Deadlift Frequency: How Often Should You Pull?
Deadlifts are one of the most taxing lifts, so getting the frequency right is crucial for strength gains and long term progress. When programming deadlift frequency, the key factors revolve around recovery, strength goals, and training age. We’ve coached 25 lifters to 600+lb deadlifts, 8 to 700+lb deadlifts, 7 females to 450+lb deadlifts, and 3 to 500+lbs. Here are a few considerations that I like to keep in mind when programming deadlift frequency for my lifters…
1. Training Age and Experience
Beginners: Typically, lower deadlift frequency (1x per week) is optimal due to their limited capacity to recover from the high demand deadlifts impose. They’ll still see significant progress with less frequency because of their ability to adapt quickly. Although their muscles recover quickly, deadlifts are still fatiguing from a systemic standpoint, and the goal is to improve technical development while keeping them safe and still allowing them to progress quickly.
Intermediate to Advanced Lifters: These athletes can often tolerate higher frequencies (2–3x per week), especially when variations (e.g., Romanian deadlifts, deficit pulls, or paused deadlifts) are used to modulate intensity. They may need more frequent deadlift variations to address weaknesses or technical refinement.
Advanced, Heavyweight, or Enhanced Lifters: These athletes may benefit from a lower frequency (1x per week or bi-weekly). These athletes tend to lift much heavier weights, and that total load puts a significant amount of stress on the CNS and may require a longer time to recover from. Once an athlete becomes very skilled at the deadlift, they typically need fewer exposures to maintain or improve their performance. Their efficiency in the lift is high enough that, with proper intensity and programming, they can progress with lower frequency without diminishing returns.
2. Intensity Management
The deadlift is taxing on both the nervous system and muscles, so carefully balancing intensity and volume is critical. If pulling more than once a week, using different variations or adjusting load (heavy/light days) helps manage recovery.
Heavy Days vs. Technique/Speed Days: A common approach is having one heavy session (higher RPE) and one lighter session focusing on technique, speed, or higher volume.
3. Recovery and Fatigue
Deadlifts generate a lot of systemic fatigue. If an athlete struggles with recovery or has a highly stressful lifestyle, reducing deadlift frequency may be necessary to avoid burnout or injury.
Monitor recovery by tracking soreness, sleep quality, and fatigue markers. Adjust frequency based on how well the lifter recovers between sessions.
4. Exercise Selection
Deadlift variations like RDLs, stiff leg deadlifts, block pulls, or deficit deadlifts offer different recovery demands and can be used to adjust frequency and intensity, especially in more advanced lifters.
Accessory work like hamstring curls, good mornings, or reverse hypers can maintain posterior chain strength and balance deadlift demands without overdoing the movement.
5. Body Type and Individual Recovery Ability
Taller lifters or those with longer limbs may experience more strain from frequent deadlifts due to the greater range of motion, and they may benefit from lower frequency.
Individuals with quicker recovery ability or those with favorable leverage may be able to deadlift more frequently without excessive fatigue.
Conclusion:
In general, balancing intensity, volume, and variation while monitoring recovery is the key to setting the right deadlift frequency. Deadlift frequency isn’t one size fits all. It’s about finding what their body can handle, ensuring they are recovering well, and making sustainable progress.
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