Deadlifting More Often vs Doing More Accessories Which Is Better for Increasing Your Max

Why Your Deadlift Is Stuck (It's Not About Training Harder)

When debating deadlifting more often vs doing more accessories which is better for increasing your max, the answer isn't one or the other-it's a specific 80/20 split where 80% of your effort goes to the main lift and 20% to targeted accessories. If your deadlift has been stuck at 225, 315, or 405 pounds for months, you’ve probably felt that unique frustration. You show up, you pull heavy, you go home sore, but the number on the bar doesn't change. You're likely stuck in one of two failed cycles: either you're deadlifting so often you're constantly fatigued, or you're doing a dozen different accessory exercises that just leave you tired without making you stronger where it counts. The truth is, max strength is a skill that needs practice, but it's also limited by the weakest link in your muscular chain. Simply trying harder at the main lift without fixing the weak link is like flooring the gas pedal with the parking brake on. And doing random accessories without enough specific deadlift practice is like building a powerful engine but never learning how to drive the car. The 80/20 approach forces you to practice the skill of deadlifting while systematically strengthening the one or two specific muscles that are holding you back. This is how you break a plateau.

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The "Weak Point" You Can't See (And Why It's Killing Your Max)

Your deadlift isn't one movement; it's a chain of events. A failure at any point in that chain causes the entire lift to fail. The number one mistake lifters make is performing "random acts of accessory," doing endless sets of leg presses, lat pulldowns, and hamstring curls hoping something works. This shotgun approach only creates systemic fatigue. The smart approach is to diagnose your specific weak point and attack it with surgical precision. There are three common failure points. To find yours, film your next heavy (but not max) set of 3-5 reps. Where does the bar slow down or stop?

1. Failure off the floor: If the bar feels glued to the ground, your starting strength is the issue. This is a leg drive and quad strength problem. Your back is strong enough to hold position, but your legs can't initiate the force to break inertia. You're trying to lift with your back first.
2. Failure at the knee: If you break the floor but the bar stalls as it passes your knees, this is a hamstring and positional strength issue. Your back is likely rounding, your hips are shooting up too fast, and you lose leverage. Your hamstrings aren't strong enough to maintain the hip hinge under load.
3. Failure at lockout: If you get the bar past your knees but can't stand up straight and lock your hips, your glutes and upper back are the weak link. Your glutes lack the power to drive your hips forward, and your upper back can't pull the shoulders back to complete the lift.

Once you identify the failure point, you stop wasting energy on useless exercises and focus only on the 1-2 accessories that fix *your* specific problem. You now know how to diagnose your weak point. But knowing your lockout is weak and actually strengthening it are two different things. Can you prove your hip thrust has gotten stronger over the last 8 weeks? If you can't, you're not training, you're just guessing.

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The 8-Week Protocol That Adds 20-40 Pounds to Your Deadlift

This protocol combines focused deadlift practice (the 80%) with targeted accessory work (the 20%). It’s built around one heavy deadlift day and one lighter technique day per week. This provides enough frequency to master the skill of lifting heavy without accumulating debilitating fatigue.

Step 1: Find Your Starting Number

Before you start, you need an honest 1-Rep Max (1RM). If you don't know it, find a weight you can lift for a tough 3-5 reps. Plug that number into a 1RM calculator online. For example, if you deadlift 300 lbs for 3 reps, your estimated 1RM is around 320 lbs. Use that 320 lb number for all the percentages below. Don't inflate it. Using a number you *wish* you could lift is the fastest way to fail.

Step 2: Structure Your Main Deadlift Day (The 80%)

This is your primary workout of the week. The goal is to handle heavy weight with perfect form. Rest 3-5 minutes between sets. The percentages are based on your 1RM from Step 1.

• Week 1: 5 sets of 5 reps @ 75%
• Week 2: 4 sets of 4 reps @ 80%
• Week 3: 3 sets of 3 reps @ 85%
• Week 4 (Deload): 3 sets of 3 reps @ 60% (This feels easy. It's supposed to.)
• Week 5: 5 sets of 3 reps @ 80%
• Week 6: 4 sets of 2 reps @ 87.5%
• Week 7: 3 sets of 1 rep @ 92.5%
• Week 8: Work up to a new 1-Rep Max.

Step 3: Choose Your Accessories (The 20%)

After your main deadlift work, pick ONLY TWO accessories that target your weak point, identified in Section 2. Do not add more. More is not better; better is better.

• If weak off the floor: Choose Deficit Deadlifts (3 sets of 5 reps) and Pause Deadlifts (3 sets of 3 reps, pausing 1 inch off the floor).
• If weak at the knee: Choose Romanian Deadlifts (3 sets of 8 reps) and Block Pulls from below the knee (3 sets of 5 reps).
• If weak at lockout: Choose Barbell Hip Thrusts (3 sets of 10 reps) and heavy Pendlay Rows (4 sets of 6 reps).

Step 4: Add a Second, Lighter Day

Three to four days after your main deadlift session, add a second, lighter day. This is not another heavy day. The goal is technique and speed. This addresses the "deadlift more often" component without burning you out. Choose one of the following:

• Speed Deadlifts: 8 sets of 2 reps @ 60% of your 1RM. Focus on pulling the bar as fast as possible. Rest only 60 seconds between sets.
• Opposite Stance Deadlifts: If you pull conventional, do light sumo deadlifts for 3 sets of 8 reps. If you pull sumo, do light conventional. This builds the supporting muscles without taxing your primary movement pattern.

What Your Deadlift Will Look Like in 60 Days

Following a structured program feels different from just going to the gym and lifting heavy. You need to prepare for what's coming so you don't quit when it feels strange. Here is the honest timeline.

Weeks 1-2: The "This is Too Easy" Phase

The weights, like 5x5 at 75%, will feel manageable. You will be tempted to add 20 pounds to the bar. Do not. The purpose of these weeks is to build momentum and practice perfect form. You are accumulating volume and teaching your nervous system how to handle the work. Resisting the urge to go off-plan is your first test.

Weeks 3-4: The First Grind and The Critical Rest

Week 3 at 85% will be the first truly hard day. The reps will slow down. This is where the program starts working. Then, in Week 4, you'll pull back to 60% for a deload. It will feel pointless. You'll feel like you're losing progress. The opposite is true. This is when your body supercompensates-it repairs the damage and adapts to be stronger for the next phase. Skipping the deload is the single biggest mistake people make.

Weeks 5-8: Trusting the Process

This is the money block. The weights are heavy, the reps are low, and every set is a mental battle. Week 7, pulling a single at 92.5%, will feel almost as heavy as your old max. This is normal. You are building confidence with near-maximal weights. When you walk in to test your new max in Week 8, you will have already handled weights close to it. A realistic result is a 5-10% increase. For a 315 lb deadlifter, that’s a new max of 330-345 lbs. For a 405 lb lifter, that's 425-445 lbs. This is real, sustainable strength gain.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Often to Deadlift for Strength

For increasing your max, deadlifting twice a week is optimal for most people. One day should be heavy and focused on progressive overload (working at 75-95% of your 1RM). The second day should be lighter, focused on speed or technique (working at 50-65% of your 1RM) to improve motor patterns without causing burnout.

The Best 3 Accessories for a Bigger Deadlift

There are no universally "best" accessories, only what's best for your weak point. However, three have the highest carryover: 1) Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) for hamstring and glute strength. 2) Pause Deadlifts for building strength off the floor. 3) Heavy Barbell Rows for building the upper back shelf needed to prevent rounding.

Dealing with Deadlift Fatigue and Recovery

Deadlifts are uniquely taxing on the central nervous system (CNS). To manage fatigue, ensure you are not training to failure on your main sets, get at least 7-8 hours of sleep, and eat enough calories and protein (1 gram per pound of bodyweight). A deload week every 4th week is mandatory, not optional.

Conventional vs. Sumo for Building Max Strength

Neither stance is inherently superior for building max strength; it depends on your body's leverages. Taller lifters with long torsos often do better with conventional. Shorter lifters with better hip mobility often excel at sumo. The best way to build your max is to stick with the stance that feels strongest and build it, rather than switching back and forth.

What to Do After Finishing the 8-Week Cycle

After you hit a new 1-Rep Max in Week 8, take a full deload week. Then, you can restart the 8-week cycle using your new 1RM as the baseline. For example, if your max went from 315 to 335 lbs, you would now base all your percentages off 335 lbs for the next cycle.