4 Plate Deadlift Quest Method

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.

What I was thinking about doing was continuing the 531 for the upper lifts, doing maintenance squats (maybe 5x3 using current 531 cycle weight 1x per week) and using my lunch breaks to do something similar to the Thibs article for my DL. Probably only 4 or 5x per week because I don’t have the money for that extensive of peri-workout supps. Just protein, creatine, and foam roll to assist my normal diet for recovery.

Tell me if this is a recipe for disaster or if I should give it a run and see how it goes…

2

Just hit some decent stims, get aggressive as fuck, and you will get your goal weight tomorrow already. Anyway, any reasonable variation of HFS training works very well, given that you have good/efficient form. And no fancy supps are needed for it to wortk.

3

There was this thing for a while where everybody was doing some “West side variation”. Finally word came down that if it wasn’t designed by Louie Simmons it wasn’t West side, nor are the variations of a generic template.

With that being said, why don’t you have a consistent concept at work in your program structure?

Of course I could be misunderstanding the current alpha numeric soup of the day, so please pardon if that is the case.

4

From the man himself: Deadlift: Friend or Foe? - Christian Thibaudeau Coaching - Forums - T Nation

5

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
There was this thing for a while where everybody was doing some “West side variation”. Finally word came down that if it wasn’t designed by Louie Simmons it wasn’t West side, nor are the variations of a generic template.

With that being said, why don’t you have a consistent concept at work in your program structure?

Of course I could be misunderstanding the current alpha numeric soup of the day, so please pardon if that is the case.
[/quote]

I think you misunderstand. Currently I am just running plain ol’ 5/3/1 with the Boring but Big accessory template. I am just considering doing deadlifts on a high frequency for a month to try and make a quick jump in my max, so while I do that I would cut back on squats and carry on as usual with the bench and overhead press.

6

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:

I think you misunderstand. Currently I am just running plain ol’ 5/3/1 with the Boring but Big accessory template. I am just considering doing deadlifts on a high frequency for a month to try and make a quick jump in my max, so while I do that I would cut back on squats and carry on as usual with the bench and overhead press.
[/quote]

Are you seeing gains using 5/3/1?

7

[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
From the man himself: Deadlift: Friend or Foe? - Christian Thibaudeau Coaching - Forums - T Nation

Outstanding! Thanks for the referral. I was worried with my original, albeit poorly thought out, plan that I would start having major form breakdown if i was up in the 85-95% of my 1rm area day after day, but the goal is feeling very close so I was gonna try it anyways. using 60% will allow for much higher quality work and keep me from injuring myself.

8

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:

I think you misunderstand. Currently I am just running plain ol’ 5/3/1 with the Boring but Big accessory template. I am just considering doing deadlifts on a high frequency for a month to try and make a quick jump in my max, so while I do that I would cut back on squats and carry on as usual with the bench and overhead press.
[/quote]

Are you seeing gains using 5/3/1?[/quote]

Yeah, I’m doing pretty well so far. I’m starting my 3rd cycle next week after switching from Starting Strength. I’m assuming what you are getting at is that if I’m seeing gains to just stick to it, which I agree with.

That being said 5/3/1 requires patience and i’m a little weak in that category plus I’ve never done deads with frequency like Starting Strength does with Squats. I’m thinking maybe I have some room to make fairly quick improvement if anything just because of technical grease the groove type improvements.

9

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:

I think you misunderstand. Currently I am just running plain ol’ 5/3/1 with the Boring but Big accessory template. I am just considering doing deadlifts on a high frequency for a month to try and make a quick jump in my max, so while I do that I would cut back on squats and carry on as usual with the bench and overhead press.
[/quote]

Are you seeing gains using 5/3/1?[/quote]

Yeah, I’m doing pretty well so far. I’m starting my 3rd cycle next week after switching from Starting Strength. I’m assuming what you are getting at is that if I’m seeing gains to just stick to it, which I agree with.

That being said 5/3/1 requires patience and i’m a little weak in that category plus I’ve never done deads with frequency like Starting Strength does with Squats. I’m thinking maybe I have some room to make fairly quick improvement if anything just because of technical grease the groove type improvements.
[/quote]

Listen, I hear you. Patients is not one of my virtues either. I’ve learned (recently), and you probably will too, that flip flopping programs in the name of a higher 1RM can have you spinning your wheels. In some cases for years.

Like Wendler has said, it’s better to gain 5-10 lbs to you 1RM a year, every year, vs. staying the same year after year after year.

Hey, it might work for you. You also might learn a hard lesson.

10

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:

I think you misunderstand. Currently I am just running plain ol’ 5/3/1 with the Boring but Big accessory template. I am just considering doing deadlifts on a high frequency for a month to try and make a quick jump in my max, so while I do that I would cut back on squats and carry on as usual with the bench and overhead press.
[/quote]

Are you seeing gains using 5/3/1?[/quote]

Yeah, I’m doing pretty well so far. I’m starting my 3rd cycle next week after switching from Starting Strength. I’m assuming what you are getting at is that if I’m seeing gains to just stick to it, which I agree with.

That being said 5/3/1 requires patience and i’m a little weak in that category plus I’ve never done deads with frequency like Starting Strength does with Squats. I’m thinking maybe I have some room to make fairly quick improvement if anything just because of technical grease the groove type improvements.
[/quote]

Listen, I hear you. Patients is not one of my virtues either. I’ve learned (recently), and you probably will too, that flip flopping programs in the name of a higher 1RM can have you spinning your wheels. In some cases for years.

Like Wendler has said, it’s better to gain 5-10 lbs to you 1RM a year, every year, vs. staying the same year after year after year.

Hey, it might work for you. You also might learn a hard lesson.
[/quote]

I respect and appreciate the words of wisdom, maybe I will just try and be patient and add conditioning instead since i currently do, um, none, other than walk my dog. Plus, that fits into Wendler’s 5/3/1 parameters which are much more professionally thought out than, well, mine.

11

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.

What I was thinking about doing was continuing the 531 for the upper lifts, doing maintenance squats (maybe 5x3 using current 531 cycle weight 1x per week) and using my lunch breaks to do something similar to the Thibs article for my DL. Probably only 4 or 5x per week because I don’t have the money for that extensive of peri-workout supps. Just protein, creatine, and foam roll to assist my normal diet for recovery.

Tell me if this is a recipe for disaster or if I should give it a run and see how it goes…[/quote]

Do you use chalk when you deadlift?

12

[quote]AliveAgain36 wrote:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.

What I was thinking about doing was continuing the 531 for the upper lifts, doing maintenance squats (maybe 5x3 using current 531 cycle weight 1x per week) and using my lunch breaks to do something similar to the Thibs article for my DL. Probably only 4 or 5x per week because I don’t have the money for that extensive of peri-workout supps. Just protein, creatine, and foam roll to assist my normal diet for recovery.

Tell me if this is a recipe for disaster or if I should give it a run and see how it goes…[/quote]

Do you use chalk when you deadlift?[/quote]

Yep, Chalk and nothing else. I’d probably max at 300 or less without the chalk, my gym’s oly bar is pretty slick with any sweat at all on the hands. Ive thought about trying with a belt for a while, but until i truly stall im hesitant to add that in.

13

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Patients is not one of my virtues either.
[/quote]

I don’t think patients is a virtue of anyone. Patience, perhaps.

:wink:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.
[/quote]

Just keep working hard, man. 5/3/1 works if you follow it as it’s written. While I was running 5/3/1, I did my first four sets of DL from a 2.5 inch deficit, the second-to-top set from a 1.25 inch deficit, and my top set from the floor. Makes the warm-ups feel much more difficult, and the top set feel that much easier. It also helped with my speed off the floor.

Also, if you’re doing BBB, consider doing one of the variations (5x5, 5x3, or 5x1) instead of 5x10 for your BBB deadlift movement. You get to work with heavier weights and minimize the form breakdown that usually accompanies high-rep deadlifts. I was doing snatch-grip deadlifts for awhile, then switched to sumo. I personally found SGDLs to be quite beneficial (much more-so than sumo).

14

[quote]baugust wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Patients is not one of my virtues either.
[/quote]

I don’t think patients is a virtue of anyone. Patience, perhaps.

:wink:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.
[/quote]

Just keep working hard, man. 5/3/1 works if you follow it as it’s written. While I was running 5/3/1, I did my first four sets of DL from a 2.5 inch deficit, the second-to-top set from a 1.25 inch deficit, and my top set from the floor. Makes the warm-ups feel much more difficult, and the top set feel that much easier. It also helped with my speed off the floor.

Also, if you’re doing BBB, consider doing one of the variations (5x5, 5x3, or 5x1) instead of 5x10 for your BBB deadlift movement. You get to work with heavier weights and minimize the form breakdown that usually accompanies high-rep deadlifts. I was doing snatch-grip deadlifts for awhile, then switched to sumo. I personally found SGDLs to be quite beneficial (much more-so than sumo). [/quote]

Nice, I hadn’t thought of doing a deficit for the lighter sets. That should be good, especially since my weakest point is off the floor I have no acceleration.

15

[quote]baugust wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Patients is not one of my virtues either.
[/quote]

I don’t think patients is a virtue of anyone. Patience, perhaps.

:wink:

[/quote]

Lol, spelling isn’t exactly my thing either…

16

If you are just starting your 3rd cycle, I would stick with it for a few more cycles. My first two cycles saw very little gains, my 3rd saw moderate gains, and my 4th and 5th saw huge gains. The program takes time to work.

17

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.

What I was thinking about doing was continuing the 531 for the upper lifts, doing maintenance squats (maybe 5x3 using current 531 cycle weight 1x per week) and using my lunch breaks to do something similar to the Thibs article for my DL. Probably only 4 or 5x per week because I don’t have the money for that extensive of peri-workout supps. Just protein, creatine, and foam roll to assist my normal diet for recovery.

Tell me if this is a recipe for disaster or if I should give it a run and see how it goes…[/quote]

I don’t know if i misunderstood your post but why are you only training 2 days a week if you have the time to train up to 6 times a week?

18

[quote]Iron_Made wrote:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.

What I was thinking about doing was continuing the 531 for the upper lifts, doing maintenance squats (maybe 5x3 using current 531 cycle weight 1x per week) and using my lunch breaks to do something similar to the Thibs article for my DL. Probably only 4 or 5x per week because I don’t have the money for that extensive of peri-workout supps. Just protein, creatine, and foam roll to assist my normal diet for recovery.

Tell me if this is a recipe for disaster or if I should give it a run and see how it goes…[/quote]

I don’t know if i misunderstood your post but why are you only training 2 days a week if you have the time to train up to 6 times a week?
[/quote]

I average 3 days a week so my cycles aren’t usually 4 weeks but 3. The extra time to train would be if I figure out what to put a little time on during my lunch at work. Basically I am looking for some work I can put in within a 30-40 minute timeframe (so i have time to get to and from the gym) because I feel like I may be under training a bit and could benefit from finding my limits a little more. I would do conditioning but then I have to shower and change and everything which takes too much time, vs some singles or doubles that I can do in my undershirt and change of shoes and not return to work looking like a slob.

19

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:

[quote]baugust wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Patients is not one of my virtues either.
[/quote]

I don’t think patients is a virtue of anyone. Patience, perhaps.

:wink:

[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
After reading Thibs High Pull article today, it got me thinking about how I might pick up the pace to get my Deadlift goal. Currently I am running 531, but I do 2 of the lifts a day Squats/Bench, Deads/Overhead with BBB template. My current DL max is 365 at 185lb BW and being that close to 4 plates is making me anxious to get there.
[/quote]

Just keep working hard, man. 5/3/1 works if you follow it as it’s written. While I was running 5/3/1, I did my first four sets of DL from a 2.5 inch deficit, the second-to-top set from a 1.25 inch deficit, and my top set from the floor. Makes the warm-ups feel much more difficult, and the top set feel that much easier. It also helped with my speed off the floor.

Also, if you’re doing BBB, consider doing one of the variations (5x5, 5x3, or 5x1) instead of 5x10 for your BBB deadlift movement. You get to work with heavier weights and minimize the form breakdown that usually accompanies high-rep deadlifts. I was doing snatch-grip deadlifts for awhile, then switched to sumo. I personally found SGDLs to be quite beneficial (much more-so than sumo). [/quote]

Nice, I hadn’t thought of doing a deficit for the lighter sets. That should be good, especially since my weakest point is off the floor I have no acceleration.
[/quote]

I found that using deficit deads for my DL assistance and doing speed singles on another day really helped me become very explosive off the floor. Now it’s my strongest point.

20

When I hit my first 4 plate deadlift I was at around the same max. Some pretty awesome lifter gave me a simple program to get me there in few weeks was something like
315 3x5
330 4x4
350 3x3
365 2x2
385 2x1
405 1x1
deload/stretch like a son of a gun.
Current max is only 415 going to reset deadlift soon, starting today back to 315 5x3
I would deadlift once a week as well for pure strength gains. Once your nervous system is trained to be more efficient you can up frequency.