Pull Days: Moving Dead lifts before Rows?

Justin_7272
Justin_7272 Posts: 341 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
During my pull days (every other day) I start with rows at 25% 10rm weight x 10 , 50% 10rm x 10, then 100% 10rm x 2 sets before moving to dead lifts 100% 10rm x 2. Don't think it necessarily matters, but FWIW my dead lift 1 RM is approaching 400lbs and row is approaching 200. Both are progressing as scheduled (10%+ increase every for weeks). I haven't tried going cold into dead lifts, but I don't warm up dead lifts, so rows before seems to make sense from a priming perspective. This guy, however, suggests rows should be done after dead lift due to "post-activation potentiation" which, from what I gather, would allow you to row heavier.

"I like to use these as accessory work after deadlifts. Performing bent-over rows immediately after heavy deadlifts is beneficial since it allows you to take advantage of the post-activation potentiation effect. Basically, this allows seemingly heavy weights to feel lighter than usual." https://www.t-nation.com/training/barbell-row-back-workout/
(Don't waste your time with the video, unless you want to see the guy smashing weights into the ground followed by a wierd rant where he-for some reason-air quotes "hypertrophy"...okay, watch the video, just because it's funny, but I digress.)

For now I'll stay the course, but I'm interested in everyone's thoughts on this.

Replies

  • gman3363
    gman3363 Posts: 1 Member
    Hey Justin. Good numbers. From what I have heard, doing basic (compound lifts) are recommended first, before other non compound or isolation exercises. I have been following Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 program for a couple years now and his program sets up compound lifts first with isolation and hi rep exercises following. Your question is a bit tricky though as I personally feel like a bent over BB Row is a semi compound lift. Anyway, just an old mans attempt at an answer.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,616 Member
    Not an expert, but from what I've read and based on personal experience lifting for a couple decades, I always try to put whatever exercise I want to focus upon first in the lineup. This may change from one week/workout to the next, so play around with order. But I find I can lift heaviest on my first exercise, since I'm fresh. For example, if I do bench press followed by DB presses, my bench is stronger than if I do the DB presses first and then bench. Neither is bad, and in fact swapping order occasionally can be a good way to keep progress moving forward on both lifts.

    If you're worried about proper warmup for deadlifts as the first exercise, I tend to do a LOT of warmup sets on deadlift day. You and I lift pretty close in 1RM, so my warmup on deads is usually:

    95x12
    135x10
    185x8
    225x6
    275x4
    315x2

    From there it all depends on how many reps I'm doing, whether I'm going 5x5, 5x2, 3x10, etc.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Depends on your goal(s) which is vacant within your post.

    If your goal is increasing your 10rm DL I would insert that as the first lift or otherwise if you are geared at your 10rm row increasing than that first. For what's it's worth I have never once programmed a row in front of DL or variation just for to elicit a training response other than dealing with a injury of some sort and even then being very rare for me to do so.

    Even knowing your programming I would suggest you warm up your deadlift regardless appropriately.

    For what it is worth I also suggest that if you chose to read or frequent T-nation you understand that the majority of the info they put out isn't based by science or evidence nor would I recommend it even for casual reading. IMHO opinion the content including programming is buried on the poor side.

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