Strength Program without Deadlift

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

I want to focus my training more around getting strong over the next year and I am looking for a program. There are tons out there, but the problem is that, due to injuries, deadlifting is not in the cards for me. All of the strength programs I have found include deads.

The most difficult part of DYI training programs for me has been modulating intensity. I tend to want to go as hard as possible all the time, but i know that’s not the best way to progress. For that reason, I am looking for a program like madcow or 5/3/1 that gives prescribed volume and weights.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I could take a program like that and modify it without deads? Thanks

2

Why is deadlifting not possible, but squats are ok? I have a degenerative hip disease and have had two surgeries, and squats are far worse on my hip than deads.

3

[quote]Ecchastang wrote:
Why is deadlifting not possible, but squats are ok? I have a degenerative hip disease and have had two surgeries, and squats are far worse on my hip than deads. [/quote]

Fair question. TBH I don’t really know. I injured my back over two years ago. I was able to very slowly work back up to squatting heavy (for me) weight. Every time I tried to do the same with deads, it never felt right. It always felt like I was a hair away from injuring it again. I chose to play it safe because i’d rather be limited in what i can do in the gym than not be able to be in the gym at all.

Also, reverse hypers and lots of ab work have helped me feel more stable while squatting, but still haven’t felt the same benefit in deads.

4

Can you do lighter weight deadlifts without injury? Like 135 for reps? I would substitute deadlift day on 5/3/1 with this

  • 5/3/1 front squat
  • lighter weight DL and/or RDL, light enough to not worry about injury, don’t increase weight until you are more confident.
  • whatever else you want to add
5

Try swapping deads for partials. Something like a mat/block pull would be ideal, but a rack pull wouldn’t be terrible. Should give you a lot of the carryover with minimal back injury risk. This is what I did when I was rehabbing my back, before eventually moving to ROM progression.

6

Thanks for the replies. I can give partials a try. Will start out with baby weights and see if the decreased ROM feels safer.

7

OP, I am in a similar situation to yourself.

My back is made of brittle straw. I am about to get back on to 531, and what I plan to do is to to do my deadlifts very light. Also important to NOT do them if your back does not feel 99% on that day. Remember strength is built over a long time and not in 4 weeks.

Let us know how you progress.

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8

From what I understand, a number of injuries, but especially back injuries have slowed healing because the body doesn’t normally pump a whole lot of blood to those areas. The slow healing is because only a small amount of “healing factors” are carried to that area, since they’re transported via blood. Some of the tendinous areas of the shoulder have the same problem.

Simply working the joints (in this case, the spine), and the muscles through a range of motion with the intent to get some blood in there should help things heal faster.

May help, may not, just throwing out an idea.

9

I would say to you that where you think your form starts to stray and where it actually starts to stray are probably miles apart.

Stop at 80%
Keep the reps to 3
Use a snatch grip to regulate the weight and allow yourself to get comfortable in the bottom position
Power cleans help.
Work a lot on your thoracic spine, shoulder mobility.

10

Thanks again all. I’m going to start up with this on Monday. Will be keeping track in my log. In a few months I will give a update on how it’s gone as well.

11

Single leg deadlifts?

12

What’s your deadlift stance? Try the other one, if conventional deasn’t feel right than try sumo, if sumo than try conventional.

13

[quote]Regev19978 wrote:
What’s your deadlift stance? Try the other one, if conventional deasn’t feel right than try sumo, if sumo than try conventional.[/quote]

Or Trap Bar.

14

Replace it with

  1. Sumo deadlift
  2. Half deadlift (almost like rack pulls)
  3. RDL or SLDL
15

I injured something around my SI joint and had to stop deadlifting for around a year and a half. I could easily squat without pain, so I just started squatting more. My squat went up in that time, and when I got back into deadlifting after 18 months the lift quickly improved back to where it was before the injury.

16

There is nothing magical about the deadlift or any exercise for that matter. Don’t listen to retarded “fitness” writers. The primary muscle groups driving the deadlift are the hamstrings, glutes, and erector spinae. Figure out a way to train the latter as hard as you can without compromising your back injury and you will be fine.