Categoriescoaching Program Design Strength Training

3 Ways to Improve Your Deadlift Without Deadlifting

For the sake of brevity, this post assumes you can perform a deadlift – trap bar, straight bar, bag of groceries of the ground, person, whatever – without shitting your spine.

If you can’t, go seek out a reputable fitness professional – or Google it1 – to show you how.

Copyright: langstrup / 123RF Stock Photo

Much like if someone wants to get better at writing they should, you know, write, or if they want to get better at not getting laid, they should attend Star Trek conventions…if you want to get better at deadlifitng, you should deadlift.

The more you (purposely) practice something the better you’ll get at it. I understand it’s stating the obvious, but it can’t be repeated enough.

There are many moving parts to executing a pristine deadlift, however, and oftentimes it bodes in our favor to include exercises, drills, and/or movements that compliment the lift or, more germane to the conversation, address a technique flaw or general weakness.

Below are a handful of quick-n-dirty suggestions that may (or may not) apply to you and help increase your deadlift badassery.

1) Deadstart Squats

 

This is one of my favorite deadlift accessory movements for a few reasons:

  • When set up to match your hip position for the deadlift it offers a ton of carryover in terms of both mechanics and musculature targeted.
  • The deadlift is (mostly) a concentric movement. The Deadstart Squat, too, is (mostly) a concentric movement.
  • For people who struggle with keeping their chest up (preventing their upper back from rounding) during the deadlift, this will be a challenge. NOTE: I’d likely revert to a FRONT squat hold for those who really struggle with back position here. Front squat position is also a better option for those who lack the requisite shoulder mobility (external rotation) to perform well. Another great option is using the Safety-squat or Yoke bar.
  • Great option for training power/explosiveness.
  • Because I said so.

As far as sets/reps there are two approaches I like, both of which gravitate more towards the low(er) end of the spectrum.

One (3-5)

Here, reps will stay in the 3-5 (25ish total reps) range using 60-75% of 1RM. A 4-week macro-cycle may look something like this:

Week 1: 5×5 @ 65% 1RM, 90s rest

Week 2: 6×4 @ 70% 1RM, 90s rest

Week 3: 8×3 @ 75% 1RM, 90s rest

Week 4: 3×5 @ 60% 1RM, 90s rest

Idea is to stay tight throughout duration of set. You should always come to a complete stop on the pins, however you shouldn’t relax

Two (Singles)

I love this option as I feel it offers the most carryover to my deadlift.

Because I’m only performing one-rep, I can place a premium on getting as tight as humanly possible and being as explosive AF. In addition I can go a little heavier in weight here (70-85% of 1RM)

A 4-week macrocycle may look something like this:

Week 1: 12×1 @ 70% 1RM, 30s rest

Week 2: 10×1 @ 75% 1RM, 30s rest

Week 3: 8×1 @ 80% 1RM, 60s rest

Week 4: 6×1 @ 85% 1RM, 60s rest

2) RKC Plank

I don’t know about you, but this is what I look like whenever someone brags to me about how (s)he can hold a two-minute plank:

via GIPHY

You might as well be bragging to me about how you can point out the color red or, I don’t know, walk in a straight line.

That’s how many fucks I give about your fucking plank.

Besides, you know and I know if you’re holding a plank that long it (probably) looks like garbage.

NOTE: This is not to insinuate I’m against the plank or find zero value in it.

Au contraire.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole of spinal mechanics, prone (and side) planks (and how long someone can perform them) are a legitimate assessment tool and are staples in terms of low back rehab and performance.

Teaching the RKC Plank offers a quick primer on how to 1) perform the plank right and 2) allow people a window to appreciate what it really feels like to get and maintain full-body tension.

 

The RKC Plank is all about building context.

More specifically it’s about appreciating full-body tension. If someone can’t understand (or feel) what this means while lying on the floor…how in the hell are they going to understand it standing up while attempting to pick up a heavy object off the floor?

Trust me, when done right, 10s will feel like torture.

3) Straight-Arm Band Pulldowns

 

I stole this tip from Dr. John Rusin when I was giving his Functional Hypertrophy Training program a test-drive last year.

For the Record: it’s an awesome program.

The idea is pretty simple (and effective).

Prior to each set of deadlifts you perform a set of 5-10 repetitions of band pulldowns (holding each rep for a 3-5s count).2

This serves a few functions:

  • It allows the trainee to prime or feel his or her’s lats firing. Setting your lats (and subsequently posteriorly tilting your scapulae) as part of your DL set-up will help with leverages and moment arms getting you closer to the barbell. Greg Nuckols does a fantastic job at explaining things more thoroughly and nerdely HERE.
  • Offhandedly, it also helps with anterior core engagement, which in turn aids with rib position. Less rib flare = less lumbar extension = more stable position to lift a metric shit-ton of weight.

Closing Thoughts

None of the above are revolutionary ideas or are going to win be any fitness writing Pulitzers. However, they are exercises/drills I use myself (and with my own clients/athletes) and have found they provide a lot of benefit.

Give them a try yourself and let me know your thoughts/experiences.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique

Getting Your Weight Back on the Deadlift: A Simple Trick

I woke up this morning struggling to come up with something to write about. Whenever that happens I tend to default to my wheelhouse…..

…..Deadlifts.

Copyright: spotpoint74 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Well, it’s either that or I start breaking down plot points of some my favorite 90’s television shows like Melrose Place, Party of Five, or 90210.

For instance:

  • I’ll tell you right now, Billy and Allison were doomed to fail. Once you break the roommate-to-lovers barrier it’s all over and stuff starts getting weird. Plus when you throw Amanda (Heather Locklear) into the mix…well, shits bound to go down. (Melrose Place).
  • Sarah Merrin (Jennifer Love Hewitt): the greatest high-school girlfriend ever? (Party of Five).
  • Is this a scene from 90210 or an actual video from one of my high school dances?

 

These are all IMPORTANT QUESTIONS people.

Joking aside (but not really joking), one of the more prevalent snafus with regards to people’s deadlift technique is their inability to get their weight back. This can lead to a few issues:

  1. One’s weight shifting forward (anteriorly) resulting in pulling through the toes rather than the heels.
  2. The barbell, in this case, will often “get away” from the lifter.
  3. Both scenarios resulting in a poor line of pull where the axis of rotation is further away from the barbell oftentimes compromising low back (spinal) integrity.
  4. More to the point: the barbell feels like a goddamn magnet is attached to it.

One trick I often use is to cue people to use the barbell as a counterbalance to get their weight back, as if they’re trying to wedge themselves into the floor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdQGC-QwyAQ

 

But Wait, There’s More

However, different people learn shit differently. How’s that for putting something eloquently? While some people are more visual or auditory learners (either showing or telling them what to do), others are more kinesthetic learners. Meaning, sometimes, in order to understand what their body is doing in space, they may need a little more feedback.

This is where using props comes in handy.

One trick I like to use to teach people what it means to get their weight back is to use a box.

 

The idea is to set a box underneath so that when they grab the barbell they have to “sit back” until they feel the box. It’s important to note it’s more of less a hover than it is actually sitting back onto the box entirely.The objective is to maintain tension throughout. I.e., no relaxing on the box.

I don’t know, I find it works well for some people and it’s always cool to witness the “ah-HA” moment when they finally get it.

Give it a try and let me know what you think,

CategoriesUncategorized

The Two Best Accessory Lifts for the Deadlift?

I’m in a deadlifting state of mind as of late, so it only makes sense that I’d want to give everyone a little peak into my current training regimen that’s basically running my life at the moment. 

As I noted earlier in the week, I had my internet BFF, Bret Contreras, write me a program that – if all goes according to plan – will place me in the upper echelon of Vatican Assassin Warlock badassery that is the 600 lb deadlift.

To say that it’s been a welcome change of pace would be an understatement.  What’s been most beneficial for me, however, is the fact that Bret’s got me doing a lot of exercises that I’ve never done before, which in turn, has often been a humbling experience. 

Trust me when I say this, Zercher barbell carries for distance suck donkey balls.

Anyways, getting back on task, as I mentioned above, today I want to give you all a quick peak into what my current programming looks like.  Specifically, I want to share the two exercises that I feel are going to pay huge dividends in the grand scheme of things.

Giant Cambered Bar Goodmorning

Admittedly, I’ve always been a big fan of goodmornings, and have always made an effort to throw them in on occasion as I feel they have a huge carry over to the deadlift.  I mean, you’d be hard pressed to find any other movement that hammers the hamstrings, erectors, and glutes like this does.

Moreover, by using the cambered bar, it makes the movement much more “shoulder friendly,” which is definitely not a bad thing when you have upwards of 300+ lbs on your back.

Speaking bluntly, though, I don’t have a lot of clients performing goodmornings because I feel they’re a fairly advanced movement, and definitely take some time to learn to do properly.  That being said, when done correctly, they’re an absolutely fantastic exercise.  I love em!

Anderson Half Squat

NOTE:  to all the internet warriors out there in their mother’s basement who are undoubtedly shitting a kettlebell right now because I’m not squatting ass-to-grass, take a deep breath, relax, and let me explain.

Remember:  my main objective here is to improve my deadlift.  This particular exercise (as Bret noted to me) is joint specific to MY deadlift setup.  If you look at the setup in the video above, you’ll note that it’s VERY much on par with my conventional deadlift set up (seen below). 

So, the point here is to mimic the same hip and knee angles in an effort to improve my pull. 

Taking it a step further, and again as Bret noted, we could also add that this exercise will help develop the joint specific quad strength necessary to assist in the deadlift itself.  Makes a lot of sense if you ask me.

Summarizing:

  • Anderson Half Squats are an ACCESSORY movement.  Rest assured I still squat with a full ROM (as do all of my athletes and clients).
  • The video taken above was my first week doing the exercise (ever), so I was a bit conservative with the weight.  I believe this week, I did 405 x 5.
  • This is a joint specific movement used to mimic the same joint angles as my conventional deadlift.
  • Understandably, I can’t include EVERY valuable accessory movement for deadlifts in this post.  But suffice it to say, things like glute ham raises, hip thrusters, pull-throughs, RDLs, speed work, etc all come into play.  The above are just two movements that I have found have helped me the most.
  • Zercher carries are about as fun as washing your face with broken glass.

That is all.