ive just eased myself back into deadlifts after about 4 weeks off from them.... anyway i decided to go a little bit lighter to ease in:

i normally get
150kg x 3x6

i went for 140kg and managed 4 sets of 8, with slightly less rest and without wiping myself out as much

so now im wondering which is best for muscle growth,

method 1 = 2700kg total moved but placed the body under greater stress (cns strress too)
method 2 = 4480kg total moved with less stress on the body but shorter rest times and i generally felt better after it

both were in the correct rep range however some would say that the 150kg method may recruit more fast twitch fibres and many people say hard and heavy with compounds

others would say that method 2 led to greater work done in the correct rep range and placed less stress on recovery due to less cns stress

opinions please??

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Why not work up to one max effort set?

EG-

120kg x 6
140kg x 6
160kg x 6

42.5kg to go.

Why not work up to one max effort set?

:)

That's pretty much what I do for everything. I just change the rep scheme. Works pretty well and although it's not quite as taxing as doing straight sets with a set weight...e.g: 5x5 with 140kg - it is perfect for me as it keeps some energy in the tank for the rest of the workout, which allows me to maintain enough intensity and effort for every exercise I do.

Depends on your routine though I guess.

Sometimes I do a classic pyramid style - 10/8/6 or 12/10/8

Or do ramping sets where I work up to one maximum set, but keep the number of reps the same for every set which allows me to build up to a heavier weight - 120kg x 6/140kg x 6/160kg/6..etc.

Why not pyramid?

I believe deads and squats are well suited movements to a pyramid (or even reverse pyramid) rep scheme.

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