Damn good deadlift articles

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TweetDeadlift Diagnosis
Fix your deadlift for fast size and strength gains!
by Eric Cressey


I'm Addicted!

Hi. My name is Eric and I have a problem. I never expected it and I didn't plan for it. It just happened. And now, I'll never be the same. Hardly a minute passes when I don't think about it, salivate, and get the shivers. My own grandmother cringes in fright when she even hears about "it."

Yes, folks, I'm a deadlift-aholic. I don't just want to pull; I want to pull every minute of every day for the rest of my life. I dream about grinding out heavy pulls where the bar seemingly bends in half, and I jump at the opportunity to do speed pulls so quickly that I nearly castrate myself with the bar. This passion has led me to a ranking in the Powerlifting USA Top 100 for my weight class, and the brink of a 1RM of 3.5 times my body weight.

Do I expect you to share my enthusiasm? No, although it would be nice if you'd at least get a little excited to humor me! I do, however, hope that you'll derive some benefit from my passion and the perspective it's enabled me to attain. Whether you're a powerlifter, bodybuilder or athlete, the deadlift and its variations should take a central role in your training.



These exercises yield some of the greatest size, strength and athletic performance benefits of anything you can do in the weight room. Maximizing your poundages on such lifts will take you to a whole new level, but as is the case with anything in life, you're limited by your weaknesses. With that in mind, let's diagnose and troubleshoot the most common deadlift weaknesses.

Mike Robertson did a great job of outlining the overall technique for the deadlift in his article, Precision Pulling, so I won't revisit all his points. What I can do is tell you what's causing you to miss where you miss, thus bridging the gap between technical and structural aspects.

First, let's get something straight: you're always going to be weak at one point in the range of motion on every exercise you do. So, although we have the ideal deadlift technique at, say, 90% of 1RM, what do we do when we try to pull 101% and miss the attempt due to that sticking point? I'll tell you what a true T-Nation reader does: he devotes himself to hammering on that sticking point until it's on par with or better than the other components of the lift, thus increasing his 1RM and actually creating a different sticking point and a new challenge!


Problem #1: Weak off the floor. Bar doesn't even budge.

This problem has several potential causes, so we'll move from obvious to the not-so-readily apparent:

1. The bar is too heavy! If your 1RM is 400 pounds and you load 700 on the bar, do you really expect it to budge? It doesn't matter where your sticking point is if you're picking a weight that isn't even close to what you can handle.

Solution: Tell your ego to wait for you in the car. Take some weight off the bar so you can find where your true weakness is.

2. You're slower than molasses going uphill on a winter day. Just as its name implies, the deadlift is performed from a dead stop on the floor; it's to your advantage to develop force quickly.

This is especially important with heavier weights, as the bar won't necessarily move initially when you start the pull. The faster your rate of force development (RFD), the faster that God-awful "will this ever budge?" feeling will go away. If you're slow, you'll miss (or give up on) the lift before you ever approach near-maximal force values.

Solutions: Speed pulls are your best friend. Start with as little as 40% 1RM initially, but work in the 50-60% range for the vast majority of the time. Going to 70% is pushing it, but it's been done. Some lifters have found that conventional plyometric exercises can help, although I don't feel they hold a candle to speed pulls from a specificity standpoint.

Another option is to essentially trick your body by pulling from a deficit. In other words, do your deadlift variations while standing on a box or platform up to six inches in height. Once you "return to Earth" and pull from your regular altitude, the weights will seem to fly off the floor. You can go from deficit to normal in a single session to improve your speed on normal sets by tricking your nervous system.




Deadlifting from a deficit

Another option I sometimes use in assistance work (e.g. snatch grip deadlifts) is to pull heavy from the floor in week one, then pull the same weight in week two from a two-inch deficit, and from a four-inch deficit in week three. In effect, you increase the amount of work you do by simply changing the distance, but not the force (in contrast to the traditional method of just increasing resistance while keeping distance constant).

3. Your hamstrings aren't up to par. Take a look at the starting position for the deadlift, paying specific attention to the hips. You'll notice that the pelvis is as anteriorly-tilted as it can get. This positioning places the hamstrings at a mechanical advantage early in the pull. If your hams are weak, you won't be able to get past this initial phase of the pull, so it won't even matter how strong your glutes and lower back are.

Solutions: Beat on your hamstrings in a movement-specific context. In other words, use hip extension movements such as good mornings, glute-ham raises, stiff-legged deadlifts, pull-throughs, reverse hypers, and single-leg movements (e.g. lunges, step-ups, split squat) with longer strides. Leave the leg curls for the bodybuilders.



4. Your set-up is garbage. This problem can be subdivided into six categories:

A) The hips can be too high. Sorry folks, your stiff-legged deadlift shouldn't be on par with your conventional deadlift. Get your butt down.

Solutions: In some cases, it's purely a matter of telling the lifter to arch a little, and the butt will "magically" drop. Others just need to be consciously aware of getting the butt down before every attempt.

Interestingly, as I learned from my friend John Sullivan (an accomplished strongman competitor), some Olympic lifting can be of great value in correcting this problem because it's so dependent on proper posture. In less than three months of an intensive Olympic-lifting program, Sully took his deadlift from 579 (in competition) to 605 (in the gym) without pulling a single deadlift. When you consider the difference between competition and training maximum, this is even more significant an improvement.

Sure enough, Sully's main problem at the start was high-hips. A steady diet of Olympic lifting taught him to get his butt down at the start of the deadlift. Keep in mind that these were technically-sound Olympic lifts, not the feeble attempts at power cleans that you see in your local gym by those who've never learned the technique properly.

One middle-of-the-road movement that's relatively easy to learn — yet highly effective — is the high pull. Clean grip high pulls will carry over best to your deadlift, and snatch grip high pulls will pack some serious size on your upper back.

B) The hips can be too low. This might seem contrary to the last point, but I have to admit, I'm glad that this problem exists. Why? Well, for starters, it's hilarious to watch someone try to "squat up" a deadlift with their quads! Plus, it gives me an opportunity to once again reiterate how much stronger — yet unappreciated — the posterior chain is than the all-show-and-no-go quadriceps.

When you push your hips way back to get more knee flexion, you move the fulcrum (the point about which a lever rotates — in this case, it's the hip joint) away from the bar, therefore increasing the lever arm of the resistance. Minus the biomechanics lingo, this simply means that the bar becomes a lot heavier for your posterior chain to handle as you move it further away from your hip joint.

Solutions: Start your pull with the hips higher and hammer on the posterior chain. Then you'll have no reason to want to use the quads when pulling. Oh yeah, don't pull in front of mirrors, either. You'll be too tempted to check out your quads, you narcissistic pansy.

C) You're rounded over up top. This is just a mess from both a technical and injury-predisposition standpoint. Be forewarned, however, that some guys might appear to be a little rounded-over simply because their upper backs are so enormous. Don't confuse this with simply allowing the scapulae to drift and humeri to internally rotate.

As a general rule of thumb, if you can see the lettering on the chest of the lifter's shirt, he's in decent shape from a scapular standpoint (although the humeri may still be internally rotated).

Solutions: This problem can be fixed quite easily if it's just a matter of being too lazy and careless to assume a proper set-up position. Simply think of keeping the chest high and you'll straighten right out.

However, if your posture is chronically bad, this won't do jack. In this scenario, check out the T-Nation series, Neanderthal No More. This program will help to fix your posture and add to your deadlift poundages appreciably in the process.

D) You're rounded over lower down. This is just as problematic as the last example, and many times it's closely related to rounding-over up top, too (the lifter just balls up like a caterpillar).

It's largely a result of tight hamstrings. When they're tight, you can't get sufficient hip flexion to bend down to the bar. Therefore, the lumbar spine has to flex for the individual to get to the down position. Lumbar flexion isn't a good thing, especially when deadlifting. Poor multidirectional core stability is also a problem in this scenario.

Solutions: First off, stretch the hamstrings and try to avoid prolonged periods of sitting without standing up and walking a bit. Secondly, every day for a few weeks, just practice setting up as if you were going to deadlift (but don't pull). Simply getting into your set-up is a great way to groove movement patterns and essentially force yourself into good flexibility.

Complement this flexibility work by hammering on your core with exercises focusing on trunk flexion (e.g. pulldown abs), lateral flexion (e.g. side bends, windmills), rotation (e.g. woodchops), lumbar extension (e.g. back extensions, safety-squat bar and manta ray good mornings), and stabilization (e.g. prone and side bridges, heavy walkouts, one-arm suitcase deadlifts). This core training will yield the greatest functional carryover if it's performed in a standing position.




Learn to create intra-abdominal pressure by bracing the abs, and tell anyone who tells you to suck in your tummy that they ought to go suck a big, fat…well, you know. Or, you could just refer them to Dr. Stuart McGill's outstanding text, Ultimate Back Training and Performance.

The key is to have muscles firing in all directions so that you have multidirectional stability to support the spine. This dramatically reduces the risk of numerous injuries, most notably those to the intervertebral discs. Complement this muscular stability by drawing air into your stomach, not your chest. If you're a powerlifter wearing a belt, push your core musculature out against it as hard as you can. If you're not wearing a belt, brace your core as if you actually were wearing one!

E) Your grip is too wide. The wider your grip, the further you'll have to pull. Personally, my forearms are brushing up against the sides of my thighs.

Solution: Bring the hands in.

F) The bar is too far away from your shins. The further away from your shins (and, in turn, the hips) the bar is, the longer the lever arm of the resistance. Are you sick of my biomechanics *****ing yet?

Solution: Get closer to the bar. You don't necessarily have to be touching it with your shins, but you should be pretty close to it.

5. You're bouncing the weight off the floor on your rep work. This is more of an issue with beginners who require more reps per set to groove the movement patterns and build proficiency with the exercise. Many of the most experienced powerlifters rarely pull deadlifts with their competition stance for anything other than singles because it's so neurologically draining, pretty technical, and perhaps best trained indirectly. I don't think I've pulled a conventional deadlift for more than one rep in almost 18 months!

Back to the problem at hand. If you're always bouncing the weight off the floor, you're really only pulling all the weight in the initial phase of the movement on the first rep of the set. As such, you become proficient in the lockout, but not in the initial pull. If you can't get it off the ground, you can't lock it out!

Solutions: Don't bounce on your repetition work. Instead, pause for a second in between each rep. Cluster sets can be a brutal, yet effective protocol in this regard.

For instance, take 85% of 1RM and pull a single, rest five seconds, pull another single, rest five seconds, pull a third single, rest five seconds, and pull a fourth single. That's one cluster. I typically write it out as 4x1/5s. If you were doing four clusters just like this, it would be 4x(4x1/5s).

Another solution is to simply can the repetition work altogether. This is more appropriate for those seeking maximal strength (not size) and technical proficiency. A 6x1 or 8x1 protocol works quite well, in my experience. These sets are usually speed work performed at a pre-determined percentage of 1RM.

6. You're taking too long between your set-up and the actual pull. This is something I'm guilty of myself. In the past, I'd get my feet lined up, drop down to the bar, set my grip, spend a few seconds focusing while looking down, then get my eyes up, fire the heels into the floor, and pull.

Technically, it wasn't too bad. Then I watched a video of one of my meet pulls and realized that it took me a full 11 seconds to pull from the time that I first contacted the bar. As a result, I lost every shred of help I could get from the stretch-shortening cycle (the elastic energy of which takes several seconds to dissipate completely) present from my drop to the bar. Suffice it to say that since seeing that video, I'm pulling more "promptly."

Solutions: Think about all your cues before you get up to the bar. Then, when the time comes, bend forward at the hips and get your grip set one hand at a time. Once the grip is set, think of pulling yourself down to the bar and into the appropriate starting posture.

Rip it off the floor immediately; don't wait for every bit of elastic energy you stored from the initial drop to die off. You'll see some lifters "dive" into the bar and come back up right away. It takes a ton of practice to get your grip perfect at such a rapid pace, but the "dip, grip, and rip" approach has proven quite successful for these veterans of the iron game.


Problem #2: Weak at Mid-Shin

So you've gotten the bar one-third of the way up? Congratulations! Although I'd love to tell you to take some time out to pat yourself on the back, you've still got two-thirds of the way to go before you can relax. Here's what could be standing in your way at the mid-shin level:

1. Your hamstrings are weak…again! There's still a significant amount of anterior pelvic tilt in place when the bar is below the kneecaps, so the hamstrings are still doing the majority of the work. In some individuals, this is just the portion of the movement where they're the weakest, especially if their speed is fantastic and they can get the bar moving just fine, but seem to hit a brick wall when the bar is a few inches off the ground.

Solutions: Same as above. Use plenty of variety in your training for best results in bringing the hams up to par.

2. You're not prepared to grind. Let's face it, not all pulls are going to be lightning-quick. If you're not prepared to exert force over at least a few seconds, you'll likely miss any pull where your speed doesn't carry over to the top portion of the lift.

Solutions: For one, it helps to be super-fast (so that this problem doesn't ever really arise), so you can't ever really write-off speed work. I think that one of the best ways to develop grinding prowess is isometric deadlifts against pins. Set the pins in the power rack at your mid-shin sticking point, and position a bar beneath them on the floor. It should be loaded with a speed weight percentage (40-70%).

Rip it off the floor as quickly as possible, and when you hit the pins, keep pulling like crazy. Use grinding periods of anywhere from five to ten seconds (yes, I've had competition deadlift PRs that have lasted a full ten seconds). Your blood pressure will be sky-high, but so will your new PR after a few sessions.

This technique can actually be used for a variety of sticking points, but it's imperative that you initiate the pull from the floor (and not a lower pin) in order to replicate the body position present in a true deadlift.

3. You lack acceleration strength. All things held equal, the mid-shin sticking point is where one should miss a deadlift, as it's the weakest portion of the strength curve (i.e. where the lever arm of the resistance is longest).

Fortunately, one thing that isn't held constant is bar speed, so if you can increase the speed of the bar (acceleration strength) after you've initially gotten the bar moving, you can blast past this sticking point. As such, one way of getting past the shins is to develop acceleration strength to increase bar speed following the initial phase of the pull.

Solutions: Perhaps the best way to improve your acceleration strength is to pull against mini-bands, chains and weight-releasers with a weight that approximates 40-60% of your 1RM. Speed work with this set-up will teach you to accelerate the bar at the crucial mid-shin portion of the lift, effectively forcing you to "outrun" the accommodating resistance.

It'll also increase the resistance at lockout on your speed work, a challenge that isn't present when using straight weights.

Another option that's actually contrary to something I wrote above is to use rep work with bouncing the plates off the floor. Ideally, you'll have bumper plates to do this. While it might be a fruitless endeavor for those who struggle off the floor, a controlled bounce can actually help those who struggle at mid-shin to learn to accelerate the bar following the initial rebound.

4. Your upper back needs to get with the program. The entire trapezius muscle — including the upper, middle and lower fibers — and rhomboids are active in the first portion of the movement, but they don't take on a huge role until the mid-shin phase begins. The same can be said of the lats and teres major, too.

Recall that this is the natural sticking point in the movement, and therefore the point at which the bar has a tendency to track away from the body even further… that is, unless you fight to keep it close by using your upper back musculature. The trapezius complex and rhomboids (collectively known as the scapular retractors) hold the scapula back and somewhat down, therefore keeping your chest up and out and the torso in the right alignment.

Meanwhile, the lats and teres major (the humeral extensors) work to keep the elbows tucked (to the sides instead of up, as in a front raise) in the sagittal plane relative to the torso. Essentially, you've got a ton of isometric upper back work taking place in the presence of some serious loading. It's no wonder that deadlifts are king when it comes to putting slabs of muscle on your back!

Solution: Hit the scapular retractors and lats with a wide variety of horizontal pulling movements. Some vertical pulling in moderation won't hurt, but it won't have as much functional carryover to your deadlift (or bench, for that matter) as variations of seated and bent-over rows and face pulls.

If you find that your torso is fine position-wise, but your arms are tracking away, opt for more rowing with a supinated grip to emphasize the lats and teres major. Conversely, if your torso is rounding over, stick to neutral and pronated grip rows and pull closer to the waist than the neck.


Problem #3: Weak at your Lockout

You're two-thirds of the way there, and the crowd (or just the voices in your head) are screaming at you to just lock it out. Wouldn't it be nice if it was that easy? Here are a few potential roadblocks at the lockout:

1. Your gluteus maximus is weak. At lockout, the pelvis finally posteriorly tilts to reach a neutral position, and the gluteus maximus is the primary muscle involved in establishing this upright pelvis position. If you can't fire the glutes, you'll either stall the bar short of lockout or hitch the lift in a "fake lockout."

With hitching, one bends the knees, but appears to straighten up the torso by hyperextending the lumbar spine. This is dangerous and isn't considered a completed lift by powerlifting judges. Weak glutes are typically related to tight hip flexors and overactive lumbar erectors (and sometimes hamstrings). Mike and I went to great lengths in our Neanderthal No More and Get Your Butt in Gear articles to highlight this problem and offer corrective measures.

Solutions: Checkout the aforementioned two series of articles for tips on how to loosen up the hip flexors (e.g. warrior lunge stretch, Bulgarian split-squat EQIs) and activate the glutes (e.g. supine bridges, kneeling squats, and single-leg exercises). You'll also want to do some stretching for your hamstrings and lumbar erectors. Focus on driving your hips into the bar once it passes the knees. You should feel your glutes fire as if you're pinching something between your cheeks.

2. Your upper back is weak…again! This time, it's not just the scapular retractors that are the problem; it's the scapular elevators, too. You're going to need to retract your scapulae to get the torso upright in order to lock out the bar. Simultaneously, the upper traps and levator scapulae need to be firing like crazy to assist with the upward pulling motion. Little to no movement occurs (you won't see many people shrug a max attempt!), but there's definitely some serious force contribution to the overall effort.

Solution: More of the rows mentioned above, but with somewhat of an added emphasis on pulling toward the shoulders (rather than the hip). Seated rope rows to the neck are a great choice along these lines.



This is one case where supplemental shrugging exercises can be beneficial, although most lifters get plenty of scapular elevator work simply from deadlifts, rows and any Olympic lifting they may do. Snatch grip deadlifts will also give you plenty of bang for your buck.

Rack pulls can be extremely helpful in terms of the upper back strength thickness that we desire in this instance. However, many lifters find that their carryover to improving lockout strength is minimal at best. The main problem is body position. The set-up for a rack pull doesn't exactly replicate the joint angles that occur in mid-pull.

For instance, when I missed a third attempt at my last meet, the bar stalled an inch short of lockout. At the time, I was able to do six reps on rack pulls with 85 pounds more than that attempt. It shouldn't have been a limiting factor, as the rack pull is done from a dead stop. Essentially, the movement winds up turning into a quarter squat rather than the completion of a deadlift, as trainees begin the movement with a near-upright torso and simply extend the knees (without much concern for the hips).

Summarily, if you're seeing progress on your deadlift poundages from using the rack pull, it's likely because these pulls are strengthening your upper back, not because they're directly training the lockout (which they aren't). In the aforementioned meet example, my upper back had plenty of strength; it was my glutes that failed me at lockout. Getting the torso out over the bar and focusing on simultaneous hip and knee extension enables you to attain greater specificity.

3. You're not getting the head extended. This component of any hip extension lift is more important than you might think. Moreover, performing compound movements like deadlifts, squats, cleans and good mornings with the neck flexed (head bent forward) is dangerous because this position forces the important thoracic and cervical spinal erectors to relax.

Since neck extension is a crucial step in these complex kinetic chain sequences, performing such movements with the neck flexed will also make you weaker. I mean, honestly, does anyone really want the muscles protecting their spine to relax during a deadlift?



Solutions: Fix your eyes on something slightly above your line of sight during the pull so that you aren't tempted to look down. If this still doesn't help, add in some extensions with the neck harness at the end of your lower body sessions and you should see improvements in technique and lifting safety in a matter of weeks. Just make sure that you don't close your eyes with the head extended at lockout; it's guaranteed to make you pass out!

All things considered, my favorite exercise for overloading the last third of the pull is the reverse band deadlift. You get help off the floor, but you'll feel like you've hit a ton of bricks when it comes time to lock that sucker out (when the band tension is much less). This approach enables you to conserve energy on the initial pull(s) in order to focus on your weakness at the top. The set-up can be a pain in the butt, but the results will justify your efforts.



Problem #4: You have the grip of a girl scout.

I'm sorry to inform you that if you can't hold a weight, you can't deadlift it. Life's just not fair sometimes.

Solutions: First off, lose the straps on all pulling exercises. That's a no-brainer. Next, make sure that you're using a mixed grip when pulling. Be sure to alternate the pronated and supinated sides from set to set, and use your stronger set-up for all maximal lifts.

Some lifters have mastered using the hook grip for some really heavy deadlifts, but they're the exception, not the norm. Nonetheless, if you feel that it's something that might help you out, rest assured that others have done it before you. Lastly, score some chalk. No one should ever miss a lift because of sweaty hands.

These changes alone should make a difference, but you'd also be wise to incorporate some specific work to train your supporting grip (as opposed to your pinch and crushing grip), especially in time periods specific to the deadlift. In other words, doing sets that last a minute won't help much unless you're pulling for a lot of reps. Ten seconds is a better time period to use if preparing for maximal attempts. Thick-bar training and farmer's walks are great, as are suitcase deadlifts, isometric pulls against pins, and even just heavy barbell holds for time.


A Note on Sumo Pulling

Believe it or not, although these recommendations were made with a conventional deadlifter in mind, they're almost entirely applicable to sumo pullers, too.




In my experience, most sumo pullers struggle the most with getting the weight off the floor. With the exceptions of the comments on stance and grip width, the recommendations for Problem #1 hold true. Also, the glutes tend to kick in a bit earlier in the pull with the sumo stance because there isn't as much anterior pelvic tilt with the more upright position.

If you're unsure of which style to use, try both and see which feels more comfortable. Generally speaking, if you squat wider and have shorter arms and legs, you'll take nicely to sumo pulling. Conversely, if you squat narrow and have long limbs and a short torso, conventional is probably the way to go.


Balls and Calluses

If you take a look at the best deadlifters, you'll notice that they very rarely miss lifts. There are three primary reasons for this low miss frequency. First, the stronger they get, the less frequently they deadlift. This movement really beats on the body. While a newbie might be able to get away with pulling every fifth day, experienced lifters might only pull once per month. If you're not pulling as often, you're not missing as often.

Second, they don't overshoot their abilities. Sure, they test the waters and go for PRs, but they aren't stupid about it. Nobody sets PRs when they're injured from taking an attempt 100 pounds over their previous PR, and it won't do much for your nervous system or confidence if you're constantly missing max attempts.

Third, and without a doubt most importantly, is attitude. This is deadlifting, not a cardio kickboxing class or a "beach workout." When you deadlift, you should be training, not just "working out." It isn't just a matter of doing what's on the paper and calling it a success; just because you plan doesn't mean you prepare.

In the days and hours prior to a deadlifting session, you should be anxious to the point of twitching from just thinking about pulling. I can give myself the shivers just thinking about standing on a platform in front of a loaded bar. You need to grow some balls and some calluses (in that order). It's a combination of smart training and just being so fired up when the time comes that there's no way you'll let yourself down and miss the lift.

Quit planning and start preparing, and give up "working out" in favor of training. Now, let's see some PRs reported in this article's discussion section!


About the Author

Eric Cressey, BS, CSCS is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science at the University of Connecticut. A competitive powerlifter, Eric has written over fifty articles for publication in various online and print magazines. He has experience in athletic performance, rehabilitation, human performance laboratory and general conditioning settings. He can be contacted at ericcressey@hotmail.com.

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TweetPrecision Pulling
by Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., U.S.A.W.
Deadlift or Die!

If I hear one more geek personal trainer or "fitness enthusiast" say that he doesn’t perform deadlifts because he doesn’t want to hurt his back, my next set of articles may be coming from behind bars. I just can't stand to hear this crap anymore!

The truth is that pulling, like squatting, is hard work! If you aren't into getting bigger, stronger or making your time in the gym more worthwhile, read no further because this article isn't for you. However, if you aren't afraid of what a little sweat equity can do for your strength and physique, please read on and see what "precision pulling" can do for you!

When it comes down to it, the only lifts that use more muscles than deadlifting are the snatch and the clean-and-jerk. I love the Olympic lifts, but to be honest a lot of people don't have the time or resources to learn them and enjoy all their benefits. Therefore, deadlifting (or pulling as I'll refer to it from here on out) is an excellent choice for putting slabs of muscle on your frame and making you stronger from head to toe.

In short, if you ain't pulling, you ain't really working out!


The Top 9 Keys to Powerful Pulling

Below are some of the specific keys to pulling heavy weights. There may be some points I’ve omitted for the sake of brevity, but following these key points can and will take your pulling power to the next level!

1. Heels in Close, Weight on Heels: When I attended the USAPL Men's Nationals this year, I got to see some of the freakiest lifters in the nation do their thing. One of these lifters included Greg Page, a 148-pound guy who pulled a whopping 578 at the meet! He later stated that one of the most important things to do when pulling was to make sure your heels were as close to the bar as possible. I didn't necessarily understand this until I tried it, but it works (especially for sumo deadlifts).

To get your heels in close, you probably need to turn your feet out a little more than usual. At this point, try to get your heels underneath the bar. By doing this you ensure the bar is as close to your shins as possible, thereby improving your line of pull before you actually pull!

2. Big Breath, Core Tight: This one is pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll explain it anyway. While you're setting up, you need to take in a big breath and get your entire core tight. By getting tight, I mean getting your abs and low back set like you're about to get punched in the stomach. By "bracing," as we call it, you ensure that your body is ready to move maximal weight. If you need another reference, check out my 10 Tips to Flawless Squattin' article, which also discusses getting your core tight.

3. Head and Chest Up: Whenever you set up, make sure your eyes are looking slightly upwards and your chest is up. This rule is pretty much universal when it comes to lifting weights, but especially when it comes to deadlifting. Not only does it reinforce a neutral spine, but it also helps you to lift more weight. Pretty sweet deal, huh?

I can tell when a powerlifter is going to miss a lift before he even attempts it. That's because he starts the pull with his chest caved over. When this happens, the bar gets out in front of you and your low back has to work overtime to get the bar back in the groove. You end up doing what amounts to a straight leg deadlift. Instead, force the chest up from the beginning to distribute the weight between the major players in pulling, i.e., the glutes, hamstrings and erectors.

4. Hips High: This may seem awkward to some, but when you pull you want your chest up and your hips high at the same time. I use this example for lifters struggling with the concept: Is it easier to do a half-squat or a full squat? This example usually gets the wheels turning and they realize what I’m talking about. The body is in a more biomechanically efficient position if the hips are high from the start. We aren’t doing reverse squats here; we're trying to pull heavy weights, right?

5. Don't Sit in the Bottom: Research has shown us that the stretch reflex is all but negated after approximately four seconds. Some lifters may sit in the starting position for several seconds before they actually begin. Big mistake!

Not only do you lose the benefits of the stretch reflex, but you also can't maintain any air when you're in the bottom. Try it out for yourself: take a big breath and then sit in the bottom position for a few seconds. For whatever reason, it's very hard to maintain your IAP (intrabdominal pressure) and ITP (intrathoracic pressure). Doing so can decrease not only your stability but your strength as well.

6. Explode from the Middle: I've read tons of articles on deadlifting. Some will say to initiate the pull from the legs, driving them through the floor; others will say to lead with the upper back and traps. To be honest, they're both right, and that's why I think about both when I pull.

You need to think of pulling as an explosion from the middle of your body. Once I'm tight I think to myself "three, two, one" just like a launch pad because I want to simultaneously drive my heels through the floor (which ensures I’m using my glutes and hamstrings), while also pulling back with my traps and upper back (which helps keep the bar in close to the body).

If you only use one of these ideas, you lose the benefits of the other. For instance, only pulling with your upper back and traps tends to take your legs out of the lift. On the flip side, only driving your feet through the floor doesn't always keep the bar in as close as you'd like.

7. Pull FAST: I put this in italics because I think it's extremely important. If you're trying to move heavy weights, why on earth would you try and do it slowly? It makes absolutely no sense, yet I see tons of people trying to "muscle up" heavy deadlifts. It just doesn't work!

This goes hand in hand with the previous point: you want to explode from the middle and try to move the bar as fast as possible. Deadlifting may not always look fast (especially because you don't have much stretch reflex or an eccentric portion to the lift), but the fact is that if you want to move heavy weights, you have to try and move them quickly.

8. Keep Pulling: This is another point I can't emphasize enough. Pulling is hard, but it lends itself to "the grind." If you don't know what the grind is, you haven't been moving enough heavy weights. What we're talking about is that point where you don't think you have anything left in you, but you keep going and grind out the rep. Not only do you get stronger, but you also build confidence when you win battles with the heavy iron.

Please note that I'm not saying to train every set and rep to failure, but there are times when you're pulling heavy that the bar speed will slow down, you'll get out of your groove, and you'll have to go to war with the weight. The choice is yours, but those who grind out those big reps are the ones that'll end up with the stout physique and big numbers in the end.

9. Bring an Attitude: The final, and maybe the most important part of deadlifting, is attitude. Sure, some people may be genetically predisposed to pulling heavier weights than others, but a lot of deadlifting is having a deadlifter's attitude.

If you're a powerlifter you know the routine: you do three maximal squats, three maximal benches, and then you deadlift. It's arguably the hardest lift and you're doing it at the end of the meet when you're physically and mentally drained. If you don't have a never-say-die attitude, you're going to get beat not only by your mentally stronger competition, but by weights.

Every time you pull, you need to be aggressive. In case you missed my point in the beginning, pulling is hard! Those who are aggressive, confident, and who have that solider mentality will always succeed when it comes to pulling heavy, whether it be for a new PR in the gym or on the platform.


The Perfect Pull

Now that we've discussed the key points when it comes to pulling, let's put it all together to what amounts to a thing of beauty: bar-bending weights and perfect technique to boot!

Before you even approach the bar, get your mind right and your body ready to go. Use a psych-up when appropriate. If you're just training in the gym I wouldn’t tap into my nervous system too much as it expends a lot of nervous energy, but if you're going for a PR it'll definitely up your arousal level and get you primed for some heavy iron. Run through any points you specifically need to focus on with regards to technique as well.

When you approach the bar, work to get the heels as close as possible and underneath the bar. Once you're comfortable, think of "screwing" the heels into the ground; this will give you a stable base from which to pull. Your shins should be close or touching the bar gently.

Now grab the bar with a comfortable width and squeeze as hard as possible with your hands while taking the slack out of your arms. Some people take a breath before they ever go down, but this doesn't always work because you end up holding your breath too long before you're even set up.

Once you have your feet locked in with the weight on the heels, you need to set up the upper body. The slack should be out of your arms, so while you're still getting ready, take a big breath and get your entire core area tight. From this point, work to find that perfect spot where your hips are high but your chest is up and your low back is arched. You may have to fight to find this position, but it'll be worth it. If you don't, your chest will either be caved over and you won’t use your legs, or your hips will be too low and you end up reverse squatting the weight. Once you find this perfect spot, you're set up and ready to pull!

Again, you have to think of an explosion coming from your core. You need to simultaneously drive your heels through the floor while pulling back with your upper back and traps. This will not only ensure maximum usage of your low body muscles, but also keep the bar in tight to the body. Keep the bar in tight and don't forget to keep pulling! The bar may slow down or even stop for a second, but nobody ever said this would be easy. Keep pulling, lock out the knees, hips and shoulders at the same time, and revel in what has just occurred: precision pulling!


Conclusion

Pulling is a total body lift that'll pack the muscle on your frame and pounds on your total. Don't be the average gym-going geek who's afraid to deadlift simply because your buddy told you he "tweaked his back doing those things before."

Remember that the people who get hurt pulling are also the ones whose egos are bigger than their physiques. In the words of the infamous Louie Simmons, "Most exercises that are totally safe are also totally useless!" Until next time, find out what some precision pulling can do for you!


About the Author

Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., U.S.A.W., is the Director of the Athletic Performance Center (APC) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The APC offers sport performance training, injury rehabilitation, and personal training services to its clients. Mike received his Masters in Sports Biomechanics from the Human Performance Lab at Ball State University. Mike has been a competitive powerlifter for the last three years and is currently the USA Powerlifting State Chair in Indiana. To contact Mike, please send an e-mail to mikerob022@yahoo.com.

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TweetThe Dead Zone
The Top 10 Deadlifting Mistakes and How to Fix Them
by Dave Tate



Whenever I go on the road for a seminar, I have to find a place to train. Most of the time this isn't a problem because I have to secure a gym to run the second half of my seminar anyhow, and usually they have the basic training needs. I always try to fly out on a Friday afternoon, after my dynamic-squat workout, and then get back home Sunday night so I can get to the gym Monday morning for my max-effort squat and deadlift training session. This way, all I have to do while on the road is catch a dynamic-bench workout.

This session doesn't require very much so I usually don't have any problems.

But, there was one time I had to fly into a location on a Wednesday afternoon. This meant I'd have to find a place to squat on Friday morning. While this may not seem like a big deal to some, to me it would present a major change. When I got to my hotel I pulled out the yellow pages and turned to the health-club section.

I was looking for something like "Iron Pit" or some other hardcore name. It didn't take long to see I wasn't going to find such a place in the phonebook, so it was on to my second choice. I started looking for a Power House, World Gym or Gold's. I found one about ten minutes away and thought I was set.

During breakfast on Friday morning I was going over my workout in my head. I was planning on using 405 with the strong bands on the box squat. Then I'd move on to speed deadlifts, lower back, and abs. I already knew I was going to have to find some way to rig up the bands and probably find something to sit on instead of the box. After I finished my breakfast I gathered my bag and headed to the gym.

When I pulled into the parking lot I began to feel this was going to be a long day. From the outside the place looked too nice. Those of you who train in a hardcore gym know exactly what I mean. I entered the club (after being blinded by the neon) and spoke with the front desk girl. I signed my wavier, paid my dues, and headed for the one and only power rack.

This is when I saw something I couldn't believe. The bar was loaded with a dime on each end and some guy was doing barbell curls in the damn power rack! Not to be a dick, I waited until he finished what seemed to be ten sets and then made my way over to the rack.

I started by setting up a few dumbbells on each side of the rack to attach my bands to and then picked out the best bar I could find. They actually had an Okie Squat Bar. This made my day because it's very difficult for a big man to use a standard Olympic bar for the squat. I found a set of aerobic steps to use as a box and started my warm-ups.

The warm-ups felt pretty good, considering the environment I had to train in, but I did notice about a thousand eyes on me trying to figure out what the hell I was doing. A few people even came over to ask. As I began to explain, I realized they were cutting into my timed rest intervals so I pulled out the back-up plan. I put on my headphones, cranked the DMX and got to work. The squat session went very well. The speed was good, my form stayed in check, and all and all it was a good session. So I stripped the bar, took off the headphones and began to set up for my second movement.

I'd planned on speed-deadlifting 405 for five or six singles. This is mainly to work on deadlift technique, so I really didn't need any type of psyche-up. I just had to pull fast with good form. I learned from Louie a long time ago that to get a good deadlift you don't need to train the deadlift heavy all the time. At first I thought he was full of ****, but in time I put 40 pounds on my deadlift and became a believer. Now that Westside has a ton of lifters pulling in the 700s and six lifters in the 800s, I have very little doubt it works.

My first set felt like crap. The bar was too far in front of me and I didn't keep my shoulders behind the bar. This was no problem as I'd adjust on my next set. The second set felt great. I hit the groove and the bar felt about a hundred pounds lighter. I try to keep the rest periods on these sets to 45 seconds at the most and was about to pull my third set when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw some 20-something kid who was wearing a polo shirt and looked to be about 165 pounds dripping wet. I motioned him off like a annoying mosquito and pulled my fourth set.

After my set I asked the kid if I could help him. He asked a question I'll never forget. "What are you doing?" he said. I thought to myself, "What the hell does it look like I'm doing?!" Out loud, I replied very kindly that I was doing deadlifts. He then informed me that they didn't allow deadlifts in this gym. Now I was getting a little pissed. He told me that the weights hitting the floor are too loud and it bothers the other members. So I told him the sound of the treadmills and Stairmaster motors are too loud and that bothers me. Why doesn't he go over and tell the other patrons to get off the machines?

At this point I must've pissed him off because he said under his breath that I wasn't even doing the deadlifts right. I asked him what he saw wrong in my technique. (You never know, he could've seen something I was missing.) He told me that I needed to sit lower to the ground and pick the weight up with good form and not use my back. He also told me my shins had to stay close to the bar and I should be using a wider stance.

While not being a dick, I asked him where he'd learned this information. Then I saw it. I couldn't believe I'd missed it the first time, but there it was right in my face: a gold name badge with his name and "head trainer" right underneath it. At this point I asked him if I could finish my last set at which point I'd love to sit down and discuss his training concepts with him. He was cool with that so I pulled my last and by far best set. Maybe it was the added geek aggression that made the difference.

As I tore the bar down I started up a friendly dialog with Mr. Head Trainer. I let him know I was in town to work with a few ball players on their strength-training programs. He told me he'd been in the personal training field for three years, has been to several conferences, had done a few internships, and this was where he learned how to lift. Out of curiosity I asked him how much he could deadlift. He told me he could pull 315 for five reps. I spent the next hour going over with him what I felt were the ten biggest mistakes in the deadlift.

The first thing I told him was the old deadlift motto: The meet doesn't end until the bar hits the floor. To a powerlifter, the deadlift can be the end-all or the end-of-it-all when it comes to closing out a total or placing in the competition. In short, we have to know how to deadlift the most weight in the safest manner or we'll have a very short career.

I also told him that most people never read a whole lot about the deadlift because of one reason: it's very hard and demanding to train and perform the deadlift. To be frank, most in the strength training/fitness training/bodybuilding field would rather come in the gym and train their back with various pulley machines, talk to the girls, and go home with their carb drink in hand. They like to live on the light, easy side of the game while avoiding the dark side.

Well, get ready to enter the dark side as I share with you what I told my new personal-trainer buddy.


The Top 10 Deadlift Mistakes

Mistake #1: Training the deadlift heavy all the time

Very few people can train the deadlift week after week and still make progress. I feel the only ones who can get away with this are the ones who're built to deadlift. If you're built to pull, then the stress on your system is going to be less than those who aren't built to deadlift.

The deadlift is a very demanding movement and it takes a lot to recover from. This is compounded if you're also squatting every week. The squat and deadlift train many of the same muscles and this is another reason why you don't need to train the deadlift heavy all the time. Years ago the only deadlifts I did off the floor were in meets. The rest of the time was spent training the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. While my deadlift increased 40 pounds over the first few years, I did run into some problems with this approach.

The major problem I had was when I'd go to a meet I didn't know where to place my feet and if I got stuck I didn't know how to adjust. Since I'm not built to deadlift, these things aren't natural to me. I had to find a way to put some pulling back in the program without taxing the system. What we came up with was a session of speed deadlifts with a moderate weight pulled for five or six singles. This way the weight was heavy enough to teach good form and not too heavy to tax the system. This worked out to 45 to 50% of max to be trained after the dynamic or speed squat workout. These don't need to be done every week but should be used as the meet or test day get closer.

I still suggest letting the box squat train the deadlift muscles with dynamic squat training of eight sets of two reps in a wave-like sequence. (For squat training details, see the following articles: Periodization Bible Part II, Squatting from Head to Toe, and TNT Part II for cycles and percentages.)

Let the max-effort day be for training the heavy deadlift. Try to pull off pins, off mats, or with bands one out of every four to six max effort days. Let the other day be some type of medium or close-stance good morning or low-box squat.


Mistake #2: Pulling the shoulder blades together

This is a mistake I made for years. Stand in a deadlift stance and pull your shoulder blades together. Take a look at where your fingertips are. Now if you let your shoulders relax and even round forward a little you'll see your fingertips are much lower. This is why we teach a rounding of the upper back. First, the bar has to travel a shorter distance. Second, there's less stress on the shoulder region. It'll also help to keep your shoulder blades behind the bar. You'll read more on this later.


Mistake #3: Rounding the lower back

This is another mistake I see all the time and most lifters know better. It happens most of the time because of a weak lower back or a bad start position. While keeping your shoulders rounded you must keep your lower back arched. This will keep the shin straight and the shoulders behind the bar and keep your body in the proper position to pull big while keeping the back under minimal stress.

If you pull with a rounded back, the bar is going to drift forward away from the legs, thus putting you back into a very difficult position from which to recover. When the bar drifts forward, the weight of it will begin to work against your leverages and cause you to have a sticking point just below the knees or mid-shin level. When you pull you can either arch your back in the beginning standing position before you crouch down to pull or once you grab the bar. Either way it's important to keep the lower back arched and tight.

There are many ways to strengthen the lower back for this. Good mornings, reverse hypers, and arched back good mornings are a few. You can also use a band around your traps and feet for simulated good mornings. With this technique you only use the bands and train for higher reps (in the 20 to 30 rep range) for local muscular endurance.


Mistake #4: Not having enough air in your belly

As with most exercise you must learn how to breathe. Stand in front of a mirror and take a deep breath. Do your shoulders rise? If so, then you need to learn how to breathe. Learn to pull your air into your diaphragm. In other words, use your belly! Pull as much air into your belly as possible, then when you think you have all you can get, pull more. The deadlift isn't started by driving your feet into the floor; it's started by driving your belly into your belt and hips flexors.

One note on holding air while you pull. You do need to try and hold your air as long as possible, but this can only last for a few seconds while under strain because you'll pass out. So for a long pull, you're going to have to breathe or you'll hit the floor and people will stare. While there are several people out there who may think this is a cool thing, I disagree. It's much cooler to make the lift!

So when you reach the point where you begin to really have to fight with the weight, let out small bursts of air. Don't let it all out at one time or you'll lose torso tightness and cause the bar to drop down. By letting out small bursts you can keep your tightness, continue to pull, and lock out the weight.


Mistake #5: Not pulling the bar back

The deadlift is all about leverage and positioning. Visualize a teeter totter. What happens when the weight on one end is coming down? The other end goes up. So if your body is falling backward, what happens to the bar? It goes up! If your weight is falling forward the bar will want to stay down. So if you weigh 250 pounds and you can get your bodyweight to work for you, it would be much like taking 250 pounds off the bar. For many natural deadlifters this is a very instinctive action. For others it has to be trained.

Proper positioning is important here. If you're standing too close to the bar it'll have to come over the knee before you can pull back, thus going forward before it goes backward. If your shoulders are in front of the bar at the start of the pull, then the bar will want to go forward, not backward. If your back isn't arched the bar will also want to drift forward.

For some lifters, not being able to pull back can be a muscular thing. If you're like myself, I tend to end up with the weight on the front of my feet instead of my heels. This is a function of my quads trying to overpower the glutes and hamstrings, or the glutes and hamstrings not being able to finish the weight and shifting to the quads to complete the lift. What will happen many times is you'll begin shaking or miss the weight. To fix this problem you need to add in more glute ham raises, pull-throughs and reverse hypers.


Mistake #6: Keeping the shins too close to the bar

I'm not too sure where this started but I have a pretty good idea. Many times the taller, thinner lifters are the best pullers and they do start with the bar very close to their shins. But if you look at them from the sides they still have their shoulders behind the bar when they pull. This is just not possible to achieve with a thicker lifter.

If a thicker lifter with a large amount of body mass — be it muscle or fat — were to line the bar up with his shins, you'd see he would have an impossible time getting the shoulders behind the bar. Remember you need to pull the bar back toward you, not out and away from you. So what I believe happens is many lifters look to those who have great deadlifts to see how they pull, then try to do the same themselves. What they need to do is look to those who are built the same way they are and have great deadlifts and follow their lead.


Mistake #7: Training with multiple reps

Next time you see someone doing multiple reps on the deadlift, take note of the form of each rep. You'll see the later reps look nothing like the first. In competition you only have to pull once, so you need to learn how to develop what's known as starting strength for the deadlift. This is the strength needed to get the bar off the floor without an eccentric (negative) action before the start.

In other words, you don't lower the bar first and then lift the weight as you do with the squat and bench press. When you train with multiple reps you're beginning to develop reversal strength, which isn't needed with the deadlift.

These two reasons are enough to keep the deadlift training to singles. If you're using multiple reps with the deadlift, then stand up in between each rep and restart the lift. This way you'll be teaching the proper form and be developing the right kind of strength.


Mistake #8: Not keeping your shoulders behind the bar

You've already read this a few times in this article and it's perhaps the most important thing next to hip position in the execution of the deadlift. Your shoulders must start and stay behind the barbell when you pull deadlifts! This will keep the barbell traveling in the right direction and keep your weight going backward. The deadlift isn't an Olympic lift and shouldn't be started like one.

I did a seminar with Dr. Mel Siff at one of his Supertraining camps (one of the best investments you can ever make!) and we showed the difference between the two positions. For the Olympic lifts you want the shoulders in front of the bar; for the deadlift you want them behind the bar. Period. The amount of misinformation out there about this is incredible.




Mistake #9: Looking down

Your body will always follow your head. If you're looking down then the bar is going to want to travel forward. At the same time you don't want to look at the ceiling. Focus on an area that keeps your head in a straight up and back position with the eyes focusing on an upper area of the wall.


Mistake #10: Starting with the hips too low

This is the king of all mistakes I see. Too many times lifters try to squat the weight up rather than pull the weight. Think back to the number of times you've seen a big deadlift and thought to yourself how much more the lifter could've pulled if he didn't damn near stiff-leg it. I see it all the time. Someone will say, "Did you see his deadlift?" Then the other guy will comment, "Yeah, and he stiff-legged the thing." Am I telling you to stiff leg all your deadlifts? No, not at all.

All I want you to do is look at your hip position at the start of the lift when you pull and watch how much your hips move up before the weight begins to break the floor. This is wasted movement and does nothing except wear you out before the pull. The closer you can keep your hips to the bar when you pull, the better the leverages are going to be.

Once again, next time you see a great deadlifter, stand off to the side and watch how close his or her hips stay to the bar throughout the pull. If you're putting your ass to the floor before you pull, your hips are about a mile from the bar. You're setting yourself up for disaster when the lever arm is this long. This is also the second reason why lifters can't get the bar off the floor. (The first reason is very simple: The bar is too heavy!)

You need to find the perfect spot where your hips are close to the bar, your shoulders are behind the bar, your lower back is arched, your upper back rounded, your belly full of air, and you can pull toward your body. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy, but then again, what is? (Definitely not training in a commercial health club….)


Conclusion

After I'd discussed my pulling concepts with my new trainer friend, he was a little set back. He'd never heard these things before and didn't really know what to believe. After this I took him back out on the gym floor and started guiding him through a few deadlifts. A few corrections here and there and in no time at all he pulled 405. This wasn't an easy lift for him but he made it and with that his confidence grew.

Next, I let him in on the best training advice he'd ever hear. I told him the first thing he needed to do was spend more time under the bar and suggested he find a real gym and start training with those who were much stronger than him. The best training secrets come from the small garage gyms with very strong lifters, not the spandex driven, neon-machine warehouses. This, I told my friend, would be his introduction to the dark side, and with hard work and proper training, he may one day even enter the Dead Zone!


For more information about Dave's training concepts, you can visit his web site at EliteFTS.com. The site is complete with an article section and Q and A, as well as an exercise index section detailing many of the movements explained in this article. The online store also has many training videos for sale also detailing these methods, including the highly reviewed seminar video.

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TweetMay 15, 2007
10 Tips To A Better Deadlift
10 Tips To A Better Deadlift
What I have learned after 18 years Under the Bar
By
Rick Walker

Before I get started I just want to say “Thank You” to my friend Nick McKinless for the opportunity to write for his web site. I have known Nick now for a number of years and I consider him a friend and soldier who has my back. Nick is a straight shooter, a stand-up guy, and one strong s.o.b., and we are all lucky to benefit from his knowledge as a strength athlete and stuntman. Nick, whenever you make it to the states again bro, we need to deadlift heavy things and then tell war stories around an ice cold keg!

I have spent 18 years under a loaded weight bar. In that time, I have seen many things, done many things, and accomplished more then I ever thought I could. As I look 30 straight in the eyes this year, I realize that I am still learning, and I always will be learning, until the day the Iron Gods call me home.

I have been blessed with good deadlift genetics. I have long legs, a short and strong back, and very long arms. Some say that gives me an unfair advantage, to those people I ask: ARE YOU TRAINING AS HARD AS I AM? I ask this because I dedicate a lot of my training time to adding pounds to my deadlift. I am obsessed with the most basic of movements, taking a loaded bar from the ground and standing up with it. I train my bench once every couple weeks. I train my squat once a week. I train my deadlift strength 3 or 4 times a week. That doesn’t mean I deadlift that many times, but I do exercises that I feel help carry over to a big pull.

Tell me, what is more exciting then being down 100 pounds to your competition, then coming back and beating them by 150 once the weight hits the floor?

So what makes me an authority on the deadlift? First, I am not an authority so to speak, but I am pretty damn knowledgeable. I have pulled a triple bodyweight + with a 700 at 220. As I write this article, I am 40+ days out from IPA Worlds where I plan on taking the 220 IPA deadlift record and pulling 725+. I have put my time in, I have clocked the hours, and so I feel that I have something to share with the masses.

This I will say: I GUARANTEE IF YOU FOLLOW THESE 10 TIPS, YOU WILL ADD POUNDS TO YOUR DEADLIFT! Regardless of genetics, years of training, or age, you are going to put weight on your pull. That is what is important.

Let’s GO!

Tip #1: Get on the deadlift express to silverback town



There has been a movement for the past 10 years to stop deadlifting and start doing more assistance exercises. The theory behind this is heavy pulling strains the body and thus limits what you can do during your training week. I follow this theory, to a point. Some guys can get away with this and still fair well in the deadlift. If you are like me-you can’t. I have to pull every week in order to increase my pull. Plain and simple. Now, there are ways to get around destroying your body by constantly pulling heavy, and I will get to them as this article rolls on. What you need to take from Tip #1 is to train you deadlift! Don’t think that just doing good mornings, reverse hypers, and glute-hams is going to translate over to a bigger pull because you might be very, VERY disappointed!

Tip #2: Technique my brothers and sisters, is the key to righteousness



This seems rudimentary, but it has to be said. I recently did a meet at Pittsburgh and what I saw was some of the sloppiest deadlift form I have EVER witnessed! Most of these lifters could put 100+ more pounds on their pull just by maximizing their pulling position, foot position, and hand position. Listen, we are all different. My form won’t look like your form, however there are some things that EVERYONE who pulls needs to do. Yes, you can keep using ****ty form and eventually mess yourself up, or you can make some changes, lose your ego, lower the weight, and start building a stronger deadlift. The choice is yours. I have written several times on proper form, so I won’t do it again here. The proof is in the pudding, so fix your form and lift more weight.

Tip #3: Speed kills

REMEMBER:


THE FASTER


YOU GO, THE


BIGGER THE MESS

My mom used to tell me that when I was 16 and would head out to hang with my homies. She is right, in more ways then one. Sticking points in ANY lift are a direct result of the bar slowing down. You lose speed, the bar stalls. Easy, right? If it is so easy why doesn’t everyone train speed? Well, most people feel speed work doesn’t work because you aren’t straining. 60% is not straining. However, you are teaching your body to fire quickly. When you train your hips to extend with speed, you do it no matter how much weight is on the bar. I pride myself on being a fast deadlifter. If you saw me deadlift 135-pounds it would look the same as 600-pounds. The bar doesn’t slow down and therefore the bar doesn’t stop. Still a skeptic? Try it. I like the alternating approach, one week I lift heavy weight for triples, the next I take 60% and hit singles focusing on pop.

Tip #4: Know thy muscles that deadlift grasshopper



I still don’t understand why so many lifters just deadlift and do nothing else. Listen up: your deadlift is only as strong as your muscles that deadlift. This means, your lower back might be capable of 800, but your hamstrings might only be capable of 650. Guess what? You get 650. The old adage holds water here: you are only as strong as your weakest link. So, instead of deadlifting each and every week, then forgetting about till seven days later, why don’t you train the muscles that deadlift? Some good ones to focus on are ABS, reverse hypers, superman’s, glute-ham raises, seated and standing good mornings, handle squats, pull-throughs, and kettlebell swings.




Tip #5: Use the rack properly



I cannot count how many times I have heard people proclaim that the rack pull does not work. The rack pull took me from 644 to 700 in a couple months time. Of course, it can’t be used alone. If you did nothing but rack pulls you would have a whole slew of problems when you got back to the floor! However, when done CORRECTLY the rack pull increases your deadlift exponentially. Remember, this isn’t an ego boost or a chance to show the gym how strong you are; you do rack pulls to strengthen your sticking point. You do rack pulls to build speed and strength at your point where the bar looses speed.

Most people step away from the bar with a rack pull and then bend their knees into the bar. This is wrong because what you are doing is making the lift easier by allowing your hips to get closer to the bar. If you rack pull this way, all you have to do is lean back and slide the bar up your thighs. Hence the reason 600 pound deadlifters are rack pulling in the 800s and 900s! This is how you should do it:

First off, rack the bar at the point where it loses speed. DO NOT rack it where it stops, but rather where is slows down. Where you actually get stuck is not your sticking point, it is just where your speed carries the bar after its initial stalling point. Am I confusing you son?!? Stay with me. Now, step in so the bar is tight against your legs. This is how the bar is when you are pulling from the floor-right? If the bar is against your legs, dragging up them, in the regular deadlift, why the hell would you stand 8” away from it and lean into it in a rack pull? Not the same movement and hence no carry over! Now, lean over and grab the bar, arch your back, drive your feet in, and go! As you will discover, not only is this incredibly harder, it is also a low back smasher! I rack pull less then I pull from the ground. This is because off the ground I can get my legs under it and use them efficiently. From my sticking point, which is right below my knee caps, I cant. A fellow lifter I know pulls 575 from the ground but gets stuck with a 375-pound rack pull at his sticking point.

Part 2 coming soon!!

Rick Walker has a bachelor’s of science degree in exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA. He is employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections as an activities specialist and is currently working at the State Correctional Institute in Houtzdale, PA. His duties include planning and overseeing all inmate activities and sports and teaching life skills classes in nutrition, wellness, and strength and conditioning.

Rick began training at the age of 12 for football and has been active in strength sports since 1996. He did his first powerlifting meet in 1996 and his first Strongman contest in 2003. Rick has competed in the USAPL (ADFPA), ADAU, IPA, and NASS. He currently holds squat and deadlift records in the ADAU