the weight which is pointless…and still… I think that it would also be difficult to keep form in check and not round your back which a lot of people do in higher rep ranges

Personally I wouldnt, but just cause I wont doesnt mean that it wouldnt work. If you find it fits your program and helps your body than do it.

Here is something cool:

500 lbs sumo for 16 reps

My personal experience is that unless you pull sumo, it is impossible to keep good form. High reps tend to really scrape up the shins and tear your callouses.

Use a trap bar to ensure the form stays impeccable.

I don’t see why a 20 rep dead routine would be any less effective than a squat routine,both exercises are almost of the same effectiveness in my book.

I have done the 20 rep deadlift, it is awesome. You need straps for them though, to prevent tearing your skin up.

I do 20 rep deadlifts once in awhile using the same kind of guidelines as the 20 rep squats. I use a medium stance and the last few reps my form gets sloppy and my shins get torn up but I never use straps. go for it,.

I don’t think 20 reps would work for the deadlift. Unless you’re going very light your form is bound to suck in the second half…welcome, injury

IMO, comparing 20-rep squats with 20-rep deadlifts is like comparing apples and oranges. The nature of both deadlift and squat are quite different from each other, so a 20-rep method that works wonders in the squat isn’t necessarily effective for the deadlift.

But there’s no harm in trying. Go for it and see how it works.

[quote]shizen wrote:
So I’ve seen quite a few people try the 20 rep squat program and like it a lot, have any of you tried applying it to deadlift? Just wondering if it would be good idea or bad idea to try it with deadlifts also. [/quote]

I tried it quite a while ago.

http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1326936

To quote Charles Staley in that thread:

Moral of the story: A 20-rep set of deads - sounds good on paper, not so great in application.

I have done some sets of 20 reps on deads but never an official program like doing it for 6 weeks straight. I think it would be more CNS intensive than a squat program. Also your lower back tends to recover slower than your legs. However I don’t see why sometimes doing a higher number of reps would be inherently bad or why your form has to break down (and who cares if you scrape your shins). Think of the strongman competition where you have to rep out a certain weight for max number of reps, is that a bad thing?

as long as proper form is kept throughout i dont see the harm in it. as said, unlike the 20rep squat program it might not work miracles, as the hamstrings tend to favour lower rep higher intensity work. but i can see how its a nice change of pace. ive tried high rep deadlifts and one things for sure its a decent way of doing some metabolic work, that stuff gets your heart beating a million miles a second

The difference between doing a “classic” 20 rep program with squats and deads is that during a set of 20 rep squats, you must support the weight during the entire set. With deadlifts on the other hand, you set the weight come to a complete rest between every rep (if you’re doing them right IMO).

This changes the nature of the set.

Also, as was mentioned before, your risk of lower back injury would be quite high if you actually followed the 20 rep protocol.

I am not arguing against doing higher rep deads however. Just not so sure trying to do 20 reps with a 10RM would be a good idea.

am i the only one who feels deads are better done in a moderate-low range? i like doing deads and rack pulls DC style then doing shrugs or something afterwards for high reps like 15-20`

Live what are deads done DC style? RP?

[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
The difference between doing a “classic” 20 rep program with squats and deads is that during a set of 20 rep squats, you must support the weight during the entire set. With deadlifts on the other hand, you set the weight come to a complete rest between every rep (if you’re doing them right IMO).

This changes the nature of the set.

Also, as was mentioned before, your risk of lower back injury would be quite high if you actually followed the 20 rep protocol.

I am not arguing against doing higher rep deads however. Just not so sure trying to do 20 reps with a 10RM would be a good idea.[/quote]

I agree. The whole point of the 20 rep “breathing” squat set is that you don’t set down the weight. Maintaining the compressive forces on the spine and the subsequent hormonal release is the main reason it’s so effective. I suppose you could use straps and let the bar hang in the upright position but I can’t imagine that you would get the same stimulus without pulling your arms out of their sockets.

If you try this, start with light weights and move up. To me it sounds like a back injury waiting to happen.

[quote]Scott M wrote:
Live what are deads done DC style? RP?[/quote]

going to failure, rp, failure, rp failure

although if i remember correctly the actual “DC” method of deads is like a straight set of 10 or something, but i much prefer them the RP way.

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
Scott M wrote:
Live what are deads done DC style? RP?

going to failure, rp, failure, rp failure

although if i remember correctly the actual “DC” method of deads is like a straight set of 10 or something, but i much prefer them the RP way.[/quote]

Ouch. Well, at least you seem to be aware that RP’ing deadlifts is not recommended.

If you truly feel like RP’ing deads works best for you have at it, but in the future don’t call it “DC style” because it’s not. DC style is doing 2 straight sets of deads (1 heavy, one higher rep).

Just be safe with that, they aren’t recommend to be rest paused for a reason. I’d say someone could get away with high(just below knees)rack deads done in that style if they were very attentive to form but from the floor even the most careful gym goer is awaiting an injury.

its DC in the sense that you go failure/RP but i see what youre saying.

the only other way ive dead racks or deads is a set of 8, increase weight, 6, +, 4, +, 2

so youd go like 250x8, 300x6, 325x4, 350x2 or something like that.

i like both styles but right now im feeling that training to failure and then some is the best way to train for ectomorphs. its evident through my 30lb gain from DC and also from the Physique Clinic in terms of how Thibs has set up his training for USCTrojan. I also noticed in Thibs intro he talked a lot about static holds, stretching, and slow concentrics which seemed to be very very similar to DC’s methods.

[quote]Racarnus wrote:
Here is something cool:

500 lbs sumo for 16 reps

My personal experience is that unless you pull sumo, it is impossible to keep good form. High reps tend to really scrape up the shins and tear your callouses.

[/quote]

NO offense dude, you might want to check your form a bit. Yes strength is there, but BOUNCING off the floor will do nothing bdestroy your back. as what do you think is the joint thats gonna absorb that weight , not muscles joints, bye spine in a few years.

here is something you might want to look at.

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=970&Itemid=10029&Catid=29