Everyone wants to see the best possible result in the shortest amount of time. But how often should you deadlift if you want to see optimal progress with that particular exercise?
If you continue reading, you will find out as the topic of this article is precisely deadlift frequency - how often should you deadlift heavy, should you have a deadlift day workout, and what’s the best way to progress depending on your goals. Once you’re finished with this short, you will know how often to deadlift in order to not only keep on getting better but also remain injury free and healthy.
How often should you deadlift? Anywhere between one to three times a week is the optimal amount of deadlift training you should do. With that said, depending on your goals and your availability, that number might vary.

What Is a Deadlift?
The deadlift is a compound exercise that involves several large muscle groups, including the back, legs, core, and glutes. It’s considered one of the most valuable exercises you can do to increase strength and muscle mass while also being one of the most functional movements you can do in the gym.
Essentially, the deadlift imitates one of the most basic movements we perform every day - bending down to pick something off the floor. Just think about it, how many times per day do you need to bend down and lift something - whether that’s the garbage can, your laundry, a small child, your dog, or another object in the house? Probably at least 20 times every single day of the week. Additionally, because it involves so many of the big muscle groups, the deadlift is an exercise that will raise your heart rate, burn a ton of calories and help you improve your balance and coordination.
Because of the many benefits of training the deadlift and the fact that it’s a required exercise for weightlifters, people often train it multiple times per week. That’s especially true for individuals seeking to achieve better athletic results. However, because of its taxing nature, doing a heavy deadlift workout every day is definitely not recommended. But what is?
How Often Should You Deadlift?
Before we dive into the discussion about the frequency of your deadlift sessions, we first have to talk about the training frequencies per muscle group in general. On the internet, you can easily find gurus that say - you should deadlift 3 times a week, squat twice and run five times to achieve the perfect physique. However, that’s just a standard template that doesn’t take into consideration a large number of factors, including:
- How often can you train per week
- Your training experience
- What other types of training do you
- Your preferences
- Your training goals
- How much volume do you

How Often Can You Train Per Week?
If you’re not a professional athlete, it’s unlikely that you’re able to train twice a day or even every day. That means you have a certain amount of hours every week to dedicate to getting into better shape - considering that is extremely important when you’re creating your workout plan and thinking: “How many times a week should I deadlift.”
1. Your Training Experience
There’s a big difference between beginner lifters, advanced athletes, and professionals. Knowing your level is key for determining how many days per week you should deadlift and how many sets you should do, and with what kind of volume. A beginner is likely to be able to deadlift once a week, while an advanced lifter may be able to incorporate deadlifts every other session.
2. What Other Types of Training You Do?
3. Your Preferences

4. Your Training Goals
5. How Much Volume You Do?
Reasons to Increase Deadlift Training Frequency
1. Improve Technique

2. Spread Volume Over More Days
3. You Can Only Do Short Training Sessions

Reasons NOT to Increase Deadlift Training Frequency
1. If You Have/Or Had an Injury
2. You’re Burnt Out
3. Deloading the Lower Body

4. Deadlift day workout
Case 1: Once per Week
- Deadlift 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps at 70 to 80% of your 1RM
- 2 to 3 sets of 4 to 6 reps at 65-75% of 1RM
- 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps at 55-70% of 1RM
- 2 to 3 sets of 4 to 6 reps at 55-70% of 1RM
Case 2: Twice Per Week
- 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps at 70-85% of 1RM
- 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps at 55-70% of 1RM (for hypertrophy)
- 4 to 5 sets of 4 to 6 reps at 55-70% of 1RM (for technique)
- 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 reps at 65-75% of 1RM (for strength)
Case 3: Three Per Week
- 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps at 75-85% of 1RM
- 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 4 reps at 70-85% of 1RM
- 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps at 55-70% of 1RM (for hypertrophy)
- 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 reps at 55-70% of 1RM (for technique)
- 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 reps at 65-75% of 1RM (for strength)

About the Program
Our Deadlift 2.0 program is a 12-week strength plan designed to boost your Deadlift PR.
The program follows a schedule of THREE 60-90 minutes training sessions per week. The training is scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but you can adjust the days to fit your weekly routine, as long as you follow the pattern of one training day followed by one cooldown day, with two days of rest after every third session.
The training is structured into 3 main blocks, with each block lasting for 4 weeks:
Who Is the Program For?
The plan is fit for both male and female athletes and is especially good for Powerlifters and Olympic lifters, but also for fans of deadlifting and strength training. All training requires access to basic equipment.
- Split into 3 block of 4 weeks (12 weeks total)
- 40 unique exercises, with video tutorials
- Pre and post-workout stretch and special warmups
- Mobile friendly PDF version
- LIFETIME access
FAQ
Is it okay if I deadlift every day?
You can deadlift every day if you’ve spread out your volume correctly - otherwise, you’re risking overtraining the body, which can lead to injuries.
How long should you wait between deadlift days?
Depending on how heavy your session was, you should rest anywhere between 2 to 4 days, although this varies depending on your training volume and goals.
Conclusion
We’ve reached the end of the article, and by now, you all hopefully know all about deadlift training frequency. Still, if you have any questions or you want to share an opinion, write to us in the comments below.
Also read:
References:
- Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy // NCBI: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/
- Weekly Training Frequency Effects on Strength Gain: A Meta-Analysis // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6081873/
- 5 Benefits of Compound Exercises // ACE: https://www.acefitness.org/resources/pros/expert-articles/5811/5-benefits-of-compound-exercises/
Sergii is a professional weightlifter and National team member in the past. Competed in 94 kg w/c, won multiple medals on national competitions.
Nowadays Sergii is responsible for designing training programs, writing blog articles, doing live commentary of international weightlifting competitions, running different sport & fitness educational seminars, including Olympic weightlifting together with Oleksiy Torokhtiy all around the globe.