Category Archives: Deadlift
Deadlift Assistance 911
When I was a little kid, my parents once had to call 911 for me. It wasn’t for anything serious, though. I was going about my normal routine of being awesome – running like a maniac and jumping over stuff – when disaster struck. I fell into a hole.
My leg was wedged. My knee was pinned against the front wall and my foot against the back. It took two firemen to get me out.
I watched Rescue 911 for months waiting for my segment to air but it never did. I realize now, 20 years later, that a six-year-old stuck in a culvert isn’t exactly television worthy. But man, at the time, I was pissed at William Shatner.
A lot of deadlifts suffer the same fate – they get stuck in a hole. Sometimes the hole is deep and the entire movement needs an overhaul. But more often than not, a deadlift that needs saving is pinned in a shallow hole, not all that different from the one I was in. All that’s needed is attention to a weakness that’s pulling the movement out of balance.
This article will examine the pitfalls that can betray each phase, along with the best movements to save your deadlift. If you’ve felt your deadlift sinking slowly into a hole, here’s the answer to your 911 call.
Speed Off the Floor
The first question you should ask yourself when you’re having issues early in the pull is, “Am I tight enough?”
Check your grip, make sure you have the slack out of the bar, and secure a tight back – you can now confidently say that you’re tight enough. If you’re still slow off the floor, you need to develop speed and power.
Here are the best deadlift speed exercises.
Concentric-Only Jumps
Most jump training includes a full cycle of muscle contraction – eccentric on the down phase and concentric on the up phase. But the deadlift start is in the bottom position with limited stretch reflex, so we can’t count greatly on the elasticity of the myofascia.
Instead, we have to start jump training in the bottom position, using only the concentric phase to replicate speed off the floor. Remember that the stretch reflex can linger in the myofascia for close to a second, so when you prepare to do the following jumps make sure you’re holding in the bottom position for 2-3 seconds.
Box Jumps
As you sink into the bottom position to start concentric-only box jumps, run your hands down your legs and set up in your starting deadlift form. Hold this position for 2-3 seconds and jump.
The videos below show the body weight version and the loaded version that includes holding two dumbbells.
Seated Jumps
Starting in a seated position limits the stretch reflex and has the added bonus of a strong glute and hamstring contraction as you start to jump.
Here are the box jump and broad jump versions of the seated jump.
Swings, Hang Cleans, and Dynamic Effort Deadlifts
Though they aren’t concentric-only movements, swings and hang cleans improve pulling speed due to the violent hip extension involved in both exercises.
Performing both exercises, however, can be frustrating. If the O-lifts cause you performance anxiety, forget about it. Extend your hips violently from the hang position and drop under the bar. Unless you’re planning on mastering the movement to compete as an Oly lifter, it’s no big deal.
Swings, though, shouldn’t be butchered, as they are the simplest exercise in the world. Start with the kettlebell in front of you and then, while keeping your back flat, pull the kettlebell between your legs and extend your hips violently to swing it.
Tighten up as the kettlebell levels out at the top and don’t break at the hips until your arms hit your torso on the way back down. At no point should it look like a squat/front raise hybrid. The video below shows a great looking swing.
Dynamic effort pulls must be in your training if you’re slow off the floor. Jumping, swings, and hang cleans are great, but if you aren’t specifically applying speed to the deadlift, you’re a few shovels short of a digging party.
Unless you can pull over two times your body weight easily, don’t worry about accommodating resistance using bands and chains. Work on being fast with good form and bar weight.
Drive off the Floor
Remember back in college there was that skinny wide receiver that could jump through the ceiling but collapsed like a pile of laundry as soon as a bar was on his back? We want to avoid being the deadlift version of this guy.
If you’ve got hops and can pull a lightly loaded barbell with speed but still struggle off the floor with heavier weights, you need drive, which is where speed and strength meet to create power.
Great drive off the floor requires strong legs (especially quads) and powerful glutes. Squatting develops quads of strength and fury while building glutes that could crush walnuts, but when it comes to driving your deadlift off the floor, we can get more specific.
Anderson Squats
Paul Anderson was a behemoth and his ‘bottoms up’ squat method is the most devastating strategy to overcome inertia ever invented. Lifters have been using Anderson squats to get out of the hole of the squat for a long time, but they’re also killer for deadlift drive off the floor.
Both the regular and front versions of the Anderson squat are great for building deadlift power. That is, if your hips and knees move in unison and you don’t shift your hips forward to put the stress of the movement entirely on your quads. Check out the videos below for solid performance visuals.
Barbell Glute Bridges and Hip Thrusts
Bret Contreras hit the nail on the head with barbell glute bridges and hip thrusts. Not only do both exercises mold a derriere into something magnificent, but also they train for immense amounts of glute drive.
Get your glutes involved early in the lift to compliment quad drive and your deadlift will climb, and effective glutes are strong glutes. Do your bridges and hip thrusts, and do them heavy. See the video below.
Pulling Through the Mid-Range
The mid-range is the deadliest phase of the deadlift, the area most likely to send you back into the hole.
The good, and the bad, news is that most mid-range emergencies can be narrowed down to three problems: inability to maintain power off the floor, weak hamstrings, and loss of back tightness – with the former sometimes becoming the product of the latter two issues.
If it’s mid-range power you seek, check my article Half Pulls – Not Half Assed for ideas on adding accommodating resistance to partial range of motion deadlifts.
Weak hamstrings and a tight back need direct assistance work. There’s no complicated schematic; just picking targeted assistance work and using rep ranges that work for your body.
Hamstrings are best hit with glute ham raises and RDLs. I keep the reps around 6-10 for each movement, but you have to do what works for you. If you don’t have a glute ham raise at your gym, substitute lying leg curls or Russian leg curls on a lat or seated calf machine like in the video below.
Training for a tight back is accomplished by doing good mornings, both heavy and for reps. Focus on keeping your lats pulled tight and maintaining neutral spine. If you feel your back round you’ve either gone too low for your mobility level or didn’t keep your back tight.
Finishing the Pull
When I think about training to finish the deadlift, I think of Matt Kroczaleski. It’s been that way ever since I watched the video of him explaining how he developed Kroc rows. He couldn’t find anything that worked – until he trained the balls out of his lats using high rep one-arm rows and, like magic, he finished his pulls stronger. Finishing is all about the lats. Check out the video below.
Train your lats heavy and train your lats with high reps and you’ll get better at finishing your pulls. Also, don’t count out heavy barbell rows and other rowing variations done in the bent position. Rowing while bent builds strength through the entire posterior chain, which carries over to deadlifting. Keep the barbell rows heavy and use one-arm rows to train for reps.
Discounting our old friend the pull-up would be a travesty. Outside of the rowing variations mentioned, no other exercises are as effective for building thick and strong lats. Do them heavy, do them fast, and do them for reps.
Core and Grip
The deadlift is a core and grip exercise. But as you add wheels to the bar each can become a limiting factor if not up to snuff. Like any other weak point, you must address it during your assistance work.
Core Exercises
Rollouts
The deadlift is all about extension, yet one of the best core assistance exercises for the lift is based on anti-extension, the rollout. Being able to resist over-extension creates stability in the lumbo-pelvic complex, allowing you to recruit your glutes and pull like crazy. See the video below.
Front Squats
The front squat is a great exercise for building leg drive, but if you’re failing to hold extension as you pull, front squats also train you to stay tall by coordinating a hard abdominal brace with a contraction of the lats and upper-back musculature. Training for better T-spine extension while strengthening your abs will improve your deadlift.
Reverse Crunches
Reverse crunches don’t meet the badass quotient of rollouts or front squats, but they’re useful for creating lumbo-pelvic stability. Excessive lordosis of the lumbar spine caused by repeated extension limits stability and hinders recruitment patterns. Reverse crunches correct hyperextension and create balance.
Grip Exercises
Barbell Suitcase Holds
I labeled them as a grip exercise, but suitcase holds combine grip and core training. They present a serious grip challenge, training crushing strength and forearm leverage strength. At the same time you’re presented with a strong stimulus to avoid lateral flexion. Your obliques, lats, and glutes work like crazy to keep you from bending like a willow tree.
Fat Bar Cleans
I won’t piss on your leg and tell you that it’s raining – fat bar cleans are rough. Any barbell exercise done with a fat bar requires a grip commitment, but adding the wrist extension of the clean marries you to the exercise. A few sets of five at the end of your training session and you’ll be steering with your elbows on the drive home.
Kroc Rows
Kroc rows train you to finish the pull out of the deadlift hole while training your grip for endurance, provided you don’t use straps. Grab a heavy dumbbell and rep it for 30. It could be the shovel that digs you out of the hole.
Make the Call
There’s no hole that’s too deep to pull your deadlift out of, and it’s never too late to call for help. But for the best assistance, you have to know why you got stuck. Give your deadlift an honest assessment and then come back to this article and make the call.
Half-Pulls – Not Half-Assed
That’s what grandpa used to say when I’d help him with the yard work. Admittedly, I was quite the lazy ten year-old, but when the threat of the boot came down I’d straighten up and get the raking and mowing done. Instead of a half-ass, I’d become a full-ass.
Partial range of motion deadlifts, unfortunately, often receive a similar half-assed treatment. That’s a downright shame as partial pulls can transform anemic deadlifts and skinny hamstrings into impressive full deadlifts and a posterior chain that gets noticed. It’s time partial pulls get the respect they deserve.
Educating the Hips
Most of us have stupid hips. Sitting all day kills our hip IQ. It’s like the old egg in a skillet as your brain on drugs metaphor. “This is your ass. This is your ass after eight hours in a chair.” For normal working stiffs that just hop in the car and head home after work without a thought of deadlifting, that might be okay (although, it probably isn’t).
But we’re out for pulling dominance, so we need to reeducate our hips to recruit the right muscles at the right times.
Unfortunately, postural issues such as anterior pelvic tilt dominate many of us. This results in short (and usually weak) hip flexors, weak/inhibited glutes, and hamstrings that bail on us like a Kardashian with a pre-nup.
Without strong hamstrings to pick up the slack when our quad drive dies out, we’re left incapable of pulling the bar past the knee barrier – too low for our glutes (if they’re firing well) and lats to finish off the pull.
Basic partial-range pull variations like the rack pull and deadlift off blocks are great for taking the glutes and hamstrings to deadlift school. Because the bar is set anywhere from low on the shins to just below the knees, the involvement of the quads is limited. This gives the hamstrings a chance to let their true colors shine. Rather than hanging the glutes out to dry, the hamstrings get back to keeping the weight moving through the mid-range of the pull, provided we use weight that keeps us within the confines of good form.
As a bonus, we can also position our hips advantageously (with good hip-hinge mechanics) to recruit the hamstrings and glutes while the bar moves through the mid-range. Some coaches take exception to this notion, arguing that “pulling from an advantageous position doesn’t carry over to the full range pull,” to which I respectively say, “bullshit.”
A good coach teaches movements in segments so their clients and athletes learn good form through each portion of a movement before being subjected to the Full Monty. This is referred to as a top-down training progression. The deadlift is no exception.
Teaching the hips to pull from different starting points gives the body a memory to draw on when the going gets tough and form starts to break down. And this lesson isn’t just for the newbies – we veterans also need refreshers. Training for longer periods can often lead to subtle bad lifting habits. Breaking down the deadlift helps prevent these habits from becoming major issues.
Check out the video below for a rack pull refresher.
Notice that my hips are positioned where they would be if it were a full range deadlift. The glutes and hams squeeze the weight off the pins and the lats finish it off.
Below is an example of the deadlift off blocks. While they’re less convenient than rack pulls, they more closely replicate a deadlift off the floor as the plates are resting on an elevated surface rather than the bar resting on pins. As you initiate the pull, the “slack” will come out of the bar and you’ll get an inch before the weight starts moving, much like a full range deadlift.
The hip positioning is similar to a rack pull and deadlifts off of blocks can be loaded intensely. But if you’re planning on training with Jim “Smitty’ Smith of Diesel Strength, don’t make the mistake I did. Start out with a hook grip, not an alternated one.
Smitty recommends the double overhand grip (with or without the thumb hook) because it’s safer. Many athletes and gym goers alike stand with excessive internal rotation at the glenohumeral joints and kyphotic upper-back posture. This suboptimal posture puts stress on the biceps of the supinated arm during an alternated deadlift grip, thereby increasing the chance of a tear.
Finishing Power
Speed-strength (high velocity low load) and strength-speed (high velocity high load) are both important for maximal strength. There are many technical terms that can be used here: rate coding, motor unit synchronization, and rate of force development are a few. But the important take away is the faster you move – or attempt to move – a weight, the more motor units you’ll recruit. It’s about hot, nasty speed.
Speed off the floor is necessary for a successful pull, and training for speed-strength can raise a deadlift number steadily, at least for a little while.
But where do we go when speed deads are no longer effective? When we’ve exhausted dynamic effort deadlifts versus bands and chains? When pulling from a deficit is no longer stoking the flame and heavy pull attempts are again failing at the knees, there has to be another strength catalyst. Thankfully, there is: the rack pull versus bands.
Rack Pulls Versus Bands
With speed deads being an application of speed-strength, rack pulls versus bands work well as an application of strength-speed.
Training speed-strength will take you a long way, but as the weight you’re able to move becomes heavier, strength-speed must become a focus. When max effort attempts become slow grinders it’s strength-speed that maintains the power you’ve generated off the floor. Having good levels of strength-speed means you’ll be able to keep the weight moving at a constant rate, rather than feeling it slow down as it approaches your knees.
Bands provide accommodating resistance by overloading the lockout, forcing bar acceleration throughout the entire pull. When training for speed, a standard rack pull won’t cut it because deceleration will take precedence over acceleration as the bar approaches lockout.
The bands also keep us honest. Rather than slapping plates on the bar with typical meathead disregard, we have to account for the tension of the bands. Add too much bar weight and you’ll be left doing the involuntary shakes when the bar hits mid-thigh.
To generate the most speed off the pins you must concentrate on tension and breathing. Make sure you’re belly breathing, setting your grip as hard as possible and bracing your core hard (lats pulled tight, abs contracted). Also, reset between each rep. This will make the exercise safer and give you a chance to produce more power. If you’re doing a set of eight, treat it like eight sets of one.
Like regular rack pulls, rack pulls versus bands can be done with the bar set anywhere from low on the shins to just below the knees. Just remember that the higher up your shins the bar is, the more band tension required.
Here are two examples of rack pulls versus bands; one mid-shins and one just below the knees.
Mid-shins:
High:
Serious Back Mass
What if your goal isn’t to pull as much iron as possible? Maybe you just want bigger, thicker lats and traps; perhaps an upper-back that makes shirt collars scream uncle? Partial range deadlifts can help build a yoke that would turn an ox green with envy.
The “how-to” is relatively simple and follows the normal rules of muscle hypertrophy. More weight plus more time under tension equals bigger muscles.
Rack pulls, along with other partial range deadlifts, can be loaded at a higher intensity than a full-range deadlift can be, creating greater amounts of muscular tension. Since the range of motion is decreased, we can also work with higher loads for a greater amount of reps, increasing the total time under tension.
So rather than being able to pull 400 pounds for 1-2 reps with a rack pull, you can rip it for a set of 6-8. It’s a perfect equation for fantastic lats and traps, with the bonus being that the weight is moving mainly through the top half of the deadlift motion, where the lats are increasingly active.
Strong guys know that burning out your nervous system and diminishing your ability to recover by hitting high rep, full deadlifts isn’t necessary. Keep the full range deadlift sets heavy and for low reps (1-5) and then add in partial range pulls during your assistance work for higher reps (6-8). If you want to get your back big in a hurry, high-rep rack pulls are a tool you can count on.
Pulling into a Partial Range Cycle
A little while back I went through some deadlifting woes. Although it was a long, frustrating ordeal, it did allow me to experiment with my training. I eventually came up with a partial pull progression that had a great deal of carry-over to my conventional deadlift. If your deadlift is in a bad way, this cycle could be your guide back to the right track.
Check it out:
| Week | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| 1 | Reverse band deadlift | 7 | 1* |
| 2 | Mid-shin rack pull | 5 | 2-3 |
| 3 | High Bartley pull | 4/2 | 2/1 |
| 4 | Reverse band deadlift | 4 | 1* |
So how the hell did reverse band deadlifts sneak into this cycle? It’s supposed to be a partial range of motion cycle, right? Well, I count reverse band deadlifts as a partial range deadlift movement because the full effect of the weight isn’t felt until the bar travels to your mid-shins, or beyond.
Not familiar with the reverse band deadlift? Here’s a video demo:
Notice the bands going slack as the bar approaches lockout? Take another look at the video. Right before the bar gets to the knees the band tension dies, so does the assistance provided by the bands. I’m left by my lonesome to lock out the weight – but this is a good thing.
Again, the concentration has to be on bar speed. As the plates break the floor, the goal is to “race” the bands to the top. If you win the race you’ll generate enough bar speed to keep heavy weights moving when the band tension dies, thus training you to pull fast during the top half of your deadlift. Lose the race and you’ll be a hunched, frustrated man with iron in his hands that’s dangling in rubber bands.
This cycle is great for training the lockout because it progresses from an assisted movement (reverse band deadlifts) to a movement that uses accommodating resistance (high Bartley pulls), then allows for the realization of the training adaptation during the fourth week.
You get faster while moving heavy weights because the focus is always on bar speed. The reverse band deadlift during week four can be replaced with conventional deads if you want to take advantage of the bar speed you gained during the previous three weeks. When I used this cycle, however, I waited until week six to test my deadlift, using week five as a down week and stepping away from the bar.
Pulling it all Together
I’ve got a little too much of my grandpa in me, so I’ll never pardon a half-assed effort, be it in the weight-room or out in the real world. And considering partial range pulls can save your deadlift and kick-start some serious posterior chain development, you’re only shooting your skinny self in the foot by not doing them.
So roll up your sleeves and hit those pulls with focus and intensity, and free yourself from deadlifting mediocrity. But before you do, finish your yard work – those leaves aren’t going to rake themselves!
Are You Ignorant When it Comes to the Deadlift?
The Uncomplicated Deadlift
Stance Width
Toes
Bar Position
Grip
Setting Up the Pull
Chest Up, Back Set
The Deadlift is Not a Squat
The Lockout
Less Bounce to the Ounce
That Wasn’t So Hard, Was It?
The Snatch Grip Deadlift
Strength coach Charles Poliquin introduced T Nation readers to many strength-training tenets like squatting past parallel, body part splits, and the value of compound lifts.
One of his more radical ideas was doing snatch grip deadlifts from a 4″ podium. He loved this exercise, saying it was among the best for putting on mass, fast. Sadly, with the advent of maintaining a neutral spine, this exercise has been snatched from existence.
Many coaches opt for safer, shorter ROM deadlift variations, especially when working with populations sporting the posterior chain mobility of a crowbar. But not having the mobility now doesn’t mean you won’t have it in the future. You just have to put in extra time if you want to do one of the most underrated exercises in barbell history.
Why Snatch Grip Deadlift?
If getting “walking-like-you-have-Sidney-Crosby’s-Olympic-Gold-winning-hockey-stick-up-your-ass” syndrome after a heavy session of snatch grip deadlifts isn’t enough proof that they “work,” here are some other reasons to do the exercise:
1. Upper-back development.
Olympic weightlifters have very impressive back development. Outside of pulling from the floor with insane frequency, one thing they do that most others don’t is pull with a snatch grip. So if band pull aparts aren’t exploding your posterior delts and upper traps as planned, consider adding this lift into your program.
2. Posterior chain development.
Conventional deadlifting is known for developing a muscular back more than it is for developing muscular legs. This is because, all things considered, the lift doesn’t require a lot of range of motion in the hips and knees.
Even though you’re not lifting as much weight when you use the snatch grip, it’s more of a leg exercise because of the starting position depth. Your hamstrings and glutes gets stretched considerably more, and this is what packs on the size.
3. Assisting conventional deadlifts.
The deadlift, for all practical purposes, is like a half-squat. There’s nothing “normal” about the height of forty-five pound plates, they’re that size because of tradition. To increase ROM, many lifters will pull from a deficit.
The snatch grip deadlift is essentially a deficit pull because the wide grip forces you to get deeper in the starting position. You can now stop balancing on stacked plates like a jackass.
4. It can boost your vertical jump.
I’ve researched vertical jump training thoroughly to prepare my athletes that go onto combine-esque tests. Although journal articles are insightful, nothing compares to analyzing video footage of people attempting vertical jumps.
I’m looking at two stills taken from YouTube. The quality is too crappy to post here, so take my word for it. Both shots show jumpers stopped in the amortization phase of a vertical jump.
The guy on the left boasts a 30″ vertical. Honestly, with the setup he’s using, I doubt it, but for the sake of conversation, let’s say he’s telling the truth. The dude on the right boasts a near 50″ vertical. Since that’s very high, I’m going to bump it down to 40″ to account for YouTube inflation.
We’re left with a 10″ difference. Apart from the guy on the right being noticeably more muscular, they have dramatically different body positions. The guy with the higher vertical is relying much more on hip extension, which equates to more glute and posterior chain use. The other guy is all quads and calves.
Although there are probably many reasons why the one is jumping higher, his body position isn’t hurting him. And strangely enough, it’s a position that resembles the beginning of a snatch grip deadlift.
Get a Grip!
Many who try snatch grip deadlifts get as far as the first set and never to do them again because gripping the barbell mangled their hands into a pseudo-cramped claw. But this lift isn’t meant to be grip work, so don’t fret.
Most Olympic weightlifters use straps in training and the hook grip in competition to save their hands. The hook grip is a gripping technique where your fingers wrap around the thumb instead of the traditional thumbs-atop-fingers monkey grip. But it’s not really meant to be done for long duration sets, and is much more of a “singles” friendly technique.
If you’re serious about the snatch grip deadlift but want to save your hands, you’re going to need straps. Forgo them on the warm-up sets, however, and save them for the work sets.
The Setup
In the Olympic weightlifting world, it’s customary to setup and start with the shoulders behind the bar so that the quads help the initial push from the floor.
But since we’re not Olympic weightlifters, I prefer to use the pulling mechanics that most heavy deadlifters abide by: shoulder blades directly above the bar, and the bar kept close to the body (scraping the skin off of the shins).
What Not to Do
Having a form breakdown during the snatch grip deadlift is about as easy as a guy having an affinity for Jamie Eason. Since the wider grip stresses the upper back, it needs to stay rigid to keep the system intact. But the upper back is a mixture of many smaller muscles, and it’s not nearly as strong as we’d like it to be. When it fails, the shoulders round over and the lower back soon follows.
Because of this, I prefer “mastering” an easy weight to ease the upper back into the lift. This means volume is added before weight. If you deadlift anything above 350 pounds, a good starting point is 225 pounds for five repetitions. Yes, this will feel “easy,” but it’s necessary to prepare for higher intensities down the line.
Weight on the bar should only be ramped up after you’ve solidified the mobility to use maximum grip width, and have built the upper back tolerance for it.
Disclaimer
Before I go further, this article is about snatch grip deadlifts from the floor. Most lifters have enough trouble keeping the back in a good position without the extra height a podium offers. If you toy around with this lift for a while, however, and decide you want to kick it up a notch, feel free to pull from a deficit. At that point you should know whether your back can take it.
Strategies
Since we’re easing into this exercise, it’s perfect for a “light” lower body day (or light deadlifting day). You can also incorporate it into your conventional deadlifting warm ups. Again, if you’re handling anything above 350 pounds, do your warm ups up to 225 pounds with a snatch grip. The extra range of motion will make your conventional pulls feel easier.
Let’s start at the beginning: “Where should I grip the bar?”
The Grip
When people think of taking a “snatch grip,” they envision grabbing the bar from collar to collar. But the widest grip I advise (and this is for tall folk) is with the index finger just outside the last ring on the barbell. The narrowest grip would be a grip where the pinky finger is just inside of the last ring. Most, however, will settle in between these two grips.
To find your starting grip, you’re going to have to do some testing. Grip the bar one thumb length away from the smooth. Do one or two deadlifts to groove your form. If you hit them without problems, move your grip out an inch further. Again, one or two reps should tell you whether you’re ready for the grip width.
Repeat this process – re-gripping, testing, and resting – until you’re unable to keep your spine in a good position. Take note of where your hands are because that’s the grip you’ll use until you become flexible enough to hit your optimal width.
If you get as far as pinky finger just inside the ring, then you won’t need much work. Hell, if you’re a shorter person don’t worry about going further. For most, however, it’s best to have at least your fourth finger gripping overtop the smooth ring on the barbell.
To make this clearer, here’s a standard.
Height: 5’7″ to 6’1″ – Index, middle, or ring finger on the ring.
Height: 6’2″ and above – Index finger on or outside of the ring.
This certainly isn’t gospel. If you’re shorter and want to shoot for a wider grip, then I encourage you to go for it. But if your form is breaking down with a not-so-wide grip, you need to work on your flexibility.
Flexibility
To get more flexible for the snatch grip deadlift, you need to practice the snatch grip deadlift position. Complicated stuff, I know.
Load a bar with 315+ pounds (you need enough weight on the bar so that you don’t actually end up lifting it), get into the starting position (the sequence is described below), and then anteriorly rotate your pelvis while lifting your chest up. Use the bar to pull yourself into the ground. You’ll feel this most in your lower back and hamstrings.
Hold the position for 20-30 seconds. Stand up and shake yourself out. Go back and take a wider grip on the bar and do the same, holding for 20-30 seconds. Again, stand up and shake yourself out. For your third set, grip the barbell at what you feel is your optimal grip. Another 20-30 seconds and another shake out concludes your stretching.
Do this as frequently as you can, but especially after your lower body lifting days.
For those already at your optimal grip, take a collar to collar grip and do this stretch for one set after your deadlifting days to develop a safe net of flexibility.
How To
Despite the snatch grip deadlift appearing to be technical wizardry, it’s an easy maneuver to master as long as you’re working within your means.
Feet
Start by settling your feet underneath the bar, lining it up over the mid-foot. Your feet shouldn’t be quite as wide as squatting width, but they shouldn’t be quite as narrow as deadlifting width, either.
You need to give your torso some room, so point your toes out anywhere from ten to twenty degrees. This makes getting into the bottom position easier, which helps keep the lower back rigid.
Grip
Take your grip on the barbell with the same width that you tested into earlier. Along with having a suicide grip on the bar, make sure you lock your elbows.
Think about pulling the bar apart with your hands. This keeps both the elbows and upper back tight. Losing slack in either of these areas is a recipe for hunching over and losing spinal position. It’s common to “forget” about the elbows because they’re not normally a concern during conventional deadlifts, so make it a point to remind yourself.
Finish
The feet are in place and the grip is settled. To finish the setup, bend your knees until your shins hit the barbell. Once contact is made, lift your chest and settle the lower back into a neutral position. You’re now ready to pull.
The Pull
Drive the bar off the ground using your legs. Envision squeezing yourself into the floor. Be sure to keep your back angle constant during the initial leg drive. When the bar passes your knees, drive the hips forward to a strong lockout with tight hips. Remember to slide the barbell up your body. For the sake of your lower back, don’t let it float away.
As a small aside, be sure to bring your shoulders with you at lockout. If you don’t, depending on your grip width, there’s a good chance the bar will settle right across your junk. Guys, consider yourselves warned.
To set the bar down, reverse the directions above, breaking at the hips until the bar reaches the knees. Reposition yourself after each rep to ensure that your back stays in good position.
Programming the Snatch Grip Deadlift
Most people don’t like to pull heavy twice in one week, and for good reason. Between the squats and other leg work, the lower back and nervous system can fatigue quickly.
The good news is that snatch grip deadlifts will be anything but “heavy,” especially compared to conventional pulls. Approach this exercise with a tortoise mentality. Start at 225 pounds for sets of five.
Cycle #1
The purpose of the first cycle is to gradually introduce the snatch grip deadlift and to work on any flexibility issues you may have. Since three weeks of hard training followed by one week of deloading is a common training strategy, that’s the format I’m going to use for this example.
Week One
Day 1 (Light day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Back squats | 3 | 6 |
| B | Snatch grip deadlifts+ | 3 | 5 |
| C | Glute-ham raises | 3 | 8 |
| D | Ab wheel rollouts | 5 | 8 |
Day 2 (Heavy day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Power cleans* | ||
| B | Conventional deadlifts+ | 2 | 3-5** |
| C | Good mornings | 3 | 8 |
| D | Bulgarian split squats | 2 | 8 |
| D | Band hip rotations | 2 | 10 |
+ 3 sets of snatch grip stretching after
** done Reverse Pyramid style (work up to a 3-5 RM for the first set, drop the weight by 10% for the second set and hit same number of reps as first set +1)
Week Two
Day 1 (Light day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Back squats | 3 | 8 |
| B | Snatch grip deadlifts+ | 4 | 5 |
| C | Glute-ham raises | 3 | 10 |
| D | Ab wheel rollouts | 5 | 10 |
Day 2 (Heavy day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Power cleans* | ||
| B | Conventional deadlifts+ | 2 | 3-5** |
| C | Good mornings | 3 | 10 |
| D | Bulgarian split squats | 2 | 10 |
| D | Band hip rotations | 2 | 10 |
+ 3 sets of snatch grip stretching after
** done Reverse Pyramid style (work up to a 3-5 RM for the first set, drop the weight by 10% for the second set and hit same number of reps as first set +1)
Week Three
Day 1 (Light day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Back squats | 3 | 10 |
| B | Snatch grip deadlifts+ | 5 | 5 |
| C | Glute-ham raises | 3 | 12 |
| D | Ab wheel rollouts | 5 | 12 |
Day 2 (Heavy day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Power cleans* | ||
| B | Conventional deadlifts+ | 3 | 3-5** |
| C | Good mornings | 3 | 12 |
| D | Bulgarian split squats | 2 | 12 |
| D | Band hip rotations | 3 | 10 |
+ 3 sets of snatch grip stretching after
** done Reverse Pyramid style (work up to a 3-5 RM for the first set, drop the weight by 10% for the second set and hit same number of reps as first set +1)
Week Four (deload)
Day 1 (light day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Back squats | 2 | 5 |
| B | Snatch grip deadlifts+ | 2 | 5 |
| C | Glute-ham raises | 2 | 10 |
| D | Ab wheel rollouts | 3 | 10 |
Day 2 (Heavy day)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
| A | Power cleans* | ||
| B | Conventional deadlifts+ | 2** | 5 |
| C | Good mornings | 2 | 10 |
| D | Bulgarian split squats | 1 | 10 |
| D | Band hip rotations | 2 | 10 |
+ 3 sets of snatch grip stretching after
** use these sets to retest your grip
Less Reading, More Lifting!
Whether you’re interested in strength or size, the snatch grip deadlift is worth the investment. It’s a great exercise that can complement and improve a traditional deadlifting program while adding extra mass to the upper back, glutes, and hamstrings.
So man up, work on your mobility, and start gripping the bar wider and wider to master snatch grip pulls from the floor. Just don’t complain to me when your friends start making off-color jokes about your newly acquired walk. Of course, once their girlfriends start checking out your beefed-up glute and hamstrings, you might hear a lot less laughing.
Anthony Mychal is an athlete consultant, writer, teacher, and coach. In his free time, he publishes a blog about his musings on athletic preparation at http://www.anthonymychal.com
Deadlifting for MMA
Deadlifting for MMA
If the athlete doesn’t lift the weight fast enough, he won’t successfully complete the lift, as the tension is increasing. Think about a Thai kick, a double leg takedown, or an arm bar from the bottom; in each case the hips accelerate as you progress through the movement. This is the deadlift providing functional training for MMA. There are many deadlift variations, the two most common being the conventional and sumo techniques. In the conventional deadlift the feet are hip width apart, arms just outside of the legs, the barbell is on the ground and lifted to a fully erect position. In the sumo deadlift the hands are inside the legs and the legs are much wider than shoulder width apart. Some reminders for proper deadlift technique:
Week 9 Test New Max
Iron-world historians believe the deadlift may be the world’s oldest strength training exercise. In less civilized times, deadlifts were performed with rocks, logs, and other formidably heavy objects as feats of strength in primitive strongman competitions.
By the 19th century, aspiring lifters started to use the deadlift as an exercise to build strength, muscle, and power. Today the deadlift, along with the bench press and squat, is one of the contested lifts in competitive powerlifting and is a strength training staple.
Yet despite such noble pedigree, few recognize the important role deadlifts can play in a Mixed Martial Artists’ strength and conditioning program.
A casual search on the Internet will reveal videos of fighters performing increasingly exotic activities, leaving the impression that MMA conditioning programs have taken a turn toward a Coney Island sideshow.
While some of these routines may have their place in a MMA fighter’s strength and conditioning routine, the deadlift remains the most effective exercise for building the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, adductor mangus and lumbar erectors), which is crucial for almost all physical movements in MMA.
Functional For Fighting
The deadlift’s basic action is picking a weight off the ground, forcing the posterior chain to lift a load that’s in front of the body. A strong posterior chain is essential for executing explosive fighting movements, from shooting a double leg takedown to delivering a knee strike from a clinch, and enables a more explosive hip throw or ‘heavier’ hips when sprawling to prevent a takedown. This is the definition of real-world “functional training.”
Deadlifts are also highly effective for building power and are one of the simplest ways to enhance rate of force production (RFD), or how quickly a person can develop tension in a muscle. This is important for any type of striking or grappling movement and in many situations specific to the cage, ring, or mat.
The nature of the average mixed martial arts bout is one in which the fighter will alternate between extended periods of moderate energy output and short bursts of explosive activity.
The majority of an MMA fight is spent jockeying for an advantageous position by trying to create openings to implement one’s technique. This working for position is seen at all ranges (striking, clinch, and grappling). From the striking range, a fighter may be feigning to set up an overhand right, from the clinch a fighter may be looking to establish a deeper underhook, and from the grappling range a competitor could be slowly adjusting his hips to set up a sweep from guard.
These activities of continuous moderate energy output are disrupted when a fighter must quickly develop tension in a muscle by throwing that overhand right, using that underhook to attempt a takedown, or exploding from the bottom position to go for a sweep. Therefore, enhancing rate of force is crucial for the successful execution of all explosive movements found in MMA.
One way to increase RFD through the deadlift is compensatory acceleration training (CAT), popularized by Dr. Fred Hatfield in the 1980s. CAT is done with the assistance of resistance bands and chains that increase tension as the weight is lifted off the ground, so the resistance is heaviest at the top where most are the strongest.
This type of training is called accommodated resistance and complements the strength curve of the lift, allowing for maximum strength to be built.
Check out the following video for an example:
Get A Grip
You shouldn’t be using straps when you deadlift as it’s the ultimate exercise to increase grip strength. Increased grip strength is a very helpful adjunct for all martial arts that involve throwing, grappling, or holding an opponent, but the importance of a strong grip is especially important in an MMA fight.
With the MMA glove inhibiting hand movement, grip strength must compensate for the decreased dexterity in the fine motor skills of the fingers, most evident when fighters are battling to finish or defend a rear naked choke. Ultimately, the hands transfer power from your body to an opponent, and grip strength can make you or break you in fighting.
Deadlift Variations
The conventional deadlift has a much greater dynamic correspondence to fighting than the sumo deadlift and is a more effective posterior chain builder. However, the sumo deadlift can’t be dismissed for fighters looking to build more quad strength as well as adductor strength (the ‘squeezing muscles’ in the legs).
Many MMA fighters have long ignored the adductors, but an increase in adductor strength will enable a more powerful guard and tighter submissions. Any submission that requires the squeezing of the legs together (straight arm bars, knee bars, and triangle chokes) will improve with stronger adductor muscles.
Strengthening the posterior chain with the deadlift may even reduce the chance of injury. Strength coach and TNation contributor Eric Cressey states that weak hamstrings can greatly exacerbate the chance of an ACL injury (one of the most common injuries among wrestlers and MMA fighters), patellofemoral pain, and many other problems in the hip, lower back, knee, and ankle.
Machines like leg curls won’t sufficiently strengthen the posterior chain, and can lead to overuse injuries as stabilizer muscles go unused and movements are in a fixed plane of motion.
Technique Notes
The MMA Fighter’s Deadlifting Program
Pre-MMA Training Camp Deadlift Limit Strength Routine
Week 1
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
75%
1
3
B
CAT deadlift*
60%
6
3
C
Sumo deadlifts
55%
2
5
D
Bent over rows
3
8
E
Shrugs
3
12
F
Mixed grip chin-ups
Max
3
10
G
Glute ham raises
3
8
Week 2
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
80%
1
3
B
CAT deadlift*
60%
8
3
C
Sumo deadlifts
58%
2
5
D
Bent over rows
3
7
E
Shrugs
3
12
F
Chin-ups
Max
3
7
G
Glute ham raises
3
8
Week 3
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
80%
1
3
B
Deadlift against mini-bands max
1
3
C
CAT deadlift*
55%
3
3
D
Sumo deadlifts
65%
2
4
E
Bent over rows
3
6
F
Shrugs
3
12
G
Chin-ups
Max
3
6
H
Glute ham raises
3
8
Week 4
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
60%
4
1
B
Sumo deadlifts
50%
4
1
C
Lat pulldowns
3
8
D
Shrugs
Light
3
12
E
Glute ham raises
2
6
Week 5
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
90%
1
2
B
CAT deadlift*
75%
5
2
C
Sumo deadlifts
70%
3
3
D
One armed row
3
6
E
Shrugs
3
10
F
Chin-ups
Max
3
4
G
Glute ham raises
3
8
Week 6
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
95%
1
2
B
Reverse band deadlift max
Max
3
1
C
Lightning deadlift *
50%
4
2
D
Sumo deadlifts
72.50%
3
3
E
One armed row
3
6
F
Shrugs
3
10
G
Chin-ups
Max
3
3
H
Glute ham raises
3
7
Week 7
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
100%
1
2
B
Lightning deadlift *
50%
4
2
C
Sumo deadlifts
75%
3
3
D
One armed row
3
6
E
Shrugs
3
10
F
Chin-ups
Max
3
3
G
Glute ham raises
3
7
Week 8
Exercise
Weight
Sets
Reps
A
Deadlift
60%
4
1
B
Sumo deadlifts
50%
4
1
C
Lat pulldowns
3
8
D
Shrugs
Light
3
12
E
Glute ham raises
2
6
Serious Exercises for Serious Results
It’s very important for fighters to pick functional training exercises in the true sense of exercise science, not just passing Bosu and vibration-inspired fads. Deadlifts work virtually every muscle in the body and act as a powerful catalyst for muscle growth, provided sufficient calories and protein are consumed.
Lastly, don’t overlook the favorable spike in the natural production of growth hormone and Testosterone a solid deadlifting session can elicit.
With the deadlift you’ve found a way to gain overall body strength, work the posterior chain, aid in muscle gain or fat loss, work forceful hip and knee extension, build grip strength, and increase mental toughness and overall speed. Include them in your holistic approach or get left behind!
Wikio
The Dirty Dozen: 12 Tips for Heavier Pulls
“Any healthy male under the age of 50 should be able to deadlift at least 400 pounds within two years of proper training.”
Not surprisingly, my business partner and fellow TMUSCLE contributor Eric Cressey caught a lot of flack in the fitness community a few years ago for making that bold statement. But it’s true. If you’ve been training for a couple of years, you should be able to deadlift at least 400 pounds.
I understand you may be upset if you can’t yet pull the big four-oh-oh. It’s human nature to get mad when someone questions your manhood. But what are you going to do about it? You can stop reading here, go to the discussion thread, and leave a nasty comment, or you can sack up and learn how to pull eight plates (or more) off the ground.
All you need to do is follow the Dirty Dozen.
Tip #1: If you want to improve your deadlift, you should have perfect form.
First, a story of what’s possible: When Cressey Performance business director Pete Dupuis started training last year, he started with 88 pounds on the trap bar. Fast-forward 364 days and Pete deadlifted 400 pounds for an easy personal record. So we’re not bullshitting here.
With that in mind, here are eight steps to the perfect deadlift:
1. Your feet should be slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart, and the bar should be against your shins.
2. Keep your chest “tall,” get your air (make yourself fat, brace your abs as if you were going to get punched) and sit back into position, arching your lower back as hard as possible while keeping your shoulder blades retracted. I tell my guys to push their hips back until they can grab the bar. Do not squat down.
3. Grab the bar and squeeze the hell out of it while pulling your shoulders back and down to engage your lats. This will also activate the thoraco-lumbar fascia and stabilize the spine. You should feel a fair amount of tension in the hamstrings and glutes at this point.
4. Keep your chin tucked and find a spot roughly 10-15 feet ahead of you on the floor and fixate on it throughout the entire movement.
5. Drive through your heels, and keep your elbows locked. Pull the bar, making sure that your hips and shoulders move simultaneously. (I’ll often see the hips come up first; this is just asking for trouble.)
6. As you approach the lock out, make sure to “finish” the movement by firing your glutes and getting those hips through. Many fail to accomplish this last point, and it ends up looking something like the first of the two lockout videos at right.
7. This is the part that tends to be a bit tricky for some. Don’t break with your knees, but rather the hips. You want to sit back (think sitting back into the heels), while sliding the bar down your thighs the entire time.
8. Remember to maintain a hard arch in your lower back, and don’t allow your shoulders to round forward.
Also, think of each rep as its’ own set. A lot of guys tend to rush and end up bouncing the bar off the ground. As a result, each rep gets progressively worse, and my spine starts hurting. It’s called a deadlift for a reason. Once you get the bar back to the ground, get your air back (brace those abs), re-adjust your spinal position, get your chest tall, pull those shoulder blades back and down, tuck your chin, repeat, and be awesome.
Tip #2: Pull frequently and heavy
No, I’m not talking every day. But if you want to get good at the deadlift you should probably, you know, deadlift.
I’d suggest pulling at least once per week, usually on a Monday since you’ll be fresher. Moreover, you need to use low(er) rep training. Strength, at least in the very beginning, has more to do with CNS development than anything else, which is why most guys will see drastic increases in strength before they see a six-pack.
I rarely program more than five reps when it comes to deadlifts. Anything above that usually results in abysmal form, particularly for beginners and intermediates. It’s also been well established in the literature that low(er) rep training improves the body’s ability to recruit high threshold motor units, improve rate coding, as well as increase inter/intra muscular coordination.
When it comes to programming, I feel that individualization is crucial. Still, a simple breakdown would look something like this:
Week 1: 5×5
Week 2: 4×5
Week 3: 6×5
Week 4: 3×5
Week 1: 4×3
Week 2: 3×3
Week 3: 3×3, 2×5
Week 4: Pull-Throughs, 3×10
Week 1: 3RM (or 1RM)
Week 2: 4×4
Week 3: 4×5
Week 4: 3×4
After 12 weeks straight, I’d suggest taking a week or two off from deadlifting altogether. Focus on some single-leg work (more on this below), throw in some biceps curls for the hell of it, and eat lots of dead animal flesh.
Tip #3: Rotate your movements (just not every week)
While I think it’s important to rotate movements, especially movements you suck at, you don’t need to do it every week. I like to use three to four week cycles, rotating movements every month or so.
Tip # 4: Fix your weaknesses
Some people (such as myself) are woefully slow off the floor. Others are able to rip the bar from the platform, but have a hard time locking the weight out above the knees. Regardless, it’s important to find where you’re weak and fix it.
A lot of this will depend on your leverages. Those with long limbs tend to have a mechanical advantage towards deadlifting, but they’ll oftentimes have a hard time locking the weight out. If this sounds like you, some dedicated speed work or heavy rack pulls will do you good.
For those with long(er) torsos who have trouble with speed off the floor, try pulling from a deficit (feet elevated 1-4 inches off the ground). As a result, when you revert back to pulling from the floor, it’ll feel better. Also, sumo variations would be a superb alternative as it shortens the distance the bar has to travel.
Tip #5: Take off your shoes
Anyone who’s read Christopher McDougal’s phenomenal book, Born to Run, knows by now that the shoe industry is essentially a 20 billion dollar per year sham. Any deadlift variation done within Cressey Performance is done barefoot.
Without shoes, you’re 1-2 inches closer to the ground, which is 1-2 inches lessdistance the bar has to travel. Also, by taking your shoes off you’re now able to pull through your heels, which will allow you to recruit your glutes and hamstrings more efficiently.
For those of you who train at lame gyms that frown on people training barefoot, I’d suggest purchasing flat shoes such as Chuck Taylors or Nike Frees and getting rid of the cement blocks you’re wearing.
Tip #6: Don’t use straps
I’m a bit torn on this one. On one hand, I think far too many people use straps as crutches. I mean, lat pull-downs? Really? On the other hand, I realize grip strength is a limiting factor for many, and sometimes it’s beneficial to permit straps if for no other reason than it allows someone to actually use heavier weight. We’ll let guys use straps for snatch grip variations, but that’s about it.
Use a mixed-grip, alternating hand positions with every set, and get some chalk. If your gym doesn’t allow chalk, either find a new gym or sneak it in. Keep it in a plastic container in your gym bag, lightly rub some chalk on your hands, and have at it. Also, don’t be an asshole—clean the bar when you’re done.
Tip #7: If you want to get strong you need to train with strong people
Much like if you want to get better at accounting, you hang out with accountants. Or, if you want to get better at not getting laid, you go to Star Trek conventions.
Now, I don’t have any scientific evidence to back this up, but I’m pretty sure testosterone levels drop by 144.37% every time Miley Cyrus is played over the radio. How do you expect to get fired up for a training session when you have walking bags of douche curling in the squat rack, and you’re surrounded by housewives on the treadmills?
A general rule of thumb: if your gym has more Smith machines than power racks, you have a better shot at winning the lottery than getting super-strong.
Tip # 8: Do accessory work
If you want to get better at the deadlift, you need to train the posterior chain hard. Sorry, leg presses, leg extensions, and leg curls won’t cut it. When I hammer my goodmornings, my deadlift always skyrockets. It almost serves as a “marker” so-to-speak—when my goodmornings are going up consistently, it’s a safe bet that my deadlift is going to go up as well.
For you, it may be box squats. For someone else, it may be Romanian deadlifts. The point is, you should have another exercise that you can use to “gauge” where you’re at.
Things like glute ham raises, slideboard leg curls, hip thrusters, and pull-throughs (in my opinion, one of the most under-rated exercise out there) should make up the bulk of your lower body accessory work.
Tip #9: Perform single-leg work
Single-leg work equals bigger lifts. If I get someone better and more proficient with their single-leg training, they see a vast improvement in their deadlift and squat.
As Mike Boyle has stated on numerous occasions, single-leg movements force us to activate the lateral sub-system, which consists of the adductor complex, glute medius, as well as the quadtratus lumborum on the contra-lateral leg.
From low-back and knee health perspectives, this is huge since in a two-legged stance these muscles aren’t necessarily “activated.” However, in a single-leg stance, this same system of muscles is forced to “fire,” which then work to stabilize the hip and knee joint.
In short, if you’re jacked up all the time, you won’t be lifting anything heavy. Do your single-leg work and thank me later.
Tip # 10: Get those glutes firing!
We all know (or at least we should) the importance of the warm-up prior to training. Furthermore, I’ve written in the past how I’m a big fan of fillers—low grade stretches or activation work done in between sets. So, instead of watching Sports Center highlights, or hitting on the hot chick you don’t have a shot in hell with, you might as well do something productive while you rest between sets.
For most of us, one area that undoubtedly needs a lot of work is the glutes. Because we sit on them for 8 to 12 hours per day, the glutes tend to be weak and inhibited. Given that they’re the body’s strongest hip extensor, it stands to reason that they may affect how much weight you’ll be able to deadlift. Put another way, many of you are short changing yourself by not paying closer attention to glute activation.
I recommend you do some simple glute activation between sets of deadlifts. You’ll see a big change in how much weight you can add to the bar.
Here, you lean against a wall and flex one leg up (without hyper-extending the lumbar spine) and drive the heel of the standing leg into the ground. Hold for a 2-second count, and squeeze the glute of the standing leg. Alternate legs and repeat for a total of five repetitions per leg.
Lie supine on the floor, drive both heels into the floor and raise your hips slightly off the ground. Squeeze your glutes. From there, simply elevate the heel of one foot 1 to 2 inches, and keep your pelvis square (it shouldn’t dip). Hold for a one-second count, bring back to the floor, and repeat the same sequence on the opposite side for a total of five repetitions for each leg.
Tip #11: Don’t make a habit of missing lifts.
One of my biggest pet peeves as a strength coach is guys missing lifts. Granted, I understand it happens, but it shouldn’t be a weekly thing.
I think there’s a lot to be said about grinding out a set here and there, but missing lifts on a regular basis will do nothing except fry your nervous system and lead to a world of frustration.
Tip #12: Do speed work (but not that kind!)
Most guys are familiar with the conjugate approach to training, as popularized by Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell. This is where you take multiple strength qualities (max strength, speed strength, etc.) and train them simultaneously in an effort to improve performance in the “big three” (squat, bench press, and deadlift). One day is dedicated to the max-effort method (lifting heavy shit), and one day is dedicated to the dynamic-effort method (lifting less heavy shit quickly).
I’ve already touched on the former (see Tip # 2), but I’d like to talk about the dynamic-effort method. Research shows that guys can see significant strength gains using 40 percent of their one-rep max, which is why it’s often recommended that you use anywhere from 40-65 percent of your 1RM when using this method.
That said, I have a hard time programming speed work for an un-trained 35-year-old—let alone any of the high school or college kids I train—when they’re barely deadlifting 225 for reps. Still, we do need to find some way to get guys more explosive.
Enter the kettlebell swing.
I’ll admit that up to a few months ago, I was a bit reluctant about the whole kettlebell thing. To me, it just seemed like the latest fitness fad that everyone was doing, and thought it would fizzle out sooner or later. However, after spending some time with Mike Robertson last year, and more recently, listening to Dan John speak, I quickly changed my mind.
Without getting into all the details, Dan described a continuum where on one end, you have a squat pattern, and at the other, you have a hip snap. With respect to the deadlift (a hip dominant movement), the kettlebell swing is a fantastic way to learn how to get more explosive, not to mention improving technique!
Thing is, most people end up butchering the movement to the point where it looks more like a squat swing.
It’s not uncommon for many to experience significant lower back pain when performing it this way. Go figure! As such, when coaching the swing, you’ll often see the same mistakes made time and time again. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I’ll just steal a few pointers courtesy of Mike Robertson.
6 Ways You’re Screwing Up the Kettlebell Swing
What Will the Dirty Dozen Do For You?
Isn’t it about time you hit a new PR on the deadlift? Use the Dirty Dozen above, check your form, and work hard, and I bet you’ll be surprised with how much progress you make in a matter of months.
One good-lookin’ deadlift
Ditch the shoes (and hair gel) for a better pull.
How to Pull 1,008 Pounds and Make it Look Easy
by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman
If you wanted to build huge biceps, you’d probably check out what Lee Priest or Arnold had to say, right? If you were after the old “barn-door lats,” you’d want to listen to Yates or Big Ron.
When it comes to building a seriously impressive deadlift — one of the most basic measures of total body strength and an indicator of sure-to-be-there size — only one person’s word literally carries more weight than practically anyone else’s: Andy Bolton.
Bolton has pulled over 900 pounds in more than 30 competitions. Pulling over 900 is something only 13 other men have ever been able to do, and only one of them exceeded 950.
Most impressively, however, is Bolton’s title as the first man to break the 1,000-pound deadlift barrier. He initially broke it with a lift of 1,003 and eventually broke his own record with a beastly 1,008-pound pull.
To be clear, this is no one-trick pony. Bolton’s also built his squat to over 1,200 pounds and he benches nearly 700. Calling him a “strong lifter” is like calling Jay Cutler “sorta big.” Bolton keeps an Usain Bolt-like gap between himself and the nearest competitor, and at this point, it looks like his name will stay next to the deadlift records for a long time.
When this human forklift talks about how to improve your deadlift, it’s best to sit back, pay attention, and prepare to pull big.
First, The Accessories: Shoes, Belts, and Chalk
Before you even approach the bar, the issue of what to wear must be addressed. Deadlift slippers or flat-soled shoes, such as Converse, should be worn. If you don’t have either of those two, you should train barefoot (if your gym owner allows it, and if he doesn’t, you should change gyms).
I always wear a weightlifting belt when I train around 400 pounds or heavier. Bear in mind, this is only about 40% of my max lift. Every powerlifter needs to learn to use a belt, as it should add pounds to the bar and help prevent a back injury. I suggest that bodybuilders and non-powerlifters wear a belt if going over 80% of their one-rep max (1RM).
I also believe in using chalk on my heaviest weights, over 80% 1RM. The exception to this is on really hot days—when my hands are extra sweaty or slippery, I may use chalk on every set.
The reason for generally not using chalk until my top weights is simply because it builds better grip strength. This is important for powerlifters and many other athletes. Believe it or not, in my early days when I trained with strongman Jamie Reeves, I’d often deadlift a bar that had no knurling at all, and I still didn’t use chalk. This made my grip very strong!
Next, The Set-up
When it’s time for the actual deadlift, the set-up is the most important part of the exercise. If you get this wrong, no amount of correction during the lift can compensate, so pay attention.
Your feet should be no wider than shoulder-width apart, with the bar nearly touching your shins. Your feet can point straight ahead or up to 45-degrees outwards. To pull the biggest weights, you’ll need to use a mixed grip with one hand pronated (palm down) and the other supinated (palm up).
Your hands should be just outside your legs. Don’t turn this into a snatch-grip deadlift by having your hands miles away from your shins because you’ll greatly reduce the amount of weight you can use. Your arms should hang straight down from your shoulders, with no bend at the elbow. Your arms will act as hooks, connecting the bar to your torso.
In the start position, your lower back should be arched and your upper back should be relaxed. This provides a safe position for the lumbar spine, while minimizing the total distance of your pull.
To understand the importance of this, think about how many average gym rats you’ve seen injure their lower back while deadlifting as little as 225 pounds. I bet you can think of quite a few, maybe even that guy you see in the mirror a few times a day.
I’ve never had a lower back injury, despite handling weights more than four-times that heavy. The difference is that I understand how to keep my lumber spine arched, while too many people let their lumbar spine round. This is a dangerous and biomechanically-weak position.
While we’re discussing posture, your head position should be neutral, neither looking up or down. For me, this means I’m looking about six feet in front of me at the start of my deadlift.
Finally, Moving the Bar
When you’re ready to get the bar up with maximum efficiency and minimum risk of injury, the flex must first be pulled out of the bar before the plates leave the ground. To do this, think of trying to make the bar bend while it’s still static.
You’re applying some force to the bar, and then applying a whole lot more to actually get the bar moving. There should be no sudden movement or jerking. Focus on keeping your arms locked out, flexing the triceps, and generating total body tension. The bar leaves the floor with huge leg drive. Think of driving your heels into the floor.
Once the bar’s moving, keep it close to your body. All good deadlifters have marks of pride on their shins. If the bar drifts out in front of you, it will put a lot of stress on the lower back. When you’re using maximal weights, that can cause you to stall or miss. Even if you’re using sub-maximal weights, the speed of the lift will be greatly reduced.
As the bar gets up to knee-height, the hips should push through to finish the lift. Again, the bar must stay close to the body. If you’re doing it right, you’ll be touching the thighs all the way up to lockout.
To transition from knee-height to lockout, really focus on driving the glutes forward and trying to get your shoulders behind the bar. The lockout position requires the legs to be straight and the shoulders back, but this doesn’t mean hyperextending the lower back, like many people do.
At this point, you’ve completed a deadlift. If you’re just pulling a single rep, take a gulp of air into your belly and drop with the bar to the floor. If you’re pulling for multiple reps, you’ll need to lower the bar more slowly so the start position for your next rep is the same as the one before.
Something else to remember: Your grip should be solid and you should squeeze the bar as tightly as possible throughout the entire lift. Some lifters think that once the bar gets to knee-height, the lift is done and they relax their grip. This is a huge mistake, and often leads to missed lifts.
Summary: The Conventional Deadlift in 8 steps:
1. Wear flat-soled shoes and a belt (for your heavy sets at least)
2. Shins an inch from the bar and take a mixed grip
3. Arch your lower back, relax your upper back and keep your arms straight
4. Take the flex out of the bar
5. Initiate the pull by driving your heels into the floor
6. As the bar comes past the knees, drive the glutes forwards
7. Try to pull your shoulders behind the bar all the way to lockout
8. Squeeze the bar hard throughout.
Another Option: The Sumo Deadlift
Compared to the conventional deadlift, the sumo deadlift is an interesting beast. The wider stance shortens the distance that the bar must travel from start to lockout. It’s also a more technical lift and will take longer to learn for many lifters.
In general, athletes with stronger backs tend to favor the conventional deadlift and athletes with stronger hips prefer the sumo. Whatever your body structure, it’s good to learn both styles.
If you’re very good at one and not the other, it shows that you have weaknesses. Just like with anything else in life or lifting, if you put some attention towards the style you’re not as good at, it will help to correct those weaknesses.
The Set-up
Finding your ideal set-up position for the sumo deadlift takes a bit of trial and error. Some powerlifters, like the incredible Ed Coan, use what’s sometimes called a “semi-sumo” stance.
The hands are still inside the thighs, but the foot position isn’t very wide. These lifters often lock out their legs long before the end of the lift, and rely on lower back strength to complete the movement. Their head position is usually neutral, looking about six to eight feet in front of the bar, or looking straight ahead.
In contrast, more flexible athletes and those with greater hip strength may set-up with a much wider stance. Some lifters, the Japanese in particular, will often have their feet almost touching the plates.
If you choose the aforementioned style, you’ve got to be seriously careful not to crush your toes when lowering the bar! Jarmo Virtanen, the great Finnish powerlifter, is a good example of someone who prefers this method of sumo deadlifting.
Whichever wider-than-conventional style you use, it’s extremely important to make sure that your knees track your toes throughout the lift. If your stance is too wide for your body structure or flexibility, your knees will buckle inwards during the lift, you’ll lose power and increase your risk of injury.
As far as toe position goes, you must have your feet pointed outwards, but exactly how far out depends on your body type and flexibility. Similar to the conventional deadlift, the set-up for the sumo requires that your arms are locked straight, your lower back is arched, and your upper back is relaxed.
It’s important to fill your belly with air before the bar leaves the ground. Some lifters take a big breath while standing, before bending to grip the bar. Other lifters feel better setting up first, and then taking the breath just before the bar leaves the ground. Try both ways and see which feels stronger to you.
Moving the Bar
Once you’re set-up and ready to lift, the first step is to take the flex out of the bar, exactly how you would with a conventional deadlift. One difference though: instead of feeling like you’re driving your heels into the floor, you should feel like you’re spreading the floor apart or pushing your feet out.
This will feel like the weight is on the outside of your shoes, and it’s done to keep the knees out and tracking your toes. If you’re in a sumo stance but feel like you’re pushing your heels into the floor, your knees will come in and you’ll lose some of that biomechanical advantage you took all the time to set-up for in the first place.
As the bar gets to knee-height, focus on driving the glutes forward and get the feeling of trying to get your shoulders behind the bar. The lockout position requires the legs to be straight and the shoulders back. And like before, the lower back is not hyperextended at lockout.
Summary: The Sumo Deadlift in 8 steps:
1 Wear flat soled shoes and a belt (for your heavy sets at least)
2 Stance-width and toe angle allow knees to track toes throughout the lift
3 Arch your lower back, relax your upper back and keep your arms straight
4 Take the flex out of the bar
5 Initiate the pull by forcing you feet out
6 As the bar comes past the knees, drive the glutes forwards
7 Try to pull your shoulders behind the bar all the way to lockout
8 Squeeze the bar hard throughout.
The Wrap-up
The deadlift is a primal lift that can build size and strength in the hamstrings, glutes, lats, and lower and upper back. Whether you’re deadlifting to improve your powerlifting total or just to add some meat on your bones, you should study the lifters who do it well and focus on improving your technique. With great technique, you’re laying the foundation for impressive strength, solid size, and injury prevention.
If there’s any interest, we’ll write a part two where we’ll discuss how powerlifters, bodybuilders, and other athletes can train the deadlift to maximize gains for their chosen sport.
The best weightlifting shoe.
Chalk, for the heavier pulls.
Conventional deadlift, start position.
Conventional deadlift, halfway through the pull.
Conventional deadlift, locked out.
Sumo deadlift, locked out.
About Elliot Newman
Elliot Newman is a powerlifter from England, currently training for the WPC World Championships, taking place in Bournemouth, England from November 17th to 22nd 2009.
About Andy Bolton
Andy Bolton is one of the world’s most well-recognized powerlifters and a specialist of all things strength. His accomplishments include WPO world titles, WPC world titles, national titles and, of course, the biggest deadlift ever. You can contact Andy via his website.
© 1998 — 2009 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Snatch-Grip Deadlift from a Deficit
 |
What happens when you take a basic exercise that’s brutal on its own, tweak it to include more upper body muscle, and tweak it again to include even more lower body muscle?
You create something that coach Christian Thibaudeau considers to be the ultimate lower body exercise. It’s the same move that coach Charles Poliquin uses to add total body in minimum time. With thumbs up from those guys, this is worth learning.
It’s similar in technique to a conventional deadlift, but because you’re standing on an elevated platform or a sturdy step (or you’ve loaded the bar with 35s instead of 45s), the ROM is greater and you’ll recruit more glutes and hamstrings. Plus, because you’re gripping with a wide, pronated grip, you’re recruiting more muscle all across the upper back.
The standard deadlift rules still apply: never let your lower back round, keep your chest “full” and high, and imagine pressing the floor away from your body for each rep. Starting your leg or back workout with 5×4-8 will be a real challenge with a major payoff, and don’t be afraid to use wrist straps, since the higher reps and wider grip will cause your hands to fatigue first.
>Snatch-Grip Deadlift from a Deficit
>
|
What happens when you take a basic exercise that’s brutal on its own, tweak it to include more upper body muscle, and tweak it again to include even more lower body muscle?
You create something that coach Christian Thibaudeau considers to be the ultimate lower body exercise. It’s the same move that coach Charles Poliquin uses to add total body in minimum time. With thumbs up from those guys, this is worth learning.
It’s similar in technique to a conventional deadlift, but because you’re standing on an elevated platform or a sturdy step (or you’ve loaded the bar with 35s instead of 45s), the ROM is greater and you’ll recruit more glutes and hamstrings. Plus, because you’re gripping with a wide, pronated grip, you’re recruiting more muscle all across the upper back.
The standard deadlift rules still apply: never let your lower back round, keep your chest “full” and high, and imagine pressing the floor away from your body for each rep. Starting your leg or back workout with 5×4-8 will be a real challenge with a major payoff, and don’t be afraid to use wrist straps, since the higher reps and wider grip will cause your hands to fatigue first.
