A cycle from the 70s deadlift legend Anello: heavy days climb all the way with half-range lockouts from below the knee, alternating with light days of five technical singles, 14 weeks up to the meet.
Copy it to your plans in the free app. TopSet works out each set’s target weight from your training max or 1RM.
Download on the App StoreHeavy deadlift day
Light deadlift day (technique singles)
Heavy deadlift day
Light deadlift day (technique singles)
Heavy deadlift day
Light deadlift day (technique singles)
Heavy deadlift day
Light deadlift day (technique singles)
Heavy deadlift day
Light deadlift day (technique singles)
Heavy deadlift day
Light deadlift day (technique singles)
Taper rehearsal week
Meet week
Vince Anello was a 1970s deadlift legend who pulled 821 lb at a bodyweight of 181 lb. This 14-week block runs on one weekly deadlift session alternating heavy and light weeks, closing with a rehearsal week and a competition/test week. Heavy days climb from a 10-rep opener to a near-maximal single, then add below-knee block pulls for lockout work. Light days use a shorter ramp followed by five crisp technique singles at one fixed weight. Every percentage is calculated off the 1RM entered before week 1 — no mid-cycle retest.
Intermediate to advanced lifters chasing a deadlift PR who are fine training the lift only once a week, provided that session is dense. Suits people who prefer old-school, single-lift programming over daily-undulating or multi-lift block schemes, and who add their own squat, bench, and back work around a deadlift-only template.
Odd weeks (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) are heavy: a roughly 10/5/3/2/1-style ramp to a top single, with the exact steps tweaked week to week (some weeks skip the 3-rep step, week 11 stacks on extra top singles), then below-knee block pulls (rack or blocks), typically at 5/3/2 reps (week 5 trims this to a single 5-rep set; week 11 runs 1/3/2). Even weeks (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) are light: a shorter 10/5/3/2 ramp, then five singles at one fixed weight — no block pulls. Week 13 rehearses a single near your max. Week 14 is competition/test week: warm-up singles, then one all-out attempt.
Heavy-week top singles climb steadily: 85.5% (wk1), 87.5% (wk3), 89.5% (wk5), 91.5% (wk7), 93.5% (wk9), then jump to 103% in week 11 — the plan's built-in new-max attempt, reached through the ramp rather than a retest. Block pulls follow suit, from 93.5% in week 1 to 103% in week 11 (week 5's block-pull work is trimmed to one set at 79%). Light-week singles rise from 75% (wk2) to 84.5% (wk12). Week 13 tops out at 100% for one rep as an opener rehearsal; week 14 warms up to 84.5% then calls for one all-out single at RPE 10.
Train the deadlift once a week, straight down the schedule — heavy/light alternation is already built in. Set block pulls just below the knee. Loads get heavy, so consider straps on ramp sets and save your grip for top singles. It's a one-shot cycle with no autoregulation, so pick your starting 1RM carefully — everything scales off it. Anello trained heavy back-assistance work alongside pulling; add rows or pull-ups on your own days, since this template covers only the deadlift.
How much deadlift training does this program include? One weekly session alternating heavy and light weeks — no second pulling day is built in.
What's the difference between a heavy week and a light week? Heavy weeks climb to a top single between 85.5% and 103% plus below-knee block pulls; light weeks stay lower (75%–84.5%) and end in five technique singles, no block pulls.
What are the block pulls for? Partial-range pulls from just below the knee, layered on heavy weeks to groove lockout strength.
What happens in weeks 13 and 14? Week 13 rehearses a competition opener with a single at 100% of your starting max. Week 14 is the real test: warm-up singles to 84.5%, then one all-out attempt at RPE 10.
Do I need to retest my 1RM partway through? No. Every week's loads are calculated off the number set before week 1 — week 11's 103% single and the week-14 attempt push you past your starting max without a retest.
What do I do on non-deadlift days? The program doesn't prescribe squat, bench, or back work — add those yourself. Rows or pull-ups pair naturally with Anello's own heavy-back-assistance style.
Program by Vince Anello. TopSet is not affiliated with or endorsed by the program’s creator. Program names and trademarks belong to their owners. See the guide for original sources.
