Deadlift volume in your templates

Training Q&A [Moderated]
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I was wondering if you could share a brief explanation of your decision for having such high volume for deadlifts on the templates vs what most other people seem to recommend which is a lot less. I was listening to another well known coach recently who was saying that the average lifter wanting to get bigger & stronger can get quite far by doing relatively low volume & frequency for squats and deadlifts and use other movements to build muscle which allows you to keep making progress on the big lifts. Rather than practicing them a couple of times a week with many sets.

Apparently it is better for longevity and doesn’t “beat you up” as much. I assume that you prefer your style because it is more specific to power lifting. I kind of like the idea of doing more deadlifts which target most of the body (back, traps, glutes, hamstrings) rather than doing 1 set of deadlifts + tons of rows and chins + hamstring curls to make up for it.

I know that you use variations of the main lifts too which helps avoid overuse injuries etc and RPE which helps as well to prevent over reaching all the time.

I’m not in any way trying to insinuate that you are wrong or anything because I know you are great lifters and coaches. Just curious to hear your general perspective on this topic if possible.

Thanks

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We would not agree with that coach with respect to improving deadlift performance, though sure- folks can get big without ever deadlifting.

That being said, the thought that deadlifts are uniquely fatiguing due to the stress placed upon the back, the weight used, or whatever would-be aphorism given are not supported by data. When directly compared, there’s no difference between squat and deadlift fatigue.

Given the clear relationship between training volume and strength + hypertrophy, we would expect keeping volume low for any lift would reduce its development and tolerance needed to actually train it.

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