There isn’t one answer to this question, so I’ll give you a few different options.
If you’re using the deadlift to get stronger, performing the movement at least once per week is necessary.
For best results over a long period of time, I recommend working in deadlifts and deadlift variations two to three times per week.
Ultimately it depends on what your goals are.
Saying you want to be “stronger,” is great, but it doesn’t give much detail.
Do you want to get stronger specifically in the deadlift? Are you an athlete and want to improve your performance in your sport? Do you want to build more muscle mass and generally just feel like a stronger person and more capable?
Deadlifts can play a part in all of these however it will be helpful for you to define these for yourself prior to starting any new strength and conditioning routine.
Key Takeaways
- Lifting twice per week is generally better than once per week as you can acquire more volume.
- You can gain muscle mass by lifting light, or heavy. The most important thing is whether or not the final repetition is high effort, or not.
- You can still get stronger deadlifting once per week however it will likely take longer than if you did it twice per week
- Muscle groups being worked during deadlift are quads, hamstrings, glutes, adductors (inner thigh), and your back muscles.
Can I get stronger if I only deadlift once per week?
If you are a beginner to lifting weights then yes, you can get stronger by only deadlifting once per week.
However, you will reach a point where you are not making the same amount of progress as you were before with once per week.
It’s at this point that you have a few options.
#1 You can increase your overall volume on one day. So for example, instead of doing 3 sets, you do 4, 5 or even 6 sets. This gives a larger stimulus to the muscle to grow.
#2 You do a second day of deadlifting which is doing the same thing, acquiring more volume and practicing the movement with more repetition.
Why is deadlifting twice per week better than once per week?
This is my opinion and so this is up for debate and discussion, but I think that deadlifting twice per week will yield better and faster results over the course of a year versus deadlifting once per week.
The reason for this is that it is easier to accumulate for volume over the course of two days versus one day.
There is something about practicing a movement, whether it be playing an instrument, learning a language, or lifting weights, that requires us to do it more than once a week.
Our brain tends to learn movement and sequencing better when we do it more often.
This is why I generally have my clients deadlift at least twice per week for the most optimal deadlift gainz.
If you just want to build muscle, you don’t have to deadlift. There are many ways to skin a cat.
Which muscle groups are being worked during deadlifts?
The primary muscle groups being worked during deadlifts are as follows:
- Quadriceps
- Gluteals
- Hamstrings
- Adductors (inner thigh)
- Erector Spinae (low, mid, upper back muscles)
Each of these muscle groups is worked quite intensely during the deadlift.
Even if you go to maximal fatigue during a deadlift, it’s unlikely that you will reach 100% failure at each muscle group since you are using so many. Maximum failure is not completely necessary for muscle growth, although working close to failure is.
Generally speaking, doing most sets to an RPE 7 and 8 with a sufficient amount of volume should get you the muscle mass and strength you’re looking for without completely frying your body in the process.
If you’ve never done squats or deadlifts to failure (doing as many as you can), then you haven’t felt what it’s like to almost die.
It’s not a pleasant experience!
What is the optimal number of sets, reps, and weight to build muscle?
Stronger by science recently wrote a new article covering how many sets are optimal for building muscle and they showed, based of the study shared, that 20 sets per muscle group per week seemed to be optimal. You can get more than that but there are diminishing returns.
An example of this:
- Squats 3 x 10
- Lunges 3 x 10
- Leg press 3 x 10
- Deadlifts 3 x 10
- RDLs 3 x 10
- Hack squat 3 x 10
If you did each of these exercises over the course of a week and stayed consistent with it, worked up close to failure each set, you would be massively stronger and have larger, more defined muscles over the course of a year to six months, full stop.
People are often trying to find the silver bullet to getting into better shape or improving their strength but the simple truth is that there isn’t one. There is the work, get to it.