• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Training Guides » How to Deadlift 500 Pounds (and More)

How to Deadlift 500 Pounds (and More)

If a big pull is your priority, you need a roadmap for getting there. 

Written by Mike Dewar
Updated by Alex Polish, NASM-CNC, ACE-CPT, SITA-SIFS on November 27th, 2024

The deadlift is one of the most empowering movements you can do with a barbell. Some of the most inspiring feats of strength ever performed involve a picture-perfect pull from the floor. If you have a personal goal of pulling 500 pounds — or more — off the ground, it can be tempting to seek out a shortcut to that magic number. 

Credit: Sportpoint / Shutterstock

Alas. Deadlifting heavy takes time, consistent practice, and a balanced approach to training. It’s about more than just loading up extra plates — you’ve got to focus on your nutrition, sleep, and stress management, too. 

This article will walk you through programming theory, nutrition and recovery guidelines, mental tips, and serve as a blueprint to help you finally put five wheels on the bar.

  • Deadlift Techniques
  • Programming Heavy Deadlifts
  • Nutrition for Deadlifting
  • Recovery for Deadlifting
  • Deadlift Cues and Tips 

Deadlift Technique — Sumo vs. Conventional

The first step towards achieving a five-plate pull is getting the technique down. Opting for sumo style or conventional form will require an assessment of your mobility as well as some practical trial and error, but getting it right early on can accelerate your journey to the lift you’ve always wanted.

The Sumo Deadlift

The sumo deadlift may be more suitable for you if you have long legs. Tall trainees can sometimes struggle to compact themselves into an advantageous posture on the conventional pull, so getting the legs out of the way is beneficial. The sumo deadlift also generally comes with a smaller range of motion, but at a cost — the requisite mobility, particularly in the hips, is very high. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vTsPOC6ZFc

The Conventional Deadlift

The standard barbell deadlift can be performed by any athlete, but lends itself well to stockier builds and shorter legs. Since the hips tend to sit lower and further away from the barbell, conventional pullers may need more back strength and stability than sumo pullers. The trade-off is that the technique is more straightforward and conventional pulls are generally easier to grind through. 

Programming To Deadlift 500 Pounds

Your deadlifting goal might be your own body weight, or it might be 500 pounds. Whatever the case, you’ll need a solid program to help you get there. The good news is, there are plenty of training options to choose from when you’re programming to build max strength.

If you want to pull big in the gym, remember that you’ll have to make concessions elsewhere. You’ll still want to squat, overhead press, and bench, but they may have to take a back seat while you focus on developing your deadlift. 

Linear Progression

One of the most popular forms of periodization is linear progression — a gradual, incremental, and consistent increase in the weight on the bar over a period of time. Each week, you’ll increase the weight used in your deadlift by five to 10 pounds. Proceed until you can’t complete your prescribed reps with perfect form or add additional weight. This indicates it may be time to move on to a different style of programming or take a brief deload. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eSd1YHufB4

[Read More: The Most Effective Workout Splits, Created by Our Experts]

A common misconception is that linear progression is only suitable for rank beginners. While it is true that the gains come easy in your first few years in the gym, intermediate and sometimes even advanced trainees can benefit from linear progression to some degree. After all, you can add up to 40 pounds a month to your deadlift — not an insignificant sum by any means! 

Conjugation

The core idea of conjugation as a training style is to constantly vary the exercises and implements used so that you can minimize the effects of overtraining and keep the body primed for gaining strength and muscle.

Additionally, by constantly varying the movements, you are able to make the training stimulus more transferable to other environments. This may mean playing more with pulling variations, bands, chains, fat bars, trap bars, or entirely opting to perform other lifts outside the “deadlift family”. All of these variations can be very effective means of improving overall strength adaptation and progress, which then bleeds into your deadlift itself. 

Daily Undulation 

It might be tempting to only pull lighter weights at very high volume to get stronger. While performing 10 sets of 10 deadlifts for hypertrophy, or doing countless repetitions in a WOD may sound like a good idea, the ability to lift heavy things is a skill that the nervous system and brain regulate, not the muscles themselves.

Credit: Sportpoint / Shutterstock

[Read More: Powerbuilding Workout Routine, With Tips from a CPT]

Daily undulation is a means of getting in high-quality practice without frying your neurons week after week. The principle of undulation involves changing intensities on the same exercise session by session — think a “light” day, a “moderate effort” day, and one day where you go all-out for a few singles or doubles. 

Eating For Progress 

If you want to be able to pull heavy, you need to eat like you mean it. While that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go all Hafthor Bjornsson on your grocery list, if you want to build the muscle and strength needed to achieve an impressive max, you need enough nutrients and calories.

Even if you’re looking to lose fat while building muscle, pay attention to tracking your macros. Focus on timing your nutrient intake for maximum muscle recovery so you can come back and lift heavy on a regular basis.

Recovery and Stress Management

When your goal is getting strong, you need to make recovery just as important as your lifting. Even if you program long training sessions for yourself, you likely spend overwhelmingly more time outside the gym than in it. That’s 22 out of 24 hours (for example) that you’re recovering from your sessions — why shouldn’t it be taken just as seriously as loading up the barbell?

Optimize Your Sleep

Everyone needs a solid amount of sleep — think seven to nine hours — each night to function at their best. Think seven to nine full hours for most people. But when you’re an athlete and training to lift your best, you might need even more.

Credit: Gorondenkoff / Shutterstock

Everyone, especially lifters, needs a solid dose of sleep each night. Seven to nine hours of shut-eye ensures that you physiologically recover from training stressors, but also comes with the perk of elevating growth hormone levels. Little changes like reducing screen time at night or limiting caffeine intake in the afternoon can go a long way towards improving your deadlift. 

Minimize Your Stress

Stress is, unfortunately, part of life. You’ve got to pay rent; when there’s a new baby in the house, you’ve got to be up at all hours making sure they get fed; on and on. But if you want to deadlift better, minimizing stress as much as possible is crucial.

Heavy lifting is a stressor in and of itself. If your cup is already full when you go to the gym, pouring more on may create some nasty spillover. Beyond establishing healthy personal boundaries at work or in the home, practices like meditation or yoga can be a good way to clear the mind so you can zone in at the gym. Lifestyle adjustments are as much a part of training as the training itself. 

Program Active Recovery Days

You might want to go hard every day — but that’s not necessarily what’s best for your body or your gains. Instead, consider programming at least one active recovery day per week.

These training days won’t see you hitting heavy weights, but you’ll still be moving your body. Light exercise will help flush toxins, ease muscle soreness, and give your brain the mental break you need from all those heavy weights.

Warm Up and Cool Down

It doesn’t have to be a formal active recovery day to focus on your overall muscular health. Diving right into your workout — and leaving the gym without cooling down — can eat into your gains in a big way.

Make sure you’re including a full dynamic warmup into each lifting session if you really want to get stronger. You’ll help your body remain resilient against injury, and you’ll fire up all the muscles you need to get solid work done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU9Eu29jsdQ

Once you’re done pulling for the day, make sure you’re cooling down before you leave the gym. You’ll be setting your muscle recovery up for success, easing your mental transition away from the weights, and improving your mobility for the next session as well.

Deadlift Tips, Tricks, and Cues 

Pulling a heavy barbell goes beyond the mechanics themselves. The right cues can help you engage more muscle, work with your body type instead of against it, and improve your confidence no matter how much weight is in your hands. 

Set Your Feet

Without firm footing, you are doomed. When setting up, take the time to “screw” your feet into the floor. Make sure that your entire foot has equal pressure against the floor. Try to think about gripping the floor with your toes — an active foot can help the legs work harder under load.

Never Stop Pulling

Heavy deadlifts move slowly, whether you’re attempting a PR or not. An effective way to bust through a sticking point is to commit to pulling the whole way. Once you clear your sticking point, whether it is off the floor or just past the knees, it is crucial to keep your foot on the gas until your hips have punched into lockout. 

Don’t Rush It

There is a big difference between attacking a weight and being hasty. Whether you’ve got a single plate on the bar or a lifetime personal best, it is imperative to be patient and methodical from your setup to your lockout. The more you practice a ritualistic pre-lift procedure, especially on warm-up sets, the more automatic it becomes. When you go to pick up the heaviest deadlift of your life, the only thing on your mind should be pulling as hard as you can. 

Final Word

There are no shortcuts to a heavy deadlift, so don’t be afraid to take your time. That said, pulling with the style that suits your body, picking the right program, eating well and sleeping soundly can speed up your journey.

Recognizing the intense demands that the deadlift places on your system will help you respect both your body and the lift itself. Resist the urge to stroke your ego and you’ll have five plates — or more — on the bar in no time. 

Featured Image: Sportpoint / Shutterstock 

About Mike Dewar

Mike holds a Master's in Exercise Physiology and a Bachelor's in Exercise Science. He's a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at New York University. Mike is also the Founder of J2FIT, a strength and conditioning brand in New York City that offers personal training, online programs, and has an established USAW Olympic Weightlifting club.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap