Laddering the Deadlift

LADDERING THE DEADLIFT – If it’s been a while since you’ve deadlifted, use a reserved approach by laddering your way up to a 10-rep effort. Don’t immediately do 4 sets of 10 deadlifts with a moderate weight because you may give the body a shock you weren’t expecting, especially if you’ve got a history of injury or weakness in the lower back. Instead, do this:
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• Using a fair estimate of your 10-rep max, do just 2 reps for your first set.
• Rest about 2 minutes and then do 3 reps for your second set.
• Rest again and then do 5 reps for your third set.
• Finish off by doing a fourth set of 10 reps.
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On subsequent workouts, substitute out the lowest number of reps and replace it with another set of 10. Like this:
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• Workout 1: 2 reps, 3 reps, 5 reps, 10 reps
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• Workout 2: 3 reps, 5 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps
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• Workout 3: 5 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps
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• Workout 4: 10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps
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This is a simple way to adapt to the movement. Properly learning an exercise is just as important as incorporating it into your training, so take your time.