Deadlifts as Finishing Movements

Dave,

In your last couple of training logs you have done your deadlifts at the end of your back days. What is the reason for this?


This is one aspect of the Mountain Dog Training Systems by John Meadows. You work the heaviest most compound movement last when you're at your weakest. This does a few things, but the ones specific to me are...

  1. I can't lift as much as I could if I was fresh, so there's less stress on my spine. By having to use lighter weight, I can actually increase my volume and workload via more sets and reps while training at the same intensity state.
  2. I have NO IDEA what good is. When it comes to squats, benches and pulls I know what my all-time best are in every compound movement associated with these lifts. Because I know what my PRs are, I will do stupid shit to try to get as close to them as possible. This usually means that I'm working the movement instead of the muscle. When I have no clue what my PR is, this is not an issue.
  3. It also taps into muscle I haven't hit in years. When you've already completed 20 sets of back work and you feel done - then go onto chain deadlifts with a finisher set. This way, you're tapping into something you normally wouldn't hit.