Deadlift programming for Intermediate female trainee

Hi all,

I've been helping my sister through the SS training method for several years, and I've got a question about how to prescribe Deadlifts for her, as she is in the Intermediate phase. Page 222 of the silver book (PP:ST) shows 2 different phases of a female Intermediate program, but the DL programming is different between the phases:

-Phase 1 shows a 1x3 work set followed by 2 backoff sets at -5 lbs (3 sets total)
-Phase 2 shows 4 work sets of 3 reps (4 sets total)

The PP:ST book never explicitly addresses these 2 different versions of female DL programming....and I'm wondering what to advise for my sister. If anything, based on my current understanding, I would suggest a "phase 1" of 3x3 or 4x3 DL work sets, all at the same weight, and when that starts to fail, a "phase 2" consisting of a single 3RM workset followed by 2 backoff sets at -5 lbs (sort of like the taper from Novice to Advanced Novice for males). That being said, I would very much appreciate some input from more experienced folks.

Thanks!

-skypig

I've had both work well, but I have found the the phase order listed is a bit of an easier adjustment (note my back offs won't be a flat 5lbs; I will use an 8-10% reduction from the top set). Going right to sets across can work for some, but can be a bit of a shock for others.

Thanks Hayden! Just to make sure I understand: you're advising that the female Intermediate trainee start with the "backoff set" phase (1 work set followed by 2 backoff sets at 8 - 10% reduction), before eventually transitioning into "sets across" (3 or 4 work sets) for Deadlifts?

Yes, it's a safer way to go than immediately giving them 4 sets. I've actually found that moving from 1x5 to 2x3 (sets across) generally works well for most initially, but for those where it's too much, or you want to be conservative, the second triple backed off a bit works well.

Perfect, thanks again Hayden - I really appreciate the clarification. I'll bookmark this thread for future reference.