Coan-Phillipi Deadlift Routine

The routine is built around a single heavy deadlift day per week. The program assumes you already have a separate squat and bench schedule; it only prescribes the deadlift day. Everything else — squat, upper body, accessories — happens on the other days of your week at your own discretion.

Week 1 starts at 78 percent of the deadlift max you want to peak for. Each week the top single climbs: 81, 84, 86, 89, 92, 95, 98, 101, and a final heavy 1RM attempt in week 10. The starting max is a 2-3 percent overshoot of your current best pull, so the week 10 attempt sits around 108 percent of where you are today. The assumption is that a 5-10 kg meet PR is realistic over 10 weeks of concentrated deadlift work.

After each top single, you drop the bar to a working weight and perform a backoff set. The backoff is the part of the program that actually drives hypertrophy and work capacity; the top single is a peak and a readiness check. Backoff sets use deficits, RDLs, or stiff-leg deadlifts depending on the week — the specific variation is what builds the pull off the floor that the top single tests.

The taper is aggressive. Weeks 8 through 10 see volume drop sharply so that week 10's attempt lands on a body that has recovered from the overreach of weeks 5 through 7. Coan's insight was that the heavy singles must stay accurate to their percentages — you do not chase personal records week-to-week. The week 3 single is not a PR attempt; it is a dial-in for the week 10 attempt.

• Deadlift→
• Deficit Deadlift→
• Romanian Deadlift→
• Stiff-Leg Deadlift→
• Good Morning→
• Barbell Row→

1. Day 01

   Week 1 — Deadlift Day

   Deadlift: 1×2 @ 78% of goal max · Deadlift: 1×5 @ 72% · Stiff-Leg Deadlift 3×8 · Good Morning 3×5 · Barbell Row 4×6

2. Day 02

   Week 4 — Deadlift Day

   Deadlift: 1×2 @ 86% · Deficit Deadlift: 3×5 @ 65% · RDL 3×8 · Barbell Row 4×6

3. Day 03

   Week 7 — Deadlift Day

   Deadlift: 1×1 @ 98% · Deadlift: 2×2 @ 80% · RDL 3×6 · Barbell Row 4×6

4. Day 04

   Week 10 — Attempt Day

   Deadlift: 1×1 @ 108% (new meet max) · No backoff. No accessories. You are done.

• The routine assumes you hit the prescribed top single every week. Missing a single means the goal max was set too high — adjust the projected max down by 2-4 percent and recalculate the remaining weeks rather than grinding through. A missed rep in week 6 does not magically become a PR in week 10.
• Coan-Phillipi is a deadlift-specific block, not a full program. You need a separate squat and bench plan that does not interfere — typically low-to-moderate volume squats and bench at 3-4 RIR, with no squat or deadlift-adjacent lower-body lifts the day before or after the deadlift day.
• This is an advanced program. It expects a competition-level deadlift and the ability to hit prescribed singles with clean form. Beginners and intermediates will get more from linear progression or Sheiko-style volume blocks than from a peaking routine designed for a 365+ kg pull.