The Benedict Magnusson Deadlift Workout | The Ultimate Guide!

Are you curious about the Benedict Magnusson deadlift workout?

Do you wonder how the legendary strongman competitor Benedict Magnusson organized his deadlift routines?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

In this comprehensive guide, I will show you how to use the Benedict Magnusson deadlift workout to take your training to the next level!

Introduction

• Part 1: Benedict Magnusson’s Deadlift Training Program
• Part 2: Benedict Magnusson’s “A”, “B” and “C” Deadlift Workouts
• Part 3: A Sample Deadlift Peaking Program

Benedict Magnusson is a strongman competitor from Iceland and one of the strongest men in the world. Benedict Magnusson is most famous for his unbelievable deadlift strength.

In 2010 he broke the all-time raw deadlift record with an Earth-shattering 1,015 pounds! Check it out:

What an unbelievable deadlift!

In 2014 Benedict Magnusson pushed his record even further by deadlifting 1,017 pounds.

Nowadays guys like Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson have pushed the limits of human performance even further by deadlifting over 1,100 pounds each.

However, Benedict Magnusson can never be counted out. In 2019 he said in an interview that he plans to deadlift 1,160 pounds in the near future!

So how does a strongman legend train for a world-record deadlift?

Benedict Magnusson says he trains the deadlift one day per week. He likes to work up to a heavy set of 1-3 reps and then perform lots of speed sets with 40-70% of his 1-rep max.

Benedict Magnusson actually rotates through three different deadlift workouts. He calls them his “A”, “B” and “C” workouts.

Here is what his deadlift training cycle looks like over time:

• Week #1: Deadlift workout “A”
• Week #2: Deadlift workout “B”
• Week #3: Deadlift workout “C”
• Week #4: Deadlift workout “A”
• Week #5: Deadlift workout “B”
• Week #6: Deadlift workout “C”
• Week #7: Deadlift workout “A”
• Week #8: Deadlift workout “B”
• Week #9: Deadlift workout “C”

Now let’s take a closer look at his actual deadlift workouts. Check it out:

Benedikt Magnusson’s Deadlift Workout A

• Exercise #1: Speed deadlift, 8 sets of 2 reps @ 80%
• Exercise #2: Speed block deadlift**, 4-6 sets of 4 reps @ 40-70%
• Exercise #3: Speed block deadlift**, 2 sets of 8 reps @ 40-50%

**Performed with the bar resting on 3-4 inch high deadlift blocks.

For the first workout Benedict stays conservative with his weights. First he performs multiple speed sets with around 80% of his 1-rep max.

This is heavy enough for him to build maximal strength but light enough to give his central nervous system a little bit of a break.

Benedikt Magnusson’s Deadlift Workout B

• Exercise #1: Heavy deadlift, 1 set of 3 reps at 90%
• Exercise #2: Speed block deadlift, 4-6 sets of 3-5 reps @ 50-75%
• Exercise #3: Speed block deadlift, 2 sets of 8 reps @ 50%

**Performed with the bar resting on 3-4 inch high deadlift blocks.

Benedict Magnusson really starts to lift heavy on his second deadlift workout. He starts his workout by performing 1 heavy set of 3 reps with 90% of his 1-rep max.

After this heavy deadlift he performs multiple speed reps with the deadlift bar resting on deadlift blocks.

Benedict finishes his workout up with various upper back accessory exercises which aren’t listed here.

Benedikt Magnusson’s Deadlift Workout C

• Exercise #1: Jeff Jet method deadlift**, 1 set of 1-3 reps
• Exercise #2: Block deadlift, 4 sets of 4-6 reps @ 50-60%

**Perform a rack deadlift from above your knees. Then once you lock out the weight your training partners take away the safety pins and you perform a 1-3 rep max on the deadlift starting from the top position.

Here is a perfect training video of the Jeff Jet deadlift:

For his third workout Benedict mixes things up and performs the Jeff Jet method deadlift. The Jeff Jet method deadlift is a special training method that requires 2 well-trained training partners to perform.

First you perform a rack pull with the bar starting above your knees. Then your training partners remove the safety pins and you perform as many reps on the deadlift as you can in good form.

The Jeff Jet method lets you overload your deadlift with a super heavy weight because it lets you use the stretch reflex on every single rep. It also lets you squeeze in one extra eccentric rep to stimulate even more strength gains.

After the “C” workout Benedict starts the entire training cycle all over again and performs another “A” workout.

Benedict says that he uses these exact workouts almost all the way up to his strongman competitions.

The biggest difference is he performs deload workouts the last 3 weeks before his competition. Instead of training super heavy on the deadlift he just performs 3 singles with 70-90% of his 1-rep max.

Benedict knows that he isn’t getting any stronger in the last 2-3 weeks before a competition and the best thing he can do is to give his body a chance to recover so he can lift as heavy as possible on the day of his competition.

Here is how Benedict might organize a 12-week training cycle for the deadlift leading up to a world record deadlift attempt.

I am only listing his top sets for each workout. As always Benedict likes to perform speed sets in the 40-70% range after his heavy work. Check it out:

Benedikt Magnusson Deadlift Peaking Routine

Block #1

• Week 1: Speed deadlift, 8 sets of 2 reps @ 80%
• Week 2: Deadlift, 1 set of 3 reps at 90%
• Week 3: Jeff Jet method deadlift, 1 set of 1-3 reps

Block #2

• Week 4: Speed deadlift, 8 sets of 2 reps @ 80%
• Week 5: Deadlift, 1 set of 3 reps at 90%
• Week 6: Jeff Jet method deadlift, 1 set of 1-3 reps

Block #3

• Week 7: Speed deadlift, 8 sets of 2 reps @ 80%
• Week 8: Deadlift, 1 set of 3 reps at 90%
• Week 9: Jeff Jet method deadlift, 1 set of 1-3 reps

Block #4

• Week 10: Deadlift, 3 x 1 @ 70-90%
• Week 11: Deadlift, 3 x 1 @ 70-90%
• Week 12: Deadlift, 3 x 1 @ 70-90%
• Week 13: Competition day! Smash your old PR!

Conclusion

The bottom line is Benedict Magnusson’s deadlift training program is very smart and effective.

If you are looking for a great way to peak your strength in the deadlift for a powerlifting or strongman competition, then this program has your name written all over it!

I especially like how Benedict cycles his training intensity over three separate workouts. This is a great way to build strength while avoiding physical and mental burnout.

I will leave you with a great quote by Benedict Magnusson himself to pump you up even more:

“There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that once unleashed can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality.”

Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of luck on your strength training journey!