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19 Tips for the Deadlift

1. Read THIS.  It will change your life.  Well, not really.  But at the very least it will (hopefully) clean up your technique.

2. 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 = 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. Sorry, but your cute little leg extensions and leg curls aren’t going to get the job done.

3. 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, power development, and transference of force throughout the entire body.

And lets not forget: a heavy set of deadlifts will make any woman within a two-block radius spontaneously conceive. True story.

4.  Deadlifts done incorrectly are horrible for your spine. I can’t argue with that.  However, when done correctly – with a neutral spine and proper hip hinge – they’ll do more as far as “bullet proofing” the body than any other exercise.

5.  Speaking of the hip hinge.  This is an excellent drill to learn to groove it.  Just make sure to maintain three point of contact throughout – back of the head, between the scapulae, and the sacrum.  If at any point the stick comes off loses contact with the body, you’re doing it wrong.

6.  Make sure to finish with your hips (hump the bar) with every rep.  One of the biggest mistakes I see trainees make is that they don’t finish the rep with their glutes – their butt just kinda sticks out J-Lo style.

Squeeze those bad boys at the top.  Deadlifts teach the glutes to share the load which will also help spare the spine.

7.  Conversely, at the other end of the spectrum, you have those who compensate with lumbar hyperextension for hip extension:

Yeah, um, don’t do that.

I like to tell people to “finish” with the glutes or to “stand tall.”  Those cues seem to work well for most, but not everyone.

In any case, here’s what a proper “finish” should look like.

Very sexy.

8.  Not every deadlift variation is created equal.  Pick the one that’s right for you.  What’s so great about deadlifts are that they can easily be conformed or “tweaked” to fit the needs of the lifter, and not vice versa.

Trap Bar Deadlifts

– Fantastic for beginners due to less shear loading on spine (center of gravity is INSIDE the bar).

– Elevated handles make it easier for those with hip flexion/ankle restrictions

– MUCH easier to maintain neutral spine due to the bar placement.

SUMO Deadlifts

– Excellent choice for those with mobility restrictions.

– Guys who are built to squat and bench (alligator arms, long torsos) like this version – because they don’t have to work so hard to get as low.

– Wider stance, toes out = easier to maintain neutral spine.

– CAVEAT:  these tend to eat up people’s hips, so I’d be reluctant to include them for more than a few weeks at a time.

Conventional Deadlift

– Although it’s the most recognized, it’s also the most advanced variation (more shear loading on the spine, center of gravity more anterior).

– Trainee MUST have ample ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility in order to get into proper position. If they don’t (which is a lot if you), then tweak the lift as needed either by elevating the bar on mats or maybe reverting to rack pulls.

– Lack of the above will inevitably lead to lumbar flexion, which is a major no-no when using significant loads.

9. I really feel the ideal rep scheme to teach deadlifts is in the 3-5 rep range.  Anything more and technique goes to the crapper and it takes every ounce of will power I have not to want to throw myself in front of a bus.

Stop…………..programming………….high…………..rep…………….deadlifts.

Seriously, stop.

10.  For those who have a little more experience, 5×5 ain’t gonna cut it forever.  If you want to get strong – I mean REALLY strong – you HAVE to include more singles and doubles into the mix.

More specifically, including more lifts at or above 90% (of 1RM) will almost certainly help.

In a nutshell, lifting maximal weight (90%+) has a number of effects:

– Maximum number of motor units are recruited.

– Fastest MU’s are activated.

– The discharge frequency (rate coding) is increased.

– Activity is synchronous.

– Improved coordination between synergistic muscles.

– Potential for future hypertrophy gains. Ie:  loads that used to be heavy are no longer heavy.

– Increased serum testosterone levels.

– Girls will want to hang out with you.  Not proven by science, but it just makes sense.

11.  As far as how to go about setting up a training session utilizing the 90% protocol, here’s the general idea:

Assuming original PR is 300 pounds, the goal for this training session is to get five lifts at 90% and above.

135×5
185×3
225×3
275×1
305×1 (PR! But it was a grinder. The girl on the elliptical is impressed though.)

At this point the trainee has already gotten two lifts above 90% (275, 305), which would mean he needs to get three more lifts in to get to the goal of five. The objective now is to stay at or slightly above 90% (usually in the 90-92% range) and focus on bar speed and NOT missing any lifts.

280×1,1

Follow this with a few fist pumps, pound a protein shake, and then hug someone.

12. Take your shoes off when deadlifting.  Doing so will get you closer to the ground (less distance the bar has to travel), as well as help engage the glutes and hamstrings more (which is what you want anyways).

13. I’ve stated in the past (HERE) that when it comes to weight belts, they should be reserved for more maximal effort lifts. I’m starting to change my mind on this one a bit.  With regards to teaching trainees to “feel” what it’s like to increase intra-abdominal pressure – as well as to teach them get more of a 360 degree expansion – I think utilizing a (loosely fit) weight belt would be ideal here.

Bill Hartman explains this in a little more detail here:

14.  Do you have a hard time deadlifting without rounding your back?  Maybe you need to stiffen it up! Read THIS.

15. For those too lazy to click the link, essentially all I said was to implement more upper back work – horizontal rows – into your weekly repertoire.

Oftentimes the back rounds because it’s weak.  Fix it!

16.  Along the same lines, we can’t discount poor t-spine mobility.  You need to HAMMER it on a daily basis – especially those who are sitting in front of their computers upwards of 10+ hours a day.

17. Include more single leg work into the mix as well.  Oftentimes, especially when working with beginners, a huge monkey wrench that becomes readily apparent is that they have poor kinesthetic awareness.  You can tell them to arch their back all you want, but if they don’t have proper body awareness, you might as well pound you head into a brick wall.

To that end, when coaching cues don’t work, maybe it’s wiser to take a step back from deadlifts and just throw in more single leg work.  Doing so will undoubtedly help get them stronger, but also improve hip stability and core stability to boot.

After a few weeks, try deadliftng again, and I can almost guarantee they’ll nail it.

In reality, though, including more single leg work in general is never a bad idea.

18.  Slow people down!!!! When performing deadlifts, I like to tell people that each rep is its own set.  Meaning, when they pull the bar off the ground, lock it out, and then descend back to the floor, tell them to rest for a second or two (after all, it is a DEADlift, not a bouncelift) and re-adjust their spinal position, get their air, and properly set up for the next rep.

Instead of thinking of it as a set of five repetitions.  Think of it as a set of five separate singles.

19. And finally, watch this video.  I wore my glasses, so I obviously know what I’m talking about.

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I Love Internet Warriors

Two weekends ago, on Easter, while eating steak with Lisa at fancy schmancy restaurant, an idea suddenly popped into my head for a blog post. A blog idea can manifest itself at any given moment – during my commute to work, as I’m watching a movie, etc – but on that particular day, as I bit down on my succulent piece of dead animal flesh, two things came to mind:  1) that my steak was freaking delicious, and 2) why not write a post on the deadlift and describe some of the more common cues I use when coaching it?

Now I expect you are wondering…

“How in the heck did you come up with an idea like that while eating steak?

Don’t ask me how I know you wondering this.** I JUST KNOW!11!!1!

** (Hint:  I am inside your house.)

But though I appreciate your skepticism, truth be told, it was as good of a time as any to come up with a brilliant idea, so I ran with it. Once we got home, after a pit-stop for dessert no less, I jotted down a few notes on a couple of index cards, and a few days later, I wrote 5 Coaching Cues: Deadlift.

On a personal note I felt it was one of the better blog post I had written as of late, and moving forward I have every intention of expanding on the concept and delving into the other big lifts as well – like squats and the bench press.

All told, the post was received well.  There was quite a bit of traffic to the site, and I had a lot of people leave comments saying that they enjoyed it and that it really helped shed some light on a complex topic.

And, as is the case some of the time, there were a few haters, which is all fine and dandy.  I’m used to it, and have long come to the conclusion that you can’t please everyone.  What’s more, I don’t expect everyone to always agree with me, and I actually welcome people to chime in and offer their own perspective on things.  I mean, I’m not that much of a pompous ass to think I’m never wrong.

Cutting the suspense short, I had one reader leave the following knowledge bomb in the comments section in response to my suggestion to “stiffen the upper back” when pulling:

Good luck pulling a deadlift with any sort of real weight without rounding your upper back. Also, pulling back your shoulders? What’s that about?

Normally I just pass off said comments as someone being “kind of douchy,” and I continue on with my life.  But this (callous) comment by some dude who, presumably has never trained a person in his life (since he never offered any explanation or has ever commented on my website prior), rubbed me the wrong way, and really got me fired up.  I just couldn’t ignore it.

First, lets clear the air on the whole “pulling back the shoulders” comment:

Here’s an excerpt from my Much Ado About Deadlifting article from t-nation.com:

“On several occasions I’ve noted that one should retract (pull together) their shoulder blades when setting up for the pull. This stiffens the mid-back, engages the lats (which in turn provides more spinal stability), and activates the thoraco-lumbar fascia, which helps to better transfer force from the lower body to the upper body.

Based on feedback in the LiveSpill as well as various emails I’ve received, this whole “retraction” thing has confused more people than Chaz Bono in a men’s room.

As such, while I still feel that stiffening the upper back and activating the lats is integral for improving the deadlift, I’ve modified my approach. Slightly.

Trying to actively pinch the shoulder blades together while deadlifting just feels awkward. But when I use the phrase, “lock your shoulder blades into place and think about putting them in your back pocket,” it’s like magic, and people get it.

As a result, many of the benefits that I described above come into play. You shorten the lever arm length from the shoulder to the lumbar spine, and you also engage the lats to help protect the lumbar spine and the SI joint. But as a general observation, the pull just “feels” stronger.

Try it out on your next deadlifting day. I can almost guarantee you’ll notice an improvement.”

To summarize the whole shebang:  by “setting” the shoulders and “stiffening” the upper back, one will activate the lats and thoraco-lumbar fascia, which in turn will provide A LOT more stability and help to resist shearing load on the spine.

This isn’t to say, of course, that the upper back won’t round AT ALL during ME lifts – that’s just looney talk.

I’ve said it once, and I’ve said it numerous times – lifting heavy ain’t always going to look pretty. But I sure as hell ain’t gonna coach someone to (purposely) round their back when coaching them through the lift – especially beginner and intermediate lifters.

Advanced lifters get a little more leeway as they’ve trained themselves to stay out of those last 2-3 degrees of end-range motion when lifting with maximal (and sub-maximal) weight.

BUT, for brevity’s sake, lets show that it IS possible.

Here’s CP athlete and Stanford University pitcher, Sahil Bloom, pulling 405 for 10 reps:

David Stanton, another CP athlete and collegiate baseball player, pulling 515×5:

Yet another CP athlete, AJ Wnukowski, repping out 465 lbs plus four chains (which adds an additional 60 lbs at the top):

Here’s female athlete, Becca R (15 when this video was taken), pulling 255 for an easy single:

And while we can sit here and nit pick each of these lifts on a few minor technical aspects like bouncing the weight, not getting the hip through enough, or whatever, not one of them rounded their upper back.

Putting a nail in the coffin (and demonstrating that I practice what I preach), here’s me pulling a PR of 570 lbs:

But the jokes on me, I guess.  You can’t pull “any real weight” without rounding your upper back, right?

I WIN!!!

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5 Coaching Cues: Deadlift

It’s no secret that I love deadlifts.  They rank right up there with Star Wars, my mom, oatmeal, and old GI Joe re-runs  And while I feel the deadlift is one of the more beneficial movements out there in terms of improving performance, muscle growth, and even posture….it’s still something that a lot of trainees have a hard time perfecting.

I give people all the credit in the world for doing them………

….it’s just many don’t do them properly.

Moreover, it can be a very intricate and complex movement to master, and as much as I try, attempting to cover every nook and cranny into one 1200 word blog post is about as easy as quantum physics.

That said, below are some of the more common coaching cues I gravitate towards when attempting to teach it to others. While it’s not an all encompassing list by any means, I do feel the ones highlighted serve as a solid foundation and work wonders in terms of “cleaning up ” technique.

Maybe even yours!

Push the Hips Back

Developing a proper hip hinge pattern can be a cumbersome endeavor for a lot of trainees, as many want to “squat” everything.  The conundrum, it seems, is that there are a lot of trainees and personal trainers (sadly), that feel deadlifts are the same thing as squats.

Einhorn is Finkle and Finkle is Einhorn!!!!!!

While I could sit here and write a five-page dissertation on why this is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard, lets just agree on a few things:

1.  Squats are generally considered more “quad dominant,” while deadlifts on the other hand, are considered more “hip dominant.”  I’m not a huge fan of this distinction because you can easily make a squat more hip dominant in nature (think box squats), but for the sake of brevity, it’s a relevant talking point.

2. Squats generally start with an eccentric loading phase, while deadifts are almost purely concentric.

3.  And, most important of all, regarding trunk, hip, and knee angles, significant differences between the lifts are readily apparent.  In a nice summary titled Differences in the Squat and Deadlift in the Journal of Pure Power (V.5, Number 2, April 2010), the scientists noted that squats produced a more linear relationship between the hip and knee angles, “illustrating a more synergistic and simultaneous movement.”

The deadlift, however, showed three distinct phases defined by dominant joint action at the knees during lift off, the hips with the barbell at knee height, and both knees and hips during lockout.

So, in summary:  a deadlift IS NOT A SQUAT!!!!!!!

Capiche?  Good!

Back to the topic at hand:  the hip hinge.  This cue comes into play throughout the entire movement, from the set-up to the descent.

In terms of the set-up, I like to tell people to stand up right against the bar and to then push their hips back (as if there were a rope around their waist and someone was standing behind them pulling the rope back).  Essentially, one would be performing a romanian deadlift – feeling significant tension in the hamstrings – until their hands are able to grab the bar.

Many trainees make the mistake of breaking with their knees and “squatting” down to the bar. This is wrong.  Instead, think about pushing the hips back.

“Pull” the Chest Tall

Pulling the chest tall encourages the trainee to get into t-spine extension, which in turn demonstrates that he or she can resist shear loading of the spine.

Once someone’s hands get to the bar, I usually like to say “use the bar to pull your chest tall.”  Meaning, they’ll literally use the bar to set themselves into proper position.

Taking it a step further, if I’m standing directly in front of them and their shirt happens to have a logo of some sort – a team logo, a New Balance emblem, a picture of the Jonas Brothers (don’t worry, I won’t judge) – I want to see that logo when they set up.

The chest shouldn’t be parallel to the floor, but rather more upright.  An adjunct to this would be to think “chest tall, hips down.”  So, as one pulls their chest tall, the hips will come down simultaneously. From there, they’ll be in a solid position to pull.

“Stiffen” the Upper Back

This could arguably be the most crucial of the bunch.  As I noted above, resisting shear load is kind of important when deadlifting.

Pulling a bar off the ground with a rounded upper back is a recipe for disaster, but unfortunately, it’s par for the course whenever you walk into a commercial gym.

Using the cue “pull the chest tall” is often helpful, but sometimes trainees don’t have the kinesthetic awareness to “feel” what their back is doing.  You can tell someone to arch their back, and they’ll think they’re doing it, but it will still look similar to the picture to the right.

To “stiffen” the upper back, I may just tell them to place their shoulder blades in their back pocket and to “set” their shoulders in place.  Truth be told, this cue often works in unison with pulling the chest tall.

As a pair, those two cues should place an individual in a solid starting position to pull (see pic above in the previous section).

Tuck the Chin

Too, as much as we’re concerned with keeping the entire backside in a neutral (arched) position, we also need to be cognizant of neck position.

If you watch a vast majority of people set up to deadlift, you’ll invariably see them end up looking up or straight ahead, cranking their neck into hyper-extension, kinda like this:

Please, stop doing this.

I like to tell people to find a spot that’s roughly 10-15 feet in front of them, and to keep their eyes fixated on that point throughout the entire set.

Another cue I like to use in this instance is “your head should follow the hinge.”  In other words, during the set-up, your entire back side – from head to sacrum – should make a straight line.  Oftentimes, during the lockout, people will still think I want them to look straight down, which isn’t the case at all.

During lockout your head should be upright and your entire backside should still make a straight line (you’re looking 10-15 feet a head of you).  Then, on the descent, your head will follow the hinge.  As you push your hips back, your head/neck will still stay in line with the actual hinge.

I think that makes sense. If it doesn’t, too bad……;o)

Hump the Bar (Hips Through)

Another common mistake that many trainees make is not “finishing” the movement.  At lockout, you’ll often see one of two scenarios:

1.  No hip extension what-so-ever, and they don’t squeeze their glutes at the top.

2.  HYPER extension – because they’re not using their glutes, they substitute lumbar extension for hip extension……….and their spine cries.

It’s a double edged sword in both scenarios, because in each instance the glutes don’t come into play at all.

Luckily there’s an easy fix. As one comes to lockout, simply tell them to squeeze their glutes and “hump the bar.”

For those in the former (no hip extension), this will serve as a vital cue to use.  Squeezing the glutes at the top will provide more posterior pelvic tilt and help to finish in a more optimal position.

For those in the latter, however (hyper extension), because their glutes don’t fire properly and they’re compensating with excessive lumbar extension, you may need to take a more of hands-on approach and show them where to stop.

Either way, in both cases, squeezing the glutes (humping the bar) will bode in their favor.

And Now You’re (Hopefully) Less Sucky

There are numerous cues I like to use when teaching the deadlift, but these five tend to be the ones that stick out the most.  Sure, we can talk about taking slack out of the bar, foot placement, not destroying the back of your pants, and other more pertinent cues…..but like I noted above, the five above serve as a fantastic foundation and will set a lot trainees up for success.

Have your own cues you find useful?  Share them below in the comments section!

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Stiffen Up Your Deadlift

There are many things in this world that I love.   My family, friends, and girlfriend come to mind first and foremost, obviously.  But, since I’m on the topic, I might as well take the opportunity and throw in a few more things to boot:

My readers – seriously, I can’t thank you enough

Omelets

My fan that I sleep with everynight as background noise

Puppy dog kisses

The perfect pump – you know, when you ‘re pumping gas and you stop EXACTLY on the number you want.  Yeah, that’s awesome.

The Daily Show

Turning on the tv and randomly coming across a Star Wars marathon

When some idiot cuts you off on the highway and then speeds off, only to pass him five miles down the road because he’s been pulled over by a police car.

Beef jerky

Alicia Keys

And, not that I even need to say it – considering how often I blabber on about them – but I also heart deadlifts.  I love talking about them.  I love writing about them.   And I especially love coaching them.

The latter, of course, is where I want to direct my attention towards today.   You see, amongst other things – building overall strength along with general badassesery for starters – deadlifts are arguably one of the most valuable exercises in existence.  I mean, not only do they carry over to a multitude of real lift qualities (everything from picking up a bag of groceries to explosive power and strength for sport), but deadlifts also serve as a fairly powerful corrective tool as well.

Name me another movement that simultaneously targets ankle dorsiflexion, strengthens the glutes and hamstrings (which in turn helps reduce the risk of ACL injuries and helps counteract things like anterior pelvic tilt), teaches neutral spine and helps alleviate sheer forces, works grip strength (which can have an influence on rotator cuff health), not to mention forces people to learn how to “hip hinge” and stiffens the upper back?

And those are just the things I thought of at the top of my head!  All by myself!

Not to toot my own horn (okay, maybe a little), but I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll never walk into Cressey Performance and see an athlete or client performing a deadlift with less than suspect technique.  A few reps might fall through the cracks here and there, but for the most part, there’s always a coach standing right there to offer cues when necessary.

Chest up, hips down!

Lock your shoulder blades!

Get tension in the hammies!

Big air!

Get your hips through at the top, and squeeze those glutes!

Sit back!  Push your hips back on the descent!

In addition to the above popular cues (which work for 90% of trainees out there), as I noted HERE, it’s also beneficial to be a little more hands-on with clients and “mold” them into the positions you want them to be in.    For some, they just don’t have the kinesthetic awareness to “feel” what their body is doing in space and they just need a little nudge here and a little prodding there to give them some feedback to get into proper position.

That said, however, sometimes you have to think outside the box and recognize what one’s weak link is in order to remedy the problem.  Using an obvious example, lets take someone who just can’t seem to prevent their UPPER back from rounding during a deadlift – especially on the descent.

While verbal cueing and positioning will work nine times out of ten, sometimes it’s just a matter of recognizing that their upper back is weak and we need to build some stiffness in that area.   Sure, grooving deadlift technique and getting quality reps in will help, but in addition to that, I’d be more inclined to really (and I mean, REALLY) hammer some horizontal rowing.

Look at it from this point of view:  some trainees have been sitting in front of a computer screen for 20 years.  So, if you think about it, many trainees have been sitting in flexion ever since McGyver started saving the world with duct tape and a pair of tweezers.  It shouldn’t come as any surprise, then, that many have really short pecs and really weak/inhibited scapular retractors.

It goes without saying that a healthy dose of dedicated t-spine mobility work would be in high order, as would some additional soft-tissue work for the pecs.

For a lot of trainers and coaches, it stops there.  That’s not a bad thing, and is certainly a step above what many would do in the same situation – but what about taking it a step further and throwing in some additional rowing movements?

HINT:  you should throw in some more rowing movements.

Honestly, much like thoracic mobility, I feel people really can’t get enough horizontal rowing movements into their repertoire.  I’m actually not opposed to throwing in some form of it into every day programming for some individuals.

One day I may have someone perform some light seated rows.  The next, I may have him or her toss in some heavier 1-arm DB rows.

Likewise, later in the week, I’m not opposed to other variatios such as chest supported rows, TRX rows, face pulls, t-bar rows, whateve, being thrown into the mix.  The point is, for most trainees, increasing upper back strength – and subsequently, upper back stiffness – will undoubtedly help improve not only their deadlift technique, but their performance as well.

Make no mistake about it:  there are NUMEROUS things that come into play when trying to clean up someone’s deadlift technique, but I feel that this is one (blatantly obvious) component that’s often overlooked.

Are you feeling that or what?

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 8/10/2011

First off, I want to thank everyone for the kind words and for supporting the initial launch of Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body yesterday.  In reality, however, all the kudos should go towards Rick Kaselj who’s the mastermind behind it all – the man behind the curtain if you will.   So far, feedback has been great and Rick has gone out of his way to provide people with a bunch of awesome bonuses during the initial launch.

For instance, those who purchased yesterday received a presentation that Rick did on “Advance Training Concepts in Exercise Rehabilitation of the Rotator Cuff.”  Likewise, for those who purchase Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body today, you’ll receive information on a VIP Coaching Call where you’ll have the opportunity to call in and take part in a Q&A session with all the contributors.  And, who knows:  maybe I’ll sweeten the deal and offer to bust out my rendition of R. Kelly’s “Ignition” for the hell of it.  Parts I AND II.

Rick, if you’re reading, that needs to happen!

And that’s that.  Oh, and before I forget, be sure to check back tomorrow because both myself and fellow contributor (and current newlywed), Dean Somerset, will be running a cross-interview we did with one another discussing everything from MIRU to my affinity for Star Wars references.  It’s pretty awesome.  The interview, I mean.

Anyhoo, here’s some stuff to read:

3 Deadlifting Tips You May Have Never Heard Before – Brendon Rearick

Admittedly, I’ve touched on the whole “packing the neck” thing in previous posts and articles, but Brendon brings to light two other concepts that I had never thought of before, which I felt were VERY cool.

And speaking of deadlifts – and not to overshadow Brendon’s article or anything – here’s a video of me pulling 505 lbs for eight reps yesterday.

Tank wasn’t impressed, it seems.  Jerk!

5 Ways the Nutrition Field Hinders Its Own Progress – Andy Bellatti, RD

All in all a fantastic, real, look into some of the more common ways the industry trips over its own feet.  The best part, though, was the last few paragraphs where Andy kinda-sorta calls out the ADA – the same organization he’s affiliated with.  Nevertheless, it’s nice to know that there are some independent thinkers out there who aren’t ADA zombies.

Teach Your Female Personal Training Clients to Train Like Men – Neghar Fonooni

I’ve never met Neghar in person (pictured above), but I’ve read enough of her stuff to know that I’d definitely include her on my list of “Badass Females Whom I’d Like to Give a High Five.”

In my ten years experience as a fitness professional, I have encountered a handful of intrinsically motivated females. There are some who train purposefully, fearlessly and intentionally. Most, however, have required some convincing, and it is through the power of persuasion that I have had the unique pleasure of watching countless women experience a paradigm shift.

And that, in a nutshell, is what Neghar is all about.  And I can dig that.

 

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Q and A: The Road to a 400 lb Deadlift?

Q:  I know you are a busy guy but I thought you might be open to hearing from a long time reader and big time fan (not to mention a Canadian).

Today was max deadlift day. We use a 8-5-3-1 progression. I must admit I’m a beginner to heavy lifting so my numbers are a bit sub par, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right? After reading about Cressey Performance’s ideology that any fit male should be able to pull a 400 deadlift with a little focus in training, I figure I have a lot to look forward to.

8 x 225
5 x 275
3 x 295
1 x 315

While I was able to pull 315 for a single, it came after two failed attempts and ended up being an ugly rep at that.

I guess I am just looking for some advice on how to progress towards a heavy single and perhaps how you would handle this as a coach. Would you see two fails and get a client to drop weight? If so by know much? 5,10lbs.

A:  As always, thanks for reaching out and for the kind words.  And, for the record, I have nothing against Canadians.   Even though I live in Boston, and the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens are aboot (ha! Sorry) to butt heads in the first round of the NHL playoffs, I could care less.  I’m not really a hockey fan anyways, so there’s no love lost on my end.

Besides, how can I make fun of a guy whose country has produced the likes of Elisha Cuthbert

and Rachel McAdams?

Okay, I’m going to break this down in list format because 1) I like lists, and 2) It’s  my blog, and I feel like it.

1.  I have a hard time understanding how you can call it a “max effort” deadlift day when you’re performing eight reps!  To me, that’s cardio.

2.  What’s more, lets break the numbers down to better illustrate my point.  You mentioned that you’ve been following a 8-5-3-1 format – okay, so, by the time you actually attempted a heavy single, you had already lifted a combined total of 4,060 lbs.

Comparatively, lets use myself as an example:  here’s how I personally approach a max effort lift.

We won’t count the reps at 135 lbs

225 x 3

315 x 3

405 x 1

465 x 1

495 x 1

??? x  try not to destroy the back of my pants

If you crunch the numbers, by the time I even attempt anything above 500 lbs (my best pull is 570 lbs), I’ve only lifted a combined total of 2,985 lbs.

4,060 (you) – 2,985 (me) = 1,075 lbs MORE tonnage.

3.  No wonder you missed your first two attempts – you were gassed by the time you got there!

Moreover, if you look at your increments, you did 295 for three reps, and then bumped it up 20 lbs and missed (twice), before hitting an (admittedly) ugly rep.  That shouldn’t happen, and just demonstrates that your approach needs a little tweaking.

Tweak Away

  • You’re not strong enough yet to be missing reps (let alone multiple times).  So, stop it.  One of the biggest mistakes I see a lot of trainees make (particularly those who are new to lifting with heavier loads) is missing lifts on a regular basis.  The rationale is to GO HEAVY OR GO HOME.  While I can respect the mentality, you’re really doing nothing but frying your CNS (Central Nervous System) and accomplishing nothing other than not moving any weight.
  • Ditch the 8-5-3-1 format.  To be blunt, it’s retarded.
  • Oh, snap – Evangeline Lilly is from Canada, too.  Just an FYI
  • At this point – given your 1RM is 315 lbs – I’d be reluctant to do any dedicated work above 90%.  Something tells me you’d be best to stick with heavy triples and ensure your technique is rock solid.
  • That said, for the next few months, I’d stick with your basic progressive overload template and just make sure you’re adding 5-10 lbs on your LAST set each month.

So, it may look something like this:

Week 1: 5×3

Warm-Up

135×5
185×3
205×3
225×1

Work Sets

250×3
250×3
250×3
265×3
265×3

Week 2: 5×3

Same warm-up as above

Work Sets

250×3
265×3
265×3
265×3
275×3

Hopefully you get the general idea.  You may very well be able to start with more weight, but I was just using this as an example.  Just try to make a concerted effort to add a liiiiiitle more weight to the bar each and every week.

I have no doubts that if you follow this format, you’ll be pulling multiple sets of 315 for triples in no time.  Once there, then (maybe) we can start opening up the discussion to incorporating heavy singles into the equation (90% + of your 1RM) and charge towards that 400 lb mark.  But until then, keep it simple, use progressive overload (hey, it works!), hit ALL your reps, and tell Evangeline I said hello.

Hope that helps!

CategoriesUncategorized

Deadlift Dissection

Q:  I dunno if this is something you’ve done before.  I figured since you piss excellence that you would be a good person to go to for a deadlift dissection.  I am currently in week 3 of phase 2 of Show and Go, and just pulled some sumo deadlift singles. It felt good; looks okay; I know there is always room for improvement.  Any suggestions, other than “eat more kale”?

A:  First off, well played on the kale reference!  For those not in the loop – THIS may help explain things.

Secondly, when puling with close to max effort weight, the rules almost always go out the window.  I don’t care who you are, if you’re able to keep impeccable form during a max effort lift, you’re not pulling nearly heavy enough.  That being said, your technique, while not remotely horrible, does warrant some comments.

  • You’re spending far too long setting up.  By my count, roughly twelve seconds passed from the time you grabbed the bar until you actually exerted effort and pulled.  You’re not doing long division here.  Get your air, grip the bar, and rip it!  There’s something to be said about utilizing the stretch shortening cycle (elastic energy of the muscles), and the longer you spend contemplating, the less likely you’ll be able to take advantage of it.
  • Although, in truth, I’m kinda in a similar boat as yourself.  I too tend to do that whole “hip bobbing” routine before I pull.  But, in your case, I think you’re taking a lot away from your lift by taking foooooooorever getting ready.  Speed it up a bit.  I’m willing to bet you’ll notice a vast improvement.
  • Moving forward, iF you pause the video at the 35- second mark, you notice almost immediately that your hips come up first.  It’s subtle, but it’s there.  When this happens, I Iike to tell people to try to get their ass into it more.  Meaning, stiffen up your upper back, really (and I mean REALLY) push your hips back and sit down into the stretch until you feel significant tension in your glutes/hammies.  From there, “press or push” yourself away from the floor through your heels.  Doing so will undoubtedly get the posterior chain (namely, your ass) involved more – which is what you want.
  • Lastly, I could be overly nitpicky here and say that you could get your hips through sooner, but I’d just be clutching at straws at this point.  All in all it was a fantastic pull, and I think 405 is right around the corner.

UPDATE:  Whoa whoa, whoa, and whoa – I just watched the video with the sound turned on and noticed a serious lack of Wu-Tang Clan or Godsmack playing in the background.  Listen, just like everyone else out there, I think JT is one talanted bastard.  But lets be clear:  He in no way should be playing over the stereo during a max effort lift.  Jesus, I think my sperm count just went down by 47%.  Come on man, lets get with the program here!

CategoriesUncategorized

A Little Consistency Never Hurt Anyone

The other day I was watching one of our athletes squat, and noticed he was having a little trouble.  Okay, maybe a lot of trouble. Alright, truth be told, I felt like pouring battery acid into my eyes, it was that bad – but, whatever.

Now, I could have been super anal and pointed out 18 different things that were wrong:  get your air, keep your chest tall, pull the bar down, sit back, push your knees out, eyes forward, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

But, in the end, all that would really accomplish is nothing other than to make him feel frustrated, confused, and not a real big fan of mine from the coaching side of things.

So, instead, what I decided to do was to focus on one (maybe two) things that I felt were the biggest “redflags and that’s it.  While it sounds counterintuitive, by ONLY working on one thing at a time, many of the other issues tend to fix themselves automatically.

For example, on his very next set all I told him to do was “focus on keeping your chest out (or tall).  Pretend you’re on a beach, and there are a bunch of hot chicks playing volleyball and/or giving each other tickle fights – show them that steel plate you have for a chest.”

By focusing on that one thing, he was then able to get decent thoracic extension and maintain a better arch throughout his next set.  Success!  I’m awesome.

Looking at the broader picture, though, it comes down to consistency and having a routine.   Sure we can break down every lift to the most mundane detail, but I watch some of our guys or even random people at commercial gyms train, and see no consistency.  More specifically, no two sets look the same:  one set they’re setting up one-way, and the next, it looks completely different – either their foot placement is off, or maybe they’re looking in a different direction altogether.  There’s no focus, and that’s a problem.

Bluntly speaking, how do you expect to build rock solid technique if, on every other set, there’s no continuity and things are completely out of whack?

Lets use myself as an example.  Here’s my first warm-up set with 145 lbs on the trap bar deadlift from the other day:

NOTE:  I wouldn’t crank this one too loud if you’re at work due to the background music – EAR MUFFS!!!

Now take a look at my first “work set” at 450 lbs (which was done after going 235×3, 325×3, 415×3 on subsequent warm-up sets):

And, here’s my last work set at 570 lbs:

Note:  Yes, I realize I didn’t get my hips though quite all the way on those reps.  Yes, I’m calling myself out.  Yes, I’m still one sexy bastard either way.

Every set was the same:  how I approached the bar, how I adjusted my feet, where I kept my arms, how many breaths I took before descending, hell, even my little Jack Parkman butt wiggle that makes all the ladies swoon (props if you get that reference) stayed consistent with every set. 

So, the question then becomes:  are YOU being consistent?