At what point should you start deadlift warmups with 135lbs?

[OZ-USF-UFGator]

Not a lot, but there are also the people in between, those who can pull it for their first warmup, but shouldn't. E.g. someone who will do their work reps at 180. I've had a couple of those.

Completely healthy adult male?

[OZ-USF-UFGator]

N=1, but count 21 year old me in this category. I was coming off years of endurance only training. I got to 135 quickly, but it absolutely would not have moved on the first day.

I don't think endurance trainers as group are healthy. Some, yes but most, I believe expose themselves to oxidative time bombs on a daily basis. But I'm not a Dr. I could be wrong.

[Michael Wolf]

Answer honestly, what percentage of HEALTHY males under 55 that you have experience training start deadlifts at sub-135. I'm not interested in the percentage that you actually start under 155 due to playing it safe, but the percentage that are actually incapable of pulling 135 for greater than 5 reps. Even in the SS book, Rip states that rank novices who are healthy and young can start off using a lot of weight.

You've started a total of 3 people on LP, and unless I'm mistaken, are also redefining "healthy" tautologically to basically mean "people who can deadlift over 200 lbs with good form on day 1."



Seriously though, a LOT of people - including healthy males, the way the term is broadly used and understood colloquially - cannot deadlift enough on Day 1 such that 135x5 is a sufficiently trivial weight that they don't need to focus on the weight itself at all, and can focus solely on the coach's instruction (or their attempt to follow the instruction they've seen or read about. Which is of course necessary for the initial teaching of the movement. As you'd know if you had taught many people how to do the lifts and paid attention to what happened when you made the mistake of starting too heavy a few times.

[A Schenck]

Day 1 if you're a healthy male under 55

I don't think endurance trainers as group are healthy. Some, yes but most, I believe expose themselves to oxidative time bombs on a daily basis. But I'm not a Dr. I could be wrong.

Isn't this moving the goal posts? The OP asks about warming up the deadlift, and you make a statement that implies that everyone without obvious health or injury issues should start their warmups with 135. Now you've backtracked.

If you are a competitive runner you arn't healthy. If you can't warm up with 135 you arn't healthy. No true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge.

I feel bad for the group you train.

[Bryan Dobson]

Some days when I am stiff, I will rdl for a few sets uisng just the bar until I feel like grabbing 135. Some very light blanks or bumpers would be nice to have on hand for teaching the movement and for anyone to use regardless of strength. 135 is just there because of standard plate sizes and most gyms are not well equipped.

[OZ-USF-UFGator]

You've started a total of 3 people on LP, and unless I'm mistaken, are also redefining "healthy" tautologically to basically mean "people who can deadlift over 200 lbs with good form on day 1."



Seriously though, a LOT of people - including healthy males, the way the term is broadly used and understood colloquially - cannot deadlift enough on Day 1 such that 135x5 is a sufficiently trivial weight that they don't need to focus on the weight itself at all, and can focus solely on the coach's instruction (or their attempt to follow the instruction they've seen or read about. Which is of course necessary for the initial teaching of the movement. As you'd know if you had taught many people how to do the lifts and paid attention to what happened when you made the mistake of starting too heavy a few times.

Fair enough

[OZ-USF-UFGator]

Isn't this moving the goal posts? The OP asks about warming up the deadlift, and you make a statement that implies that everyone without obvious health or injury issues should start their warmups with 135. Now you've backtracked.

If you are a competitive runner you arn't healthy. If you can't warm up with 135 you arn't healthy. No true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge.

I feel bad for the group you train.

I haven't back tracked, you just have a shitty reading comprehension ability.

[skid]

Isn't this moving the goal posts? The OP asks about warming up the deadlift, and you make a statement that implies that everyone without obvious health or injury issues should start their warmups with 135. Now you've backtracked.

If you are a competitive runner you arn't healthy. If you can't warm up with 135 you arn't healthy. No true Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge.

I feel bad for the group you train.

Why do you feel bad for people he trains? They're obviously strong individuals. The amount of snarkiness here is unbelievable.

I have never seen a man start with less than 135 but then again I don't get out much...

[A Schenck]

Why do you feel bad for people he trains? They're obviously strong individuals. The amount of snarkiness here is unbelievable.

Point taken about the snark. But here is what started me down that path:
OP asks when it appropriate to drop DL warmup sets below 135#
OZ-Gator says that all health men under 55 should start warmups at 135#
OZ-Gator indicates that he as LP trainees over 40 who's DL worksets start at 160# (at the beginning of an LP)
OZ-Gator continues to double down on the concept that anyone who can't start at LP at a weight that makes a 135# warm up appropriate is not healthy.

After all that, here is why the snark slipped out:
A lot of people (including the SSCs who have been kind enough to chime in) disagree with a 135# starting warmup weight being a sign of a healthy individual or even expected for an average trainee. I don't think a 135# warm up for a masters lifter with a 160# workset is prudent or effective. I don't think a coach who automatically labels a lifter as being unhealthy due to starting weights has a mindset that is prudent or effective. But you're right. The way I ended my comment wasn't constructive.

[Charlie Davies]

Someone has to be on the left side of the strength bell curve.

15% of us are at least one standard deviation below average.
What's rare is for someone in that 15% to take up barbells and stick with it.

It takes an odd sort of stubbornness to stick with something you are exceptionally bad at.

I'm really proud of my 315 lb deadlift. I'm like a person with an 85 IQ who, through diligent practice, mastered long division and basic algebra. Yay me!