Heheh…I just wish someone had articulated that fact clearly to impatient, short-sighted me when I was a beginner!
Thanks.
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Yep, that’s the idea - - working as hard as when initially developing mass, but then figuring a way to vary working hard around “doing less” in order to maintain without getting injured.
And, I wish there was a simple “do-it-this-way” solution to determing the balance, but, as you likely know, as with all things bodybuilding, it’s ultimately trial-and-error which determines what works as optimally as possible for you.
The wear-and-tear of normal aging, along with the even-minor injuries most of us experience in a lifetime, gradually accumulates. Joints, nerve-to-muscle efficiency, hormonal output inevitably decay. Like it or not, we’re eventually forced to dial it all down accordingly. I sometimes boggle at what I routinely used for, say, seated dumbbell presses, at age 27 compared to what I’ve had to reduce to by age 67, despite a lifetime of training, attention to nutrition (especially protein intake), and attention to recovery.
But one advantage of bodybuilding as a lifelong activity is that by its very nature, it can be appropriately adjusted to present physical capacities. Poundages, volumes, frequencies, et cetera can be easily adapted to decreased capabilities. I may not be able to handle as heavy of resistance at age 67 as I could at age 27, but I can still do seated dumbbell presses.
Success to you ! Keep at it. There’ll be another mid-forties-year-old who’ll benefit from your experience when you’re still bodybuilding at age 67.
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I am curious though whether the strengthening and hormonal benefits of intelligent deadlift programming does in fact generate strong carry over benefits to a hypertrophy-centric program
I also enjoy that most deadlift programs seem to now support steady programming offset by lower volume. To me this allows the deadlift to be a strong starter or finisher (ex max 5x5 for working sets)
I think deadlifts remain an excellent exercise. The original post was about how to make deadlifts as hypertrophic as possible. You could also add pauses or slow down the descent, and you could also do this with what is discussed below.
Deadlifts work an extensive posterior chain and allow significant load, but this is divided among many muscles. Others have pointed out it is easier to isolate desired muscles for hypertrophy, and other exercises may have less systemic fatigue and better results, sometimes through more volume or focus.
But that isn’t what was first asked. Making deadlifts hypertrophic (to me) mostly means doing volume. In practice, I like Thibaudeau’s BOSS system, which boils down to doing lots of heavy singles. (I was doing this for years before Thibs came out with his system, so was Thibs, but this is excellent and more precise and formal, link below).
What I like to do is set up a deadlifting bar (straight or hex) on the floor of the rack platform outside the rack itself. And also set up a rack pull at appropriate height on the rack, usually 315 lbs., or whatever feels easy to you. I do a few deadlifts at increasing weights as a warmup, and work towards an “everyday maximum”, a lot of weight I could usually deadlift even if tired or stressed (roughly 75-90% of my personal best, depending on straps). If this goes well and feels easy, I might try to lift more, or use straps and lift more to work up to a high weight. This is unlikely to be a personal best, call it the daily maximum.
I then calculate 60% of this total^, so the weights and deadlifting bar add up to that. I put light weight on the rack pull, maybe 315 lbs. (should feel easy, this number is unimportant, just to increase volumes). Then I start my Ironman watch chronograph. I do a moderately heavy deadlift single every even minute (at 0, 2, 4 minutes, etc.). I do a light rack pull set (from 1-5 quick reps) every alternate odd minute (at 1, 3, 5 minutes, etc.). I might do 3-12 sets of five deadlifts and five rack pulls (taking nine minutes) with a break between these sets for as long as feels needed (usually three minutes or so). This is easier than it sounds and is not terribly exhausting. It is a ton of volume, and it takes a fair amount of time to do. But most of the time is resting, not lifting.
This is good, in my opinion and experience, for hypertrophy as well as strength.
^If preferring strength, Thibs has a template (Kindle “BOSS system”) doing single reps with increasing 60%, 70%, 80-85% of maximum and suggests differing rep levels and alternate exercises depending on your ultimate goal. I was doing this before I’d heard of BOSS, but it works for me and is fun and easy (but time inefficient) to do. At commercial gyms, you also tie up the rack for a long time. The rack pull is meant to be easy, just an extra stimulus of similar muscles while allowing more time to rest from the deadlift part.
(Link to Canadian Amazon, please remove this if desired or violates the site terms:)
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Do 8’s. Lol