Coan/Phillipi

A deadlift routine: Ed Coan and Mark Phillipi's ten weeks, one deadlift day a week, to pull a goal max in week 10. Every weight is a share of that goal, not of your current max, so pick a goal a little past your best that you can earn in ten weeks.

Each day starts with the heavy work: a double at 75% of the goal in week 1, up 5% a week to 90% in week 4; a triple at 80% in week 5 as the volume drops, then doubles at 85, 90 and 95%, a single at 97.5% in week 9, and the goal itself in week 10. Speed sets of the same lift follow, at 60 to 75% with short rests (1:30, then up to 2:00), fewer sets as the weeks go on.

The speed sets are meant to be as explosive as possible. Pull every rep as hard and fast as you can, with the same setup as your heavy work, and never grind one out: the weight is light on purpose.

The assistance comes after the deadlifts. Weeks 1 to 4: a circuit of stiff-leg deadlifts, bent-over rows, underhand lat pulldowns and arched-back good mornings, 3 rounds of 8, with little rest between. Weeks 5 and 6: power shrugs at 60 to 65% of the goal, then those four lifts, each 3×5 with 1:30 to 2:00 rest. Weeks 7 and 8: the same at 2×5, the shrugs at 70 to 75%. Week 9: only shrugs at 75% and stiff-leg deadlifts, 2×5. Week 10: none.

This program follows the deadlift alone: log the heavy and speed sets together in one session, and the assistance as its own lifts. From the start day, each session you log the deadlift in fills the next week.