Deadlift Day

One lift, taught properly — an hour that turns picking things up off the floor into a skill members own for life.

Strength & conditioning
Beginner-friendly
60 min
Works for 6–14 (small on purpose — every lifter gets eyes)
1 instructor
Effort 4/5
Gym floor
strength
deadlift
hinge
gym
technique

The ClassPlans programming teamLevel 3 group-fitness qualified · 10+ yrs teaching

Kit: Kettlebells or dumbbells 8–24kg (the class workhorse is 12–16kg), one dowel or broom handle per pair, mats. Barbells 20kg with 5–20kg plates only for members you personally clear on the day — the bells teach the same lift.

Warm-up10 min

Backs, Hips, Grip

RPE 3

Setup: Mats in rows, all kit parked at the wall — the floor stays empty of iron until the hinge is taught. Dowels laid at the top of each mat like cutlery.

How it works: Three minutes raising: march, squats, arm swings, side-steps. Then the lift-specific wake-up: glute bridges ×10 with a two-second squeeze, cat-cow ×6 to feel the difference between a moving spine and tonight's still one, hamstring sweeps ×8 each side, dead-hang shoulder rolls, and grip prep — squeeze-and-spread hands ×10, then one 20-second towel or dowel squeeze. Finish standing: five slow hip pushes to the wall, backside reaching for it, hands sliding down thighs.

What to say

“Bridges first — the glutes that finish every deadlift get switched on before the spine is asked for anything.”
“Cat-cow is the contrast lesson: feel the spine move now, because in an hour it must not.”
“Grip is half the lift for beginners — wake the hands like they matter.”

Easier

Bridges with a smaller range; wall push at half depth.

Harder

Single-leg bridges ×6 each side; 30-second grip squeeze.

Workout12 min

Hinge School

RPE 3–4

Setup: Pairs, one dowel between two, spread side-on to you in a wide arc. No load anywhere near this block — the dowel is the whole apparatus.

How it works: The dowel drill: partner holds the stick along the lifter's back touching three points — back of the head, between the shoulder blades, tailbone. The lifter hinges — hips back, soft knees, shins still — keeping all three points glued to the stick, down to wherever the hamstrings sing, and stands. Five slow reps, swap, three rounds each with the pair coaching each other on the three points. Then everyone solo: five hinges to the wall — feet a foot's length away, backside reaches for the wall, touch and stand. You walk the arc and clear each member, one by one and out loud, as ready to load.

Common mistakes

Rushing to the bells while a stick still leaves someone's tailbone — no clearance, no load, no exceptions.
Cueing a vertical torso — the deadlift hinge is deep; let the chest lean as the hips fly back.

Rounds: 3 × 5 reps each, paired, then 5 wall hinges solo

What to say

“Three points on the stick — lose one and the rep starts again, cheerfully.”
“Hips travel back like closing a car door with your backside; the knees just soften.”
“Depth is wherever the hamstrings speak — for most people that is mid-shin, not the floor.”
“Partners coach the points, nothing else — one sentence, then quiet.”

Easier

Hinge to a higher range with hands sliding down the thighs; wall touch from half a foot away.

Harder

Eyes-closed dowel hinge — feeling the three points instead of mirror-checking them.

Workout16 min

Working Sets

5 × 5 · 2 min restRPE 6–7 — technique day, never grinding

Setup: Now the iron: one bell per member, chosen with you — start lighter than pride wants, 8–12kg for most first-timers. Lifting lanes: everyone faces the same wall, two metres between lifters, so you patrol behind and see every spine side-on from the end of each row.

How it works: Kettlebell deadlifts, five sets of five, two minutes between sets — the rest is long on purpose and non-negotiable. The setup ritual before every single rep-one: bell over the mid-foot line, hinge down, hands on, chest proud, squeeze the handle, push the floor away. Stand tall, squeeze at the top, hinge it back down under full control. Set one and two everybody stays put; from set three, anyone whose five looked crisp may step up one bell size — your call, said to their face. Barbell only for the experienced few you cleared, same sets, same rules.

Common mistakes

Letting rest shrink to thirty seconds — this is a strength class, the rest IS the programme.
Rewarding the biggest bell instead of the best five — praise shape loudly and weight quietly.

Rounds: 5 sets

What to say

“Slack out before you lift: squeeze the handle until the bell is heavy in the hands, then push the floor.”
“The bar of your chest stays proud — lats on, armpits squeezed like lemons.”
“Down is a hinge, not a drop — the lowering is the second half of the rep.”
“Between sets, stand or walk; nobody rests folded over the bell.”

Easier

Bell raised on a low block so the start is higher; sets of three with the same long rest.

Harder

One honest bell size up, or a two-second pause at knee height on the way down.

The rest of this class plan is free — along with 3 more this week.

ClassPlans programming team

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