How Strong Are You Now?

I was wondering… how strong are you now?

What do you consider strong?

Men’s Fitness says this about “how strong are you”…

Reading April 2009, page 18 has a quick blurb on the deadlift and says this about your 1RM (1 Rep Max) on the deadlift:

• Less than your bodyweight = “Damn, you’re weak.”
• 1.25x your bodyweight = “You’re average”
• 1.5x your bodyweight = “You’re pretty strong”
• 2x your bodyweight = “You’re a beast”

Umm… I dunno about you, but those numbers seem really llooooowwww…

For example, I just took a peak at my training logs and when I was on my “mass gaining” phase — I did 255lb deadlifts for 20 reps… and… 265lbs x 20 near the end of that phase (although I had to set the bar down for 3 or 4 breaths at reps 10, then 5 more, then some breaths, then the last 5) so let’s just count the 255lbs x 20 reps pure for this example.

My bodyweight is anywhere from 135-140 depending on what time of day you catch me so a 1.5x bodyweight deadlift is 210 pounds (using my “heaviest bodyweight” of 140 pounds).  So I was doing over 1.5x my bodyweight… not just for a “1 rep max”… but for 20 freaking reps without stopping. And this is pulling conventional style deadlift.

My buddy paul who weighs about 145-150lbs has done 365lbs (I think it was, I’ll have to check) for 5 sets of 5 with the conventional deadlift…

… Neither one of these numbers are our 1RM. I hope this is obvious as mine was an all out 20 rep set… So I think the Men’s Fitness numbers are REALLY low… what do you think?

Trouble Shooting Your Deadlift

If your numbers ARE in line with the Men’s fitness “scale of strength” then I’m not trying to bag on you or make you feel bad or anything… but here’s some tips and observations I’ve picked up:

• Your form: if you get your form right, there’s no reason (at least I’ve never seen it) why you can’t pull your bodyweight in the deadlift IMMEDIATELY…
• Your posterior chain: is probably weak as hell if you’re not pulling a lot of weight. Too many leg extensions, bicep curls, bench pressing, and not enough focus on the muscles you can’t see in the mirror…
• Bodyweight Training: can you do pullups and bodyweight squats? If you can lift your bodyweight pretty well, you can lift weights pretty well (in my experience)
• Glutes: if you have low deadlift numbers — you have weak ones. Table makers to activate them, squeezing your buttcheeks in every exercise, etc — you need to get these puppys working for you…
• Deadlift more: the only way to get your technique right is to deadlift more. You’ll get more comfortable with the exercise and be able to pull more.

Beginner Advice

That last point about deadlifting more… you’ll catch flack if you tell that to powerlifters. Most of those guys only pull once a week… or even two weeks because it’s such a taxing exercise. Combined with a couple days of squats it’s hard to recover from.

But if you’re not even deadlifting your bodyweight (or 2x in my opinion) then you can almost certainly get away with squatting 3x per week along with deadlifting at least 1x per week… even more if you’re not yet pulling your bodyweight.

Now when you’re pulling a ridiculous amount of poundage – then yeah by all means – take some more rest time between those sessions as it takes a LOT more time to recover from. For now though, perfect practice and repetition makes perfect — and you need plenty of practice.

Why Care About The Deadlift?

The deadlift is probably one of the strongest indicators of pure strength and relative strength. You can’t cheat with this puppy — you either get that weight off the ground or you don’t. There’s no real way to cheat (besides not locking it out, but that’s easy to spot).

Powerlifting “gear” doesn’t help this lift either. That’s the reason why there’s a world champion powerlifter right now who squats over 1,200 pounds, benches over 900 pounds… but… only has a 700 pound deadlift. Say it with me: “W. T. F.?”

Why is strength important?

That same Men’s Fitness article says it best:

“Strength is the foundation of performance. When all else is equal, a strong guy will run faster, hit harder and last longer than a weakling. Find out how strong you are with the deadlift which tests your legs, hips, back and grip.”

Except for that last part about “which muscles” the deadlift tests. That’s B.S. Deadlifts work EVERY muscle. I pulled a 365 lb single (not off the ground, off three mats, about mid-shin height) and on the shaky as all hell way up to lockout I felt EVERY muscle in my body working. Not to mention afterwards I had a little “good pain” in my pec. Answer me that one? In my pec!

So be strong over your whole body and start deadlifting.

What Do You Think?

Do you agree with the Men’s fitness article? Do you think you’re strong? What are your numbers… or… what do you want them to be? How strong are you now? Leave your answers in the comments section…