A mistake I see many trainees make, new and seasoned alike, is to stick with the same exercise week after week, month after month, and wonder why progress has stagnated. It is best for new trainees to stick to the same exercise for a period of time to establish a base but, at some point, the stimuli must be changed or progress will be halted.
There are multiple ways to change the stimuli including sets, reps, load, and rest periods along with more advanced methods such as rest pause sets, strip sets, or an all out overhaul of the entire training program.
However, in this series of articles, we will be looking at exercise variations to spur new growth. Not only is swapping exercises great for blasting through plateaus, but it is also beneficial for any lifts prescribed in a program that may be aggravating an old (or new) injury. In this case, the trainee would just swap the exercise that caused the aggravation with one that has the same movement pattern but does not cause pain.
As stated before, this will be a series that will go through the main lifts and movement types to supply some ideas for trainees looking to mix up their sessions. Today we will be looking at the deadlift.
Let’s jump in.
The deadlift has been the true test of all out strength since it’s creation, largely because it is the lift that most people can handle the most weight on and it is impossible to cheat. There is no half-deadlift like the squat, there’s no bouncing off the chest as in the bench press; you either pull it off the floor or you don’t.
While the deadlift is a great *test* of strength, there are many other options out there to gain strength and size that do not come with the neuromuscular fatigue caused by heavy deadlifts. The similar exercises below can be swapped in and out for each other as needed as a hip hinge exercise with the first three being more suitable for hypertrophic purposes and the remainder largely reserved for powerlifters
Romanian/Stiff Leg Deadlift – The Romanian deadlift is one of the best hip hinge exercises for hypertrophy and is used regularly in all my programs. It utilizes the same movement pattern as the deadlift and works wonders on the posterior chain but does not obliterate the nervous system like the standard deadlift. It is extremely useful in programs where muscle mass is desired along with strength.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift – This comes with all the benefits of the standard Romanian deadlift but with dumbbells so the range of motion and freedom of movement can be greater. It’s great to swap in when progress has stalled in BB RDL’s
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift – This exercise comes with all the benefits of the above two exercises but with the added bonus of being a unilateral movement. The single leg RDL is great for addressing or preventing imbalances.
Sumo Deadlift – The sumo deadlift, while not as fatiguing as the conventional deadlift, will still wreak havoc on the nervous system and recovery if performed too often. The main benefits of the sumo style are the extra load it puts on hip development and the lessened load it puts on the lower back; good news for anyone with back problems.
Deficit Deadlift – Deficit deadlift is used to train issues with getting off the floor. This will not normally be used in a hypertrophic or strength/mass program as there is not a real purpose for it in those scenarios. These will mainly be used for competitive powerlifters (or some random guy that wants to deadlift a ton) that fail coming off the floor. By dropping the bar a couple inches lower than normal, it forces the trainee to blast through their normal sticking point.
Deadlift from Blocks/Rack Pulls – While the deficit deadlift trains the bottom of the movement, the deadlift from blocks trains the top. Normally the blocks or racks will be set at a height where the trainee normally fails to train the weakness. These are also useful for hypertrophic purposes for the hips and upper back during lockout.
Deadlift with Chains/Bands – Another version of the deadlift that is mainly used by powerlifters, chains and bands can be added for accommodating resistance. Just like in the first entry for the Bench Press, chains and bands can be used on the deadlift to add more weight to the top of the movement where most trainees are stronger. The added/changed stimuli using this version is also great for blasting through plateaus if used in place of the deadlift in a powerlifting program.