Find out how strong you are and how to get stronger
THE TEST
Estimate your deadlift one-rep max—the most weight you can lift for one rep—and compare it to the calculations below.
Your 1RM (one-rep max) is...
- Less than your body weight = Damn, you're weak
- 1.25 x your body weight = You're average
- 1.5 x body weight = You're pretty strong
- 2 x body weight = You're a beast!
BRINGING UP YOUR LIFT
If you bombed out on our test, try these tips.1) As you lift the bar on a rep, increase your speed. Start firmly from the floor and try to go faster as you approach the locked-out position.
2) Try the workout below. Make it your first session of the week each week.
Week 1: Deadlift standing on a 45-pound plate. Five sets of five reps, resting one to two minutes between sets. Use the same weight on all five sets.
Week 2: Deadlift standing on two 45-pound plates. Five sets of five reps, resting one to two minutes between sets. Use the heaviest weight possible for each set.
Week 3: Perform good mornings. Set up as you would for a squat but point your feet straight ahead. Now brace your abs and push your hips back as far as possible. Keep the arch in your lower back as you bend forward at the hips as far as you can—you must keep this arch at all times. Extend your hips to return to the starting position. That's one rep. Work up to one working set with a weight that allows you only three reps.
Week 4: Same as Week 3.
Week 5: Deadlift standing on two 45-pound plates. Three sets of three reps, resting one to two minutes between sets.
Week 6: After a thorough warm up, test your one-rep max. It should be significantly higher.
See Also:
Beginner Weight Training
Strength Training
Workout Routines
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.
