CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Deadlifters – Part 2

In case you missed it, last week I shared a few thoughts on deadlifting. You can check out part one HERE.

In it, rather than regurgitate the same ol’ obvious things most people who write about deadlifts regurgitate (don’t round your back!, good deadlifters don’t “jerk” the bar off the ground, 2+2 = 4, water is wet, Kate Upton is hot, my cat is the cutest cat in the world) I opted to highlight a few things I feel most lifters overlook or aren’t aware of in the first place.

Things like:

– how the lats play a key role in pulling big weight off the floor.

– how to engage the lats more optimally.

– how paying closer attention to your setup may result in better performance.

– and what it really means to pull the slack out of the bar. I promise, despite the nefarious connotation, the explanation is completely PG rated.

– But seriously, my cat is off the charts cute.

Pretty much the best writing partner a person could ask for.

A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

As promised I wanted to continue my stream of thought and hit on a few more “habits” of highly effective deadlifters.

4. Think of 315 as 135.

Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Strength hammered this point home a few weekends ago during a workshop he put on here in Boston at CrossFit Southie.

To paraphrase: You can’t be intimidated by the weight. You need to approach the bar on every set and show it who’s boss. Every time.

Like this monster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jO21-a2W0

 

Setting a little expectation management, though, if you’re training in a commercial gym and acting like this before a set of 225, you’re an a-hole. Lets calm down a little bit and put down the ammonia packets mmmm kay?

Many trainees will attack a lighter load and then turn into Bambi once the barbell hits a certain weight or threshold. Lighter loads will generally go up faster than heavier loads…..duh, I get it. However, this point does speak to something larger, and something that’s a bit more psychological in nature.

If you approach the barbell with a defeatist attitude – oh shit, oh shit, oh shit – before you even attempt the lift, how will you ever expect to improve, much less lift appreciable loads?

If you watch good (effective) deadlifters you’ll notice that every set looks the same. Regardless of whether there’s 135 lbs on the bar, 315, or 600 lbs, everything from the set up to the execution of the lift is exactly the same.

Which is why, flipping the coin, we could also make the argument that 135 lbs should be treated like 315. Getting good at deadlifting requires attention to detail and treating every set the same. Even the lights ones.

5. Don’t Just Think “Up.” Think “Back.”

The deadlift is nothing more than bending over and picking up a barbell off the ground, right?

Well, yes….but it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Many will view the deadlift as a pure up and down movement. Meaning, the barbell itself will move in a path that’s literally straight up and down.

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh, wrong.

23.7% wrong, at any rate (<—- trust me it’s science).

The deadlift is actually much more of a horizontal movement than people give it credit for. To quote my good friend, Dean Somerset:

“Deadlift drive comes from the hips when you start in flexion and move into extension. In other words, deadlift drive comes through hip drive. Driving your hips forward, coupled with vertical shins and a stable core, causes the torso to stand up vertically, pulling the weight with it.”

When people get into the mindset that deadlifitng is more of vertical movement they’ll often resort to initiating and finishing the movement with their lower back rather than their hips. Which, as you can guess, leads to some wonky habits of the rounded back nature (which we’d like to avoid as much as possible).

A cue I like to use to help initiate more of a horizontal vector is to tell people to think about “driving their sternum to the back wall.”

When they initiate the pull, they shouldn’t think up but rather……..BACK!

It sounds weird, but I like to describe this phenomenon by telling people that if they do it right – and think about pulling their sternum back – that they’d fall backwards if they decided to let go of the bar.

6. Deadlifts Don’t ALWAYS Need to be Max Effort, I’m Going to Shit My Spleen, Heavy.

Yes, you’ll need to train with max effort loads in order to improve your deadlift. To quote Ronnie Coleman, you’ll need to “lift some heavy ass weight.”

That’s pretty much a given.

But you DO NOT need to do it all the freakin time.

This is another point that Chad Wesley Smith touched on a few weeks ago. To paraphrase him (again): “I could care less about gym PRs. I want to PR when it counts.”

Understandably, most of the people reading this post aren’t competitive powerlifters like Chad, so how he trains and prepares (and peaks for a meet) is going to be drastically different from most of us.

But the message still resonates and reigns true for most trainees. You don’t need to train balls to the wall 100% of the time.

This is a tough pill to swallow for many people, especially in the shadow of CrossFit where training all out, to the point of exhaustion is not only encouraged but accepted as normal.

 

Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE when people train hard, and I think CrossFit has done some good in terms of getting more people excited to not run a treadmill.

However it’s also set a dangerous precedent in brainwashing people into thinking that a workout or training session is pointless if you don’t set a PR or come close to passing out.

NOTE: this doesn’t apply to every box or every Crossfit coach. So relax guy who’s inevitably going to shoot me an email saying I’m nothing but a CrossFit hater.

1. I actually have written a fair amount praising CrossFit. Like HERE. 

2. I also workout at a CrossFit 1-2x per week – albeit during “off” hours when I have the place to myself along with the other coaches.

3. Shut up.

More often than you think, training with SUB-maximal weight (60-85%) is going to be the best approach for most people, most of the time. Not only does it allow for ample opportunity to focus on and work on technique, but it also allows people to train the deadlift more often.

The best way to get better at deadlifitng is to deadlift. A lot.

If you’re someone who constantly trains with max-effort loads this is going to be hard to do because 1) you’re going to beat up your joints 2) you’ll fry your CNS and 3) this requires more recovery time.

Not every training session requires you to hate life. This is especially true when it comes to improving your deadlift. QUALITY reps are the key. Oh, this is weird…..it just so happens I have a deadlift specialization program that follows this mantra to a “t.”

You should check it out.

Pick Things Up

7. Pull & Push

The deadlift is a pulling dominant movement. But it also involves a fair amount of pushing.

Yep you heard me right, pushing.

Think of it like this: in order to pull an ungodly amount of weight off the floor (or for those less interested in ungodly amounts, a boatload or shit-ton) you need to generate a lot of force into the ground and push yourself away.

I’ve heard this best described as “trying to leave your heel print into the ground.”

It’s a subtle cue, but it works wonders and it’s something that effective deadlifters keep in the back of their mind all the time.

And there you have it. While not an exhaustive list of habits, I do feel the one’s highlighted in both parts of this article will help many of you reading dominate your deadlifts moving forward.

Got any of your own habits to share? Chime in below.

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Deadlifters – Part 1

When I was a junior in college one of my professors had us read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

Yeah, I didn’t read it.

But who actually reads in college anyways? I was too busy playing baseball, lifting weights, watching Party of Five, and not hanging out with girls because, well, I was watching Party of Five.

I mean, all I had to do was look at the title and I knew it was going to put me to sleep within five minutes of turning the cover. And besides, was this book going to add 5MPH to my fastball and get me drafted? Pffffft, I think not!

Fast forward five years.

Surprise! Nothing I read added 5MPH to my fastball. Professional baseball didn’t pan out and I was a year or two into my career as a personal trainer. I finally listened to my professor and read the book. And it was game changer.

I won’t bore you with the details – it’s a quick read – but The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People speaks to things like how to be more proactive, why it’s important to think about the future so that you can more concretely figure out what to make a reality, the value of the “win-win” mentality, seeking to understand shit before you open your mouth (<— that’s my own interpretation), and what it means to “sharpen the saw” (I.e., seek out activities like exercise, yoga, meditation, etc. to expedite mental focus), among a handful of others.

Needless to say it’s a book I recommend to a lot of people, and something who’s theme I’m going to rip off today.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Deadlifters

Being a massive human being helps (^^^^^^^^^), so I’ll just skip that one and try to focus on some less obvious points.

NOTE: What follows is more of a commentary on deadlift technique with the goal to lift a lot of weight. It’s not going to cater to CrossFit and more of the tap-n-go, bounce off the floor, (high) hinge deadlift.

NOTE II: Please don’t take this as a knock against CrossFit. It isn’t. I get that the tap-n-go approach is more relevant to the demands of a CrossFit class or competition, where high(er) reps are performed. I also recognize that there are some strong people who do CrossFit.

But if you’re a CrossFitter and you’re that easily butt-hurt over me poo-pooing a tap-n-go deadlift, I’ll ask you this: why is the exercise called a DEADlift?

NOTE III: Nothing I mention below is concrete and will apply to every lifter in every situation. While I feel much of what I have to say with resonate with a lot of people, I’m not that much of an egotistical asshat to think that it will apply to 100% of the lifting population. So take that for what it’s worth.

Anyways……..

1. Your Lats Are the Key (Point #1)

In order to move big weights (safely, and long-term) you need two things to happen: you need to place a premium on tension and alignment.

If either of the above are lacking you’re not going to be able to develop as much force.

To the former point (tension), the lats are kind of a big deal.

The latissismus dorsi (or “lats” in bro-talk) are a massive muscle, which, on top of playing a role in humeral extension, internal rotation, and adduction (blah, blah, blah), also has significant play in breathing patterns and more germane to this conversation spinal stability.

In short: get the lats to engage and garner TENSION during the setup of a deadlift, the more stable you’re going to be, and the less likely you’ll look like this:

To do this I like to use any one of the following cues:

1. Squeeze an orange in your armpits

2. Protect your armpits.

3. Phew…your armpits stink.

4. Put your shoulder blades in your back pocket.

All are fantastic external cues to help people get the lats to fire to provide more tension and thus, stability. Despite this, some people may still look at you as if you’re speaking Elvish when you tell then to “turn on” their lats.

Sometimes it’s beneficial to give them more tactile feedback or cues.

Band Lat Activation with Hip Hinge

Or what I like to call “TRICEPS”


Lat Activation (via Mike Robertson)

 

2. Your Lats Are the Key (Point #2)

Pigging back on the point above, your lats are what “connects” you to the bar. Yes, your hands are grabbing the bar, but it’s where your armpits (where the lats insert) are located – in relation to bar placement – that plays a huge role in deadlifting badassery.

I’m a fairly decent deadlifter. I’ve pulled 3x bodyweight….570 lbs at a bodyweight of 190. I’m no Andy Bolton, but not many people are.

For years I’ve set up with my shins as close to the bar as possible, and while it led to some success it also led to some pesky back issues.

Why?

When setting up as close as possible to the bar, think about what’s happening.

1. My shins are more vertical.

2. And because my shins are more vertical, my armpits are in front of the bar, creating an awkward line of pull I have to overcome.

This not only puts me in a mechanical disadvantage, but over time is going to make my lower back flip me the middle finger. And it has, many times.

In the past few months I’ve had to overhaul my setup so I’m a little further away from the bar in that my shins can translate forward a bit, which then allows me to get my armpits directly over the bar, which in turn puts me in a more mechanical ADvantage (which helps me garner more tension), which in turn makes my lower back happy.

FYI: the picture below doesn’t show that right before I pull, I’ll push my hips back a smidge

And no, I’m not squatting the deadlift…….;o)

3. Pulling Slack Out of the Bar

Running with the tension theme, another habit of highly effective deadlifters is learning how to take the slack out of the bar.

It’s important to leverage yourself against the weight when you’re setting up. Another way to think about it is to act as if you’re “pulling” yourself (against the bar) into proper position.

This is what it means to get the slack out of the bar or what I like to say instead “bending the bar before you pull it.”

NOTE: I was in the middle of filming a video of this last night when my camera puttered out. Damn you Droid!

Luckily CSP coach, Greg Robins, filmed a video not too long ago on this very concept:

That’s it for today. I’ll be posting part II of this article sometime soon. But in the meantime I want you to recognize the key theme of all the points listed above:

That the setup is very, very, VERY important.

Like almost as important as Bilbo giving Frodo Baggins the blade Sting when leaving Rivendell on his way to Mordor.

95% of the time any mistake or snafu in technique with the deadlift can be attributed to how someone sets up in the first place. Far too often trainees fail to put much thought into it and just haphazardly bend over and pick up the bar. And far too often people end up getting hurt and/or never making any progress.

Place more precedence on getting tension and watch your deadlift take off.

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Exercise Technique

Making Difficult Lifts Easier

The word “easier” is subjective in this context.

I mean, can we really make a squat or deadlift easy?

Maybe a better way to state things is to say “easier to perform so that someone doesn’t shit their spine.”

As a strength coach it’s obviously important for me to help get people stronger – especially with the big lifts. Too, and maybe more importantly, a large portion of my job is to “fine tune” technique so that a particular lift or exercise is more user friendly for my athletes and clients to perform.

Almost always everyone I work with is going to be squatting, deadlifting, and performing any number of compound movements to some degree on a daily basis. This DOES NOT mean, however, everyone is barbell back squatting, squatting deep (or ass-to-grass for the brosefs reading), conventional deadlifting, and/or performing max effort anything on day #1.

Much of that will depend on one’s current (and past) injury history, training experience – not to mention goal(s) – as far as what variation of squats or deadifts (or whatever) I’ll start them on. In short: I need to figure out their “Point A” (starting point) before I can get them to “Point B” (squatting 2x bodyweight, hitting a 500 lb DL, arm wrestling a grizzly bear, etc).

Often I’ll need to break down subsequent movements into specific parts in order to groove technique and/or introduce a new exercise into someone’s training repertoire.

Which is the topic of my latest article on BodyBuilding.com. In it I discuss some simple drills I like to use to break down the deadlift and KB Turkish Get-up.

Continue Reading…..

CategoriesExercise Technique

How to Improve Tension In the Deadlift

My former editor at T-Nation, Bryan Krahn, used to cringe sometimes when I sent him an article. It seemed every other article I sent him would hover around the topic of deadlifts.

Top Tips to Improve Your Deadlift

Deadlifts For Mass Gains

Deadlifts For Athletic Gains

How Deadlifts Can Spice Up Your Sex Life & Are Actually An Underrated Kitchen Condiment!

Which is Better: Deadlifts or Oxygen?

Every now and then I’d get a note back…

“Dude, enough with the deadlift articles! If I have to read another word on the hip hinge I’m going postal!”

I’d take the subtle hint and lay low on the deadlift content for a few months. But inevitably I’d revert back to my old ways.

As it happens, THREE of my articles (including four of Eric’s) made T-Nation’s list of 22 Most Popular Deadlift Articles.

I’m like, so popular.

I feel like I should pat myself on the back. It’s been a few months since I’ve written anything specific about the deadlift on this site. That’s right on par with Food Babe going a few days without fear mongering us to death and telling us drinking Pumpkin Spice will give us a third nipple or Carrie Bradshaw going more the five minutes without talking about shoes!

Alas, I’m Talking Bout Deadlifts Today

More to the point, I want to take a few moments to talk about TENSION!!!! Getting (and maintaining) tension throughout a set is one of the keys to solid deadlift technique. It’s the key to technique for A LOT of movements, but today I’m going to focus on the deadlift.

I’ve discussed this point in the past, but it bears repeating: One of the dead giveaways that someone lacks tension during their pull is if 1) their upper back rounds1 and 2) their hips come up too early.  Like this:

In both scenarios I’ll almost always attack lat activation/engagement and upper back tension.

With regards to the lats I’ll approach it in a few ways:

1. I’ll have the lifter assume their starting stance in the bottom position and then kinda poke a prod their armpits/lats and tell them to “get tight/stiff here.” That’s pretty easy. Hopefully they’re not too ticklish.

2. Once I have that, I’ll then tell them to “pretend like you’re squeezing an orange in your armpit during the entire rep and you’re trying to make orange juice.” Again this helps to fire the lats more effectively (external cues usually work a lot better than internal cues), which in turn helps transfer force more efficiently as well as provide a ton more spinal stability.

If neither of those two cues work, a simple drill I like to use is this:

Band Lat Activation w/ Hip Hinge

NOTE: with beginners with poor kinesthetic awareness, before I have them touch a barbell I’ll start them off with this drill so I can kill two bird with one stone. I’m getting to feel what it’s like to engage their lats WHILE grooving a hip hinge.

With regards to the upper back there’s a little more to things than just telling someone to “get your back tight!” Moreover, some lifters make the mistake of literally pinching their scapulae (shoulder blades) together in an effort to get “tight.”

This is wrong. And will actually work against you.

Instead I’ll tell trainees to “set their shoulders,” and to think about placing their shoulder blades in their back pocket. What this does is posteriorly tilt the scapulae (NOT retract). Retracting the shoulder blades makes your arms shorter which will make it harder to get to the bar.

Additionally, the preferred cue helps to elicit more upper back tension.

Watch this video to see what I mean:

 

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design

Cueing Posterior Pelvic Tilt When Squatting and Deadlifting? Have I Gone Mad?

One of the more popular cues trainers and coaches use when teaching the squat and deadlift is to arch the lower back….hard.

There’s a legitimate reason why, too. Squatting and deadlifting under load (consistently) into lumbar flexion is a major no-no, and usually results in any number of lower back dysfunctions and injuries. All someone has to do is open up either one of Dr. Stuart McGill’s seminal books on the topic – Low Back Disorders or Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance – to be slapped in the face 10x over with research study after research study proving this point.

Cueing someone to avoid (loaded) flexion and to arch their back while squatting and deadlifting engages the muscles of the back – erectors, iliocostalis, longissimus, multifidi – which not only helps to both stabilize and strengthen the spine, but also aids in offsetting and drastically reducing shear force.

It’s a hard to debate this point and has long been accepted as the “correct” way to cue proper form and technique.

However, the fitness industry runs on a perpetual pendulum of extremes – the middle ground is for pansies – and if doing “x” amount of something is good then doing even M.O.R.E of “x” must be really good. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Arching the back is fine.  Excessively arching the back, long-term, not so much. Just like we would shit an EMG study over excessive spinal flexion, excessive spinal extension is just as deleterious and detrimental to the spine.

In extreme cases:

Repetitive, excessive spinal flexion = disc herniations

Repetitive, excessive spinal extension = end plate, pars fractures.

It’s no coincidence we’ve seen the rise of things like Spondylosis, Spondylolisthesis, and other extension-based dysfunctions in the fitness and athletic realms – in both young and old(er) populations.

In younger populations a large portion of the blame can be pointed to more and more kids being less active, ill-prepared, and/or specializing in one sport too soon (pattern overload).

In older populations the blame can be directed towards some of the same culprits, albeit I’d also argue a major monkey-wrench is how we as coaches and trainers have been cueing our athletes and clients for the better part of a decade (if not longer) into OVER-arching during their squats and deadlifts.

It’s great for lifting a metric shit-load (a shade more than a metric boat-load) of weight, but not so great for long-term back health.

In the video below I break down why cueing more posterior pelvic tilt (in addition to owning your rib position) during squats and deadlifts may be more advantageous in the long run. Remember: All we’re trying to do is encourage people back to “neutral,” from an excessive extension pattern, and to own that position during their lift(s). So, instead of thinking of it as “arch and sit back,” it should be “find neutral, set/own ribs,bace, and sit down.”  I think this not only has merit with regards to back health, but performance as well. Give it a looksy.

Side Note:  Eric Cressey discusses the same concept (in more detail) in Functional Stability Training for the Lower Body if you want to dive more into the topic.

Cueing Posterior Pelvic Tilt During the Squat and Deadlift

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

Q&A: Does Age and Heavy Training Take a Toll on the Spine?

As you can imagine I get a lot of emails on a daily basis.  I get emails from friends, colleagues, clients, Nigerian Princes wanting to give me all their money, and I also get a fair number of emails from people I don’t know asking me any number of health and fitness questions.

Below is a question I received the other day which I had never received before and something I felt I could elucidate on here in more detail (while at the same time helping others who may have the same question).

Q: Can people squat and deadlift because they have strong backs, or do they have strong backs because they squat and deadlift?

After squatting and deadlifting for the first time in 8 years, I found that my back (lower and thoracic) is by far the weakest it has ever been – it holds my numbers back substantially and if I push just a little too hard, my back feels like its about to go.

Not only that but my back stays incredibly tight the following days.

Prior to this hiatus, I was almost bullet-proof and could do nearly everything without pain. I’ve since had chronic tightness in literally every muscle, but switching to unilateral lower body movements resulted in a dramatic training difference with no after pain or tightness.

I may have my biases, but is this why I see so little older individuals continuing to squat and deadlift the numbers they used to? Or to reiterate, do those rare older individuals who squat and deadlift heavy already have strong lower backs to begin with, or did they build up this strength by squatting and deadlifting heavy?

Lastly, is unilateral lower body movements substitutes for squats when long-term joint health is concerned? Thanks!

Spencer

A: Thanks for the question, Spencer. There are a few angles I’d like to take to answer this.

1.  I kinda-sorta hit on the topic earlier this year when I wrote THIS blog post on Programming Strategies for the Old(ish) Meathead.

I’m 37 now, and while I don’t consider myself old by any stretch of the imagination – although Lisa and I love early bird dinners before 5:30 PM on the weekends, and I’m usually in bed before 9 PM – I understand that what I used to do in the gym when I was 25, and what my body was able to handle back then, no longer holds weight (<—- HA! Pun totally intended).

This isn’t to say I don’t still get after it, but I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t accumulated a few aches and pains throughout the years and that I haven’t had to “tone down” my training to a small degree.

The article linked to above taps into some of my thought process(es) with regards to programming strategies for guys who don’t feel like Batman or Superman anymore.

2. A believe a little dose of expectation management needs to be addressed here.  You mentioned that it’s been eight years since you last squatted or deadlifted with any frequency. Don’t you feel that that plays a bit of a role in the grand scheme of things?

Are the squats and deadlifts themselves to blame for your soreness and tightness? Maybe. Or should we point the finger at the eight year absence from any significant loading?

I remember back in the summer of 2008 I decided to play in an over-30 adult baseball league. I had obviously thrown a baseball here and there up to that point, but I hadn’t played competitive baseball or thrown any significant innings since the summer of 1999 and 2000. An eight year hiatus itself.

Me, circa 1999, my senior year at Mercyhurst University. I had hair back then. The good ol’ days.

On the batshit scale on which WTF “why is my arm killing me?” was measured, what was to blame more: the actual act of throwing a baseball, or the fact I took an eight year break from throwing a baseball?

I went from zero innings pitched over the span of eight years to over 70 innings pitched in one summer.

To be fair (to myself), I did hold my own that summer. I went 8-1 with an ERA under 1.00 and had over 100 Ks in those 70 innings.

Funny story:  my best game that summer was the first game after my then girlfriend broke up with me out of nowhere. I showed up to the game and struck out 20 batters in nine innings. Granted, I was probably crying on the mound during the entire game…..but my fastball was un-hittable that day!

I even tossed a no-hitter that summer. I didn’t suck or embarrass myself during the season. But by the end, my arm was hanging on a thread.

The only person to blame was myself because I didn’t do much to properly prepare myself.

It’s analogous to what you’re going through, Spencer, and what I’m sure a lot of people in the same situation are going through.

3. Barring any current injury, the body will adapt to whatever stress you place upon it.

Consider Wolff’s Law and Davis’s Law.  You can’t discount physics. The former states that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. The latter states the same thing, except with regards to soft tissue.

Deadlifting/squatting = strong bones + soft tissue. You need a minimal essential strain (MES) in order for tissue to adapt. Likewise, in order to strengthen tissue, you need to load it.

Neither of the two just happen. So no, I don’t believe people “just automatically have strong backs,” therefore they can squat and deadlift to their hearts content with little ramification(s).

I do believe heavy training (which I understand is all relative) does take a toll on the spine. However, I also believe that if someone takes the time to learn and hone technique, implement appropriate progressions based off their needs and ability level, and refrain from taking eight year breaks, that they’d best set themselves up for long-term success….;o)

Lastly, as far as unilateral lower body training is concerned and whether or not that’s a more “joint friendly” substitute for squats……..it depends.

There’s no denying that performing unilateral movements will lead to less axial loading on the spine. But we could also make the case that how people squat – even when it’s not with heavy loads – can place more stress on the joints, particularly the spine and knees.

– Are you squatting with an overly rounded back? How about the exact opposite end of the spectrum: are you overarching?  Both can be detrimental.

– Are you ensuring upper back stiffness when you set up to squat?

– Are you performing more of a “quad dominant” squat or a “hip dominant” squat? With the latter, you’ll need to sit back with the hips more, push the knees out, and use more of your hips and posterior chain to perform the movement.  This can make a profound difference on not only how the squat feels, but performance as well.

It is possible to make squats more knee friendly.

All of this is not to say everyone has to squat and deadlift.

Especially the older we get.

Sometimes it just doesn’t feel good no matter how on-point someone is with their technique and programming. If either of the two movements aren’t a good fit, they’re not a good fit. It’s not the end of the world.

But I do know plenty of people older than myself who are still deadlifting and squatting with abandon and do quite well.

That being said: I feel the above suggestions are an excellent way to audit yourself and to troubleshoot a few things.  Hope that helps!

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Paused Deadlift

I know this is going to come across as weird or unconventional to some of my loyal readers, and if you’re one of them (or if not, welcome!  I hope you stay awhile) you may wonder if my website was hacked into today by someone playing a practical joke.  I assure you it wasn’t, but I do have something to share.

Ready?  Here it goes.

I like deadlifts!! Like, a lot.

What did you think I was going to say? Something like “You know what, I could really go for a soy burger today!” or “That Tracy Anderson….she’s onto something.  She’s really smart.”

Come on.  Don’t be silly.

All facetiousness aside I don’t think it’s any secret I’m a fan of the deadlift.  A quick search on the internet shows I’ve written roughly 1,812 articles on the topic.  Give or take.

Me saying I like the deadlift is like Gray Cook saying he likes the Functional Movement Screen or Taylor Swift saying she likes writing songs about how much she hates boys.

It’s all in the same boat.

That being said, when it comes to the deadlift there’s a lot we can dissect.  Depending on one’s leverages, personal anthropomorphic differences, and postural considerations some deadlift variations will be better suited for certain body types compared to others.  As an example, those with limited ankle dorsiflexion and/or hip flexion, or even those lifters who are taller, will find that trap bar or Sumo variations fit them very well.

Along those same lines, regardless of what variation we’re discussing, some lifters will find “sticking points” within the arc of the lift itself, to the point where some may have issues off the floor while others will have trouble locking the weight out.

I’ve heard some coaches discuss initial (low) back positioning and how that may affect the mechanics of the lift itself.

Advocates for a more rounded back will note that it makes initial pulling off the floor easier (due to leverage), but things become more arduous at lockout.

Conversely, those who swear by a neutral or hard arch throughout will note that the bar is slower off the floor, however lockout is a breeze.  Again, due to leverages.

I fall in the latter camp and will rarely (if ever) advocate someone to purposely lift with a rounded back.  So it’s no surprise that I tend to be slower than molasses – a smidge above slower than shit – when I deadlift.

Without fail every FIRST rep off the floor for me is slow, which always makes any lift above 90% of 1RM interesting.

Yes, I’ve done deficit pulls.  And yes, I’ve done speed pulls vs. chains, all of which have helped some.  Lately, though, one of my favorite accessory movements – and something that’s been heavily influenced by fellow CP-coach, Greg Robins – is paused deadlifts.

We’re all familiar with the likes of  bench pressing with a pause or squatting with a pause, but rarely do you hear coaches talk about deadifting with a pause.

Paused Deadlift – from Floor

What Does It Do:  As noted above, it’s a fantastic way to help improve strength (and explosiveness) off the floor.  More to the point:

1.  It helps increase time under tension in a “trouble spot,” which then feeds into the explosiveness factor.

2.  Helps train people to engage the lats to a higher degree which will prevent the bar from getting away from the body.  In other words:  it helps maintain a better bar path.

Key Coaching Cues:  You won’t need to be too aggressive with the weight selection here, anything from 50-70% will suffice.  In addition, the actual pause can vary from 2-5s with the rep scheme varying from 2-5 reps.  We’re looking for QUALITY reps here, not quantity.

A sample cycle may look something like this:

Week 1: 4×3 (pause 2 inches off floor for 2s) @ 50%
Week 2: 4×3 (pause 2 inches off floor for 2s) @ 55%
Week 3: 4×2 (pause 2 inches off floor for 3s) @ 60%
Week 4: 3×2 (pause 2 inches off floor for 3s) @ 65%

I’ve also seen coaches stick with the same set/rep scheme throughout or stick with a set time for the pause – there’s no wrong way here.

The important thing to consider is that some semblance of progressive overload is being followed.

Give these a try and let me know what you think.

NOTE I: Just to clarify on my end, I’d consider this an exercise that should only be implemented if you’re pulling close to or over 2x bodyweight.  Anything less than that I’d be more inclined to focus on technique in general or just getting stronger.

NOTE II:  I normally don’t wear shoes when I deadlift.  It was a quick video I shot after training myself, sooooo cut me slack will ya.

NOTE III:  Apparently my skills in gym math are lacking.  The weight in the video is 275 lbs which is 48% of my 1RM.  Not 50-55% like I mentioned.  Oops.

Whatever.  It’s not like you listen to me anyways.  You never listen to me!!  You’re RUINING MY LIFE!!!!  *slams door*

CategoriesMotivational Strength Training

Jedi Mind Tricks to Make You Instantly Stronger

Today I have a guest post by St. Louis based personal trainer Ian Fagala. Ian actually reached out to me right before I left for vacation about writing a little sumthin sumthin for the website while I was away, but unfortunately I dropped the ball and forgot to put it up.

Oopsies.

In any case, when Ian forwarded the article to me and I saw the title, he had me at Jedi.

Some of the tips may see obvious, but they’ll still serve as a nice reminder that we don’t need to make things more complicated than they have to be.

Enjoy!

I’ve been at this lifting thing for a while now, approximately 14 years, which is hard to believe.  Now I’m no weightlifting prodigy, but having been in the game that length of time I’ve learned a thing or two.

Learning is a funny thing because we come armed to the teeth with information via google and the internet, but how much of that knowledge actually turns to wisdom?  Because wisdom I contend is much more about putting knowledge into action, than simply knowing answers.

However, I don’t believe your reading this article to listen to me wax philosophic about knowledge and wisdom, you want to find out how you can instantly get stronger.  Your goal might be to deadlift a Mac Truck, or bench press a volkswagen, but the distinction between knowledge and wisdom is an important one.

The reason is, I can list these two simple hacks to make you stronger, and you can know the answer of how to improve your lifts, but without actually putting them into action they don’t mean didley-squat.  (It’s only a bonus that I’ve made a Star Wars reference to illustrate them!).

#1 Confidence

You’ve seen it before, confidence that is.  For a prime example check out Ronnie Coleman below, arguably one of the best bodybuilders of all time.

The phrase “lightweight” is an example of it for Ronnie.

It doesn’t mean you psyche yourself and scream, yell, and sniff ammonia caps (you don’t’ want to be that guy), but you get ready for a tough set or PR by setting your mind on the task at hand without any other distractions.

You have to be confident that when you walk up to or slide under that bar and start to crush it with your grip, you know that you know that you know the only acceptable outcome is success.

#2 Visualization

This can tie pretty intimately to number one.

Visualization, as I’ve started practicing it, before tough sets usually increases my confidence before a lift.  Many pro and olympic athletes use visualization to increase success in their respective sports, and if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me.

Before you un-rack the weight, take a few seconds and play a tape in your mind of every step of the set or lift attempt.  Start by stepping up to the bar, gripping it and feeling the iron in your hands, imagine yourself getting into optimal positioning, and go through your entire setup.

Then continue through the set or attempt in your mind, each and every rep, and when you finish your set conjure up the same feelings you would have if you actually succeeded.

#3 Whole Body Tightness

I’m sure at this point some of you reading may be under the impression that I sit in the corner of the gym in the lotus position before I lift. Far from it.  I actually do lift heavy things, and one of the concepts that I feel many trainees fail to address is whole body tightness or stiffness.

Getting tight is an easy way to instantly add more weight to the bar.  Tony’s talked a lot about things like irradiation and the importance of gripping the bar hard, by adding the same advice to the rest of the body you can likely slip a few more pounds on the bar during your next training session.

Note from TG:  here’s a video I shot for BodyBuilding.com which helps explain how engaging the lats – and gaining more TENSION – can have profound effects on deadlift performance.

Note from TG (continued…sorry I’m hijacking your article Ian): The same idea or principle can be applied to any lift, but it fits perfectly with the “big three” (deadlift, squat, bench press).

Bringing the conversation to the squat, one major mistake I see a lot of people make is how they approach the bar and set-up.  Many will just haphazardly approach the bar without any intent or care in the world as if they’re Dorothy skipping down the yellow-brick road, duck under, un-rack the weight, and then perform their set.

Major, major mistake.

How you set-up for a lift is going to make or break the set.  Always. No Discussion.

Don’t you roll your eyes at me mister!!  I’ll send you up to your room with no supper. I’ll do it!

For a better idea of what I mean, check out the video below on how I coach someone to set-up to squat properly.  The theme is TENSION!

It’s uncanny how surprised people are with how much more weight they can handle once they understand and grasp the concept of tension. It will take some tinkering around, but it’s not at all uncommon for people to add 10-25 lbs to their lift in one session.

About the Author

Ian is a Fitness Professional that has been working in and around the St. Louis area for the last 10 years or so.  Most days you’ll find him at the gym or spending time with his family.  He has worked with people from all walks of life and is passionate about helping regular people reach their fitness goals.  You can read more about him at his blog  or you can find him at his Facebook page HERE.

About the Author Who Hijacked the Author’s Article

Tony trains people, and writes stuff.  Outside of his cat, Dagny, he’s obsessed with Matt Damon, Star Wars (obviously), and cheese.  God, he loves cheese.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Oscars!, Deadlifts, and Myths of Stretching

1.  Raise your hand if you stayed up last night to watch the entire broadcast of the Oscars.

*Sheepishly raises hand*

Yes, I stayed up till just past midnight to see 12 Years a Slave win Best Picture and to watch director Steve McQueen and company be handed the statue by Will Smith.

I know it’s borderline silly to spend 4-5 hours of my night watching a bunch of attractive, rich people who make their living pretending to be action heros, real-life heros, icons, and pirates celebrate other attractive, rich people and hand one another a golden statue.  Especially when there are so many other pressing issues going on around us.

Even so, I’m a firm believer that movies and film offer all of us a sense of release and escape. Whether it’s calling a “time-out” from worrying about a mid-life crisis or a recent break-up, or even if it’s just two hours inside, away from this insane Polar Vortex, movies give us everything from joy and happiness to awe and inspiration.  Not to mention there are a select few that do a bang-up job at scaring the bejesus out of us and making us destroy the back of our pants.

What’s more, as someone who loves (LOVES film), I can appreciate the hard work and talent it takes to do what those people do.  Whether it’s sitting there and reveling in the cinematography of Gravity, the costume/set design of The Great Gatsby, the unabashed “holy-shit-I’m-really-uncomfortable-watching-this-but-this-is-what-happened-so-suck-it-up-Tony” realism of 12 Years a Slave,  the side boob and overall “cleavaginess” of American Hustle, or the breakneck speed and cadence of Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks’ last scene in that movie is one of the best acted scenes I have ever watched), I’m always appreciative and thankful for the movies.

So what can I say:  the Oscars are my SuperBowl – albeit without the large pizza and pretzels on the side.

Lisa and I sat down at 7PM to watch the pre-show festivities, although to be honest I’m not really as much of a fan watching and listening to the fashion mumbo-jumbo. It’s all Elvish to me.  I was actually sitting on the couch reading during that portion of the telecast, but I was listening to Lisa’s commentary which was hilarious.

In fact, I was thiiiiiiiiis close to starting a #shitlisasayswhilewatchingtheoscars on Twitter, but I elected not to

All in all I was very pleased with the show.  Ellen was Ellen, and there were a handful of times Lisa and I broke out and laughed our butts off.  How bout those pizzas!

I fully expect that random pizza-delivery guy to have an agent by now, and to have his own reality show greenlit by summer.

I can’t say I was surprised by any of the winners.  I was secretly hoping that DiCaprio would somehow snake out a win for Best Actor for his role in Wolf of Wall Street, but I knew that either McConaughey or Chiwetel Ejiofor (you know, the guy who’s name no one can pronounce) were the favorites.

Spoiler Alert: McConaughey won.

I was happy to see Jared Leto win, and was really happy to see Alfonso Cuaron win for Best Director (Gravity).

And, OMG, can you freakin believe Helium won for Best Live Action Short??????  (<— Yes, that’s sarcasm).

All in all, as always, I loved every second and can’t wait till next year.

2.  This is really out of character for me, and I know this is going to raise a few eyebrows, but I watched a Tracy Anderson DVD over the weekend wrote an article on deadlifting for Men’s Health last week.

You can check it out HERE.

3.  And since we’re on the topic of “stuff I’ve written,” I also contributed to a piece last week on Stack.com titled 13 Fitness Challenges That Will Destroy You.

They won’t literally destroy you – that’s a bit much – but it stands to reason they’ll offer a change of pace to your routine if you’re looking to add a little variety.  Check them out!

4.  I received a question recently that I felt would be better served answering here since I’m able to reach more people on this blog and I’m sure many reading have toyed with the same topic.

Q: Tony, where would static stretching fit into a week of working out? Do you recommend it on recovery days, or a specialized flexibility training day? Post-workout? Before bed?

A: As with anything: it depends. Not a sexy answer, but it’s the truth.

Stretching for the sake of stretching isn’t necessarily a good thing. While their intentions are in the right place, I see many people flopping on the stretch mat at local commercial gyms doing what they deem as “stretching,” but all I really see is a complete waste of time.

Stretching IS important – as a society it’s crystal clear that we sit a lot, and as such things tend to get adaptively short or stiff.  This is something that definitely needs to be addressed, because if it isn’t one runs the risk of developing muscular imbalances that not affects posture but can lead to pain or injury down the road.

The thing is:  the vast majority of people tend to stretch what they’re good at or what feels good.  What’s more, people tend to get into positions thinking they’re stretching one muscle, when in fact they’re not even close. Does this one ring a bell?

Many would recognize this as a hamstring stretch.  Wanna know what I see?  A lower back stretch.

Moreover, you could argue whether or not traditional stretching actually does anything?  Doing a few 30-second stretches here and there won’t really mount to much.  If a tissue is truly short it has lost sarcomeres  In order to really make a difference, you need to increase the series of sarcomeres and that takes A LOT more than a few 30-second stretches.

In fact if you asked Bill Hartman how much stretching it actually takes to make a difference, he’d say you need to cumulatively hold a stretch anywhere from 20-60 minutes!

Of course, that’s not practical for most people.

This isn’t to say that some stretching isn’t better than no stretching……but rather just to give some people a semblance of expectation management.

And then there are other factors to consider.  Someone who scores high on the Beighton Laxity Test certainly doesn’t need to go out of his or her way to perform a lot of static stretching.

Another thing to consider is HOW people stretch.

One key factor that many people tend to conveniently gloss over is alignment.  Stretching the hip flexors is an often targeted area for most people, and rightfully so.  Because we tend to sit in flexion all day, it stands to reason many people need a crowbar to “un-glue” their hips.  To counteract this many will opt to stretch, like this:

Notice the massive extension pattern and anterior pelvic tilt she’s in?  This isn’t really accomplishing anything other than to run the risk of developing femoral anterior glide syndrome (where the femoral head is literally jammed forward.)

Unless this person cleans up he starting position – brace the anterior core, squeeze the glute of the trailing leg, getting, encouraging more posterior pelvic tilt and getting out of extension – she can do this stretch for hours on end and really not accomplish anything.

Now all of this isn’t say that I’m poo-pooing on stretch altogether.  It DOES have its place, and it DOES serve a purpose.  But I just feel more people need to be cognizant of what they’re stretching and more importantly, HOW they’re stretching.

I feel stretching before a training session is best.   What good is it to stretch before bed when you’re just going to lie down anyways?

I’d rather see people address tissue quality, mobilize, stretch, and then “cement” that new length with appropriate strength training.

Again, the idea is to encourage more “neutral,” get into more optimal alignment, and then train.

The order I prefer is this:

Foam Roll—Dynamic Warm-Up—Dedicated Static Stretching—Lift Heavy Shit

After rolling out, you’d hit up your standard dynamic warm-up (THIS or THIS may help), perform some static stretching to help lengthen the tissue (for most people hitting up areas like the glutes, hip flexors, lats, and pecs would be ideal), and then go…..you’re a free bird.  Fly fly away.

Go lift something heavy.

CategoriesExercise Technique Strength Training

Two Components to Deadlifting Success

– “One thing I could do….was finger roll.”

So said George “Iceman” Gervin in the classic mid-90s Nike commercial featuring Tim Hardaway, David Robinson, and pretty much the coolest barbershop known to man.

For a little taste of nostalgia you can watch the video HERE.

Now, I’m not an ex-NBA legend.  I might be able to dunk a tennis ball.  Maybe.  But only if you gave me a running start (and a trampoline). Or a JetPack.

Julia Child was pretty much a boss in the kitchen.

You can’t discuss the history of film and not mention the name Steven Spielberg.

Sandy Koufax had arguably the most devastating curveball in baseball history.

Is there a bigger douche to the douchiest power nowadays than Justin Bieber?

All of this to say: Everyone has their own speciality or a skill that they’re known for.

Me?  While I’d like to sit here and say it’s hanging out with Jason Bourne, in reality it’s nothing nearly as badass.

While they’re badass in their own right, I think anyone who’s read my stuff for any length of time knows that I have a particular affinity for deadlifts, and that that’s what I’m known for.

Which is weird because I don’t own any records.  Not even close.  Heck, I’ve never even competed! Giving a little credit to myself, though, my best pull is 570 lbs (which at the time was 3x bodyweight).

On top of that, if someone triple dogged dared me, or, I don’t know, if Kate Beckinsale walked into a room and said, “Tony I’ll make out with you right now if you lift 500 lbs this very minute,” I’m fairly confident I could do it.

For reps.

On one leg.

Blindfolded.

Standing on a BOSU ball.

More to the point (and a bit less facetious in tone):  I know how to coach the deadlift very well.  So to steal the quote from the Iceman above.

One thing I can do…..is coach the deadlift!

And it’s with that quote in mind that I wanted to take today and do a pseudo “brain dump” on a few insights and common (or not so common, depending on who you are) mistakes I notice with regards to deadlift technique.

1.  Not Choosing the Correct Deadlift Variation

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: everyone should be deadlifting in some form or another.  What other exercise accomplishes so much?

I’m biased. You’d be hard pressed to convince me otherwise that the deadlift isn’t one of the best overall exercises for hypertrophy, not to mention the best functional exercise you can do with respects to posterior chain strength, core stability, glute activation (terminal hip extension), power development, and transference of force throughout the entire body.

Likewise, when done correctly, deadlifts help to prevent shear loading on the spine, help engrain a hip hinge pattern (which spares the spine), and you could make a case plays a role in “preparing” people for life.

Ask your grandmother to pick up a bag of groceries.  That’s a deadlift!

My friend, Nick Tumminello, wrote a fantastic post awhile back on assessments and brought up an interesting question:

“What’s the point of doing whatever assessment you’re doing, when you have all your clients squat, deadlift, perform X, Y, and Z anyways?”

I respect Nick a ton. It’s hard not to look up to someone with as much experience as him, and  I’ve learned a lot from him.

And while I “get” what he was trying to say, even when I originally read his post (and forgive me if Nick’s perspective has changed since he wrote it) I couldn’t help but cock my head like a curious puppy being asked to fetch.

From my point of view, YES, the goal is to have all my clients squat, deadlift, perform single leg work, crush push-ups, row, bench press, sprint, push the Prowler, arm wrestle a tank, and many other fitness and performance based methodologies.

The point of the assessment – outside of the obvious – is for the client/athlete to prove to me that they can perform said movements correctly and without causing further harm.

With regards to the deadlift, the results of their assessment – outside of providing information on any imbalances or any glaring deficits that may exist – is going to tell me which variation of the deadlift I’m going to start them on.

Not everyone is meant to (or should) walk into the gym on day one and conventional deadlift.  Truth be told: the conventional deadlift is the most advanced variation of the deadlift, and I rarely start an athlete or client there.

If someone has a cranky lower back or anterior knee pain (or both), it may be wise to start them on a trap (or hex) bar deadlift.  Because the body is placed inside the bar, there’s less shear on the spine.  Likewise, the trap bar (like most DL variations) require a more vertical tibia which will feel significantly better on the knees.

Looking a bit deeper, if someone has a deficit in ankle dorsiflexion or needs a crowbar to loosen up their hips, having them attempt to get all the way down to the bar for a conventional deadlift is going to be compromising.

Instead it may be more advantageous to have them perform a Sumo style deadlift – maybe even elevated slightly depending on the severity of their limitation.

The point is: not all deadlift variations are created equal, and it’s important to consider what will be the right fit based off of one’s body-type, experience, limitations, and injury history.

2.  Tension, Tension, Tension!

One instantaneous red-flag I’ll notice with many people deadlifting is when I see their hips rise too quickly when initiating the pull. Like this:

Kelly Starrett mentioned this same concept in his book Becoming a Supple Leopard, but when this happens it’s generally a failure to get (and maintain) TENSION!!!  You could also make the same argument whenever you see someone initiate their pull and they turn into a “scared cat” with their back rounding like crazy.

The deadlift is a bit more than just “bending over and picking up a bar.”  I like to tell trainees that the hips and shoulders should “break” synchronously.  Meaning there should be a synergistic dance or interplay between the hips and shoulders.  If the hips break first or come up too fast in relation to the upper body, we just need to slow things down a tad and get more tension.

Lack of tension = an energy leak, and that’s the last thing you want when trying to pull heavy things off the ground.

Here’s a checklist I like to follow:

1.  Hinge back – pushing your butt back towards the wall – as if you’re performing an RDL – until your hands reach the bar.

2.  Once there, you’ll grab the bar with one hand and pull the “slack out.”  Basically, you’re going to activate or engage your lat and posteriorly tilt the scapulae, which will provide a ton more stability/tension.

3.  You’ll then repeat the same process with the other hand.

Note:  a more simplified and less geeky way of explaining things is to pretend you have an orange in your armpit and that you’re trying to squeeze out some orange juice.

This cue will ensure all of the above:  lats will be engaged, scapulae will posteriorly tilt, and the chest will be up.

4.  In order to maintain tension in the hamstrings (kind of important for deadlifting big weight) the hips should stay somewhat high (this will vary for numerous people, but they should never be above the shoulders), and you should think about “pressing” or “pushing” yourself way from the floor – generating force INTO THE FLOOR. Like this:

Notice how, compared to the first video, the hips and shoulders have more of a timed interplay?

This is what’s “ideal” and will result in better deadlifting performance for most people.

Just two things to ponder.  Cheerio!