If you’re an instinctive trainer who is in the habit of writing your own workouts from day to day, then you know: sometimes, it’s tough to figure out what muscles you want to target. In those instances, a good tactic is to simply train all of them. And one good way to do that is to set a barbell on the floor, load it up with plates and deadlift.
Though it may sound cliché by now, picking heavy weight up from the floor over and over again is good for you. We will qualify that truism by pointing out that the deadlift is actually much more technical than it sounds – done right, it is a carefully orchestrated symphony of muscles working together to get the weight up. Done wrong, all your life may be bound in sorrows and misery.
In this workout, you’ll simply choose a weight that you can handle for 8-10 reps – but you’ll only perform five. As with rest-pause training, stopping just short of failure ensures that you keep more of your explosive fuel (ATP) in the tank for longer. Or, in the case of this workout, put it to immediate use on another move.
Broad jumps, which call for you to simply jump as far as possible from a standstill, build explosive power in your lower body which, as it turns out, helps out on heavy sets of deadlifts and nearly every other active pursuit in which you might engage.
Power & Strength
You start the workout with five deadlifts and immediately transition into five broad jumps. Rest no longer than 60 seconds before moving back to the barbell. Although these are big power-and-strength moves, which typically call for longer rest periods, these submaximal loads and low rep counts allow for a little manipulation in order to infuse a slight conditioning element. Additionally, you may find that the broad jumps help produce stronger, cleaner reps when you get back to the deadlift, a result of a phenomenon known as post-activation potentiation (PAP).
By the time it’s all said and done, you will have notched 50 decent-weight deadlifts and 50 powerful broad jumps. Total body power and strength in no time flat.
–Rest no longer than 60 seconds between supersets.
–For the deadlift, use a weight that represents your 8-10RM.
–Perform this workout once per week. Add one rep to both exercises in Weeks 2-4. In Week 5, reassess your 8-10RM on the deadlift and adjust weights as necessary before starting again at the five-rep mark.
DEADLIFT TIPS
Use straps only if necessary. If you do use straps, stay cognizant of your 60-second rest period.
Drag the bar up your shins and legs to the top of each rep. If the bar isn’t in contact with your body, you are limiting the amount of weight you can pull safely.
Allow the bar to come to a complete stop on each rep.
BROAD JUMP TIPS
Swing your arms aggressively on each jump, aiming to cover as much forward ground as possible.
Land softly (and quietly), with your ankles, knees and hips flexed slightly, your shoulders over your hips.
Settle yourself for a moment between reps as you load up your arm swing for the next rep.
