[youtube width="640" height="390"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DchUE6Wy67s&t=2m23s[/youtube]
There are a few critical things you want to do that will help strengthen YOUR Deadlift. Notice I put the CAPS on. Some of these tips will need to be tweaked for YOU. That happens when YOU get in there and LIFT.
Less Reading, MORE Lifting.
Every MAN should have a Strong Deadlift.
EVERY MAN.....
A 2 x bodyweight deadlift should be the minimum goal. Let's get after it....
- Work all types of rows with heavy weights AND high reps. Whenever I slack on my arsenal of go to rowing movements my lats don't have the strength to help me deadlift heavier AND faster. I've seen guys deadlift and get stuck because they do NOT train the back heavy outside of deadlifts. Strong lats build the deadlift.
[youtube width="640" height="390"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utmQXXVQfqc[/youtube]
- Don't max out too often. For me, I will test a heavy single, but NOT a max single, every 6 weeks or so. Rule of thumb: Kill The Deadlift & The Deadlift Will Kill you.
- Use submax efforts on the deadlift. Focus on moderately heavy weights and always leave a rep or 2 in the tank. Re-read the above tip.
- Squat. Yep, use squats to increase lower body and low back strength to up your deadlift. Too much focus on the deadlift will leave you with an injury in no time. We use MANY squat variations at The Underground as well as on my own. They ALL improve the deadlift.
- If you're advanced, test your grip on the lighter sets and Use a double overhand grip until you reach your heavy sets. If you're not advanced stick to over - under grips. A strong man has Strong hands.... AND a strong back. Period.
- Attack your posterior with various kettlebell exercises and good ol' backside bodybuilding movements.
- LEARN from others. Have others look at your technique. Read how other strong men train, learn from them, experiment on yourself, use what works for YOU.
That's it, a short n' sweet list to help you up the deadlift, one of the "Manliest" exercises anyone can do.
If you've got tips to add, please drop a comment.
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Peace!
--Z--
Learn How To Get Strong As A MoFo From One of The Strongest Men Who Ever Lived.
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21 Responses
Hey Zach,
Great stuff! These are things I need to be doing more of as a college wrestler. My question is do you throw RDL’s in your training? I feel the most sore from RDL’s and Glute Ham raises but I don’t know if RDL’s will build muscle for my hamstrings which are still a weakness.
Thanks!
@Derek Moe: I used to KILL RDLs when I was younger, I did them every other time after squat workouts working up to 385 or 405 for 3 – 5 reps
I haven’t done them in a looooong time, but if they work for you keep at em’
I did these a year ago and Istvan Javorek told me to explode upward and finish w/ a shrug when doing RDLs
Depends on your goals!
Wohaa, that’s some heavy sh*t!!! By the way the adidas man is helping the big guy doing his deadlift! … just kidding. Awesome! Thanx for the support, i’ll do my very best :-).
Some great tips mate. I am working on trying to be able to deadlift twice my body weight (360 pounds)for 5 reps. I’m about 30 pounds off at the moment. Will incorporate some of these tips to see if it helps me achieve my goal.
@Niko: keep us posted, brutha! Maybe I will do a FAST interview with someone in the PL world on upping the DL to get some more details here!
Zach,
Great article bro! Here are my contributions:
-Heavy Chins for upper back development
-Squat in ALL forms! Front squat, back squat, box squat, pause squat, zercher squat. If you’ve just been back squatting for awhile change it up!
-Learn to strain. A good heavy deadlift probably isn’t just going to jump off the ground for you. Learn to stay tight and strain through a sticking point.
Derek- I’m obviously not Zach but RDL’s are a personal favorite of mine!
@Trey Potter: awesome shit, brutha, awesome!
I wanted to mention weighted chinups, static deadlift holds w/submaximal weight for time, and Farmers Walks. I personally have always attributed my trap development and deadlifting ability to my focus on Holding Heavy Stuff for Time. Ive never been one that focused on shrugs for trap development. I believe that developing strength in the upper back helps support and pull the lift straight through to the top without having to grind through around the knees and risk injury. I usually get it or dont get it off the ground. Not much inbetween.
Don’t for get to add in heavy cable pull throughs. They are an excellent way to work the posterior chain, and also provide great training at the hip hinging pattern need for a safe and powerful deadlift 😉
Great article Z! I feel like squats do help, but more front squat than back squats. But to take it even further, for me, zercher squats sent my deadlift to big numbers in a small amount of time, as the bar is placed lower than usual, and thus drags you to bend over, kind of like with a deadlift, so your core works to stabilize your spine and overall posture.
Here is what I often do : 6 sets of front/zercher squats, working up to a 3reps at around 90%, then 3-4sets of 3 speed deadlift, then off with the assistance 1leg work.
Ahhh,
the deadlift…
Ya’ll ever see the movie Stephen King’s “It”? “He stared into its “Deadlights”. Anybody who’s ever maxed out on an extremely heavy deadlift probably saw the world through its deadlights. Haha!
There is no greater exercise that I value more than the deadlift. I know i mention this all the time, but I work in a steel mill. I deadlift all day everyday. It could be 150lbs-300lbs for a good 20-100 reps in a 1-2 hr time span from time to time or several times throughout the day 5 days a week. Sometimes I deadlift a heavy 450-600lb beam to move it a feet or so. **And the shit I lift never ever has a perfect 1.61inch round bar for me to grasp onto.**
This is where Zach and I diverge paths. I lovee doing heavy singles frequently as hell. I believe even the great bob peoples maxed out 3 times a week, but I cannot validate that fact. But as Zach said earlier, what may work for me does not work for everybody else. Singles are my bread and butter when training the deadlift or power cleans of any sort. I do not squat, but I do a lot of dragging heavy weights and pushing heavy weights and especially carrying heavy weights. That has helped tremendously. If my body feels a little ‘unnatural’, I will throw some bodyweight squats or sprints.
Also, those heavy n high reps for the rows…that’s beast mode, dude.
Keep rockin’ it out, Z.
@Dustin M.: thnx, brutha.
You’re a Rare Breed, they said many of the strongest men from the Golden Era worked physical / manual labor: chuck sipes, john grimek, arnold and franco
on the flip side, those high rep DLs that you do, Dr McGill said back injuries are often due to muscular endurance issues of the low back
Interesting that with all your work you can still go heavy, then again, I am NOT surprised, your body has been built to withstand such work
Awesome post, bro, thnx!
Couple other things that may augment/add (I agree 100% w/all points already mentioned, btw) –
1) Like Zach said – a heavy single every 6 weeks but not a max single. I often do conventional/sumo/rack pull/conventional off 4″ box (alternate every week) 6 x 1 @ 65-70% 1RM explosively after Squats on DE day. If you are squatting heavy (ME day) at least once/week with wide stance, you probably can get away with max effort DL’ing once every few weeks, as long as you do some maintenance work. According to Louie’s articles, alot of the Westside crew doesnt do a ME DL day – but typically uses some high-rep rack pulls or speed work or if they do, they rotate the DL in and out as exercise of choice on ME (they seem to prefer GM variants over the DL for ME exercise). But WRT the DL vs squat, it leads me to point #2 –
2) Its not necessarily a “leg” movement – keep your hips high and dont turn the DL into some bastardized version of a squat.
3) Always remember to keep shoulder blades directly ABOVE or slightly IN FRONT, not behind the bar.
4) Dont neglect your grip. Ross (above) touched upon this already and he did a good job of addressing it. Although I disagree about using the double overhand grip for the lighter sets and then switching back to alternate for heavier sets…..Ed Coan said the DL is the most technical of all the lifts and changing grips within the workout may not be a good idea – i use a double overhand grip for all my sessions where my effort is at less than 90% 1RM. Anytime I plan on hitting a ME or one heavy single type day, I use the alternate grip for that whole workout. But like Zach said – that is what works for ME and it may not work for YOU.
Just my $0.02.
@Pauley H.: legit point on grip and Ed Coan. Can I argue with Ed Coan?? NEVER
I’ve begun doing this myself and gotta be careful recommending what I do works for others, NOT the case always
HUGE point regarding subbin deads for squats in reply to a comment
Jim Wendler pointed out that years ago people had BIGGER squats than their DL, now MANY have BIG DLs and they squat 50-75% of their DL, if that
Do NOT neglect squats
I don’t know what I like more about the first video: the location, the pic on the wall, Iron Maiden “Number of the Beast” playing in the background. Ah who am I kidding the lift was awesome!
I have an issue with my knees that keep me from doing back squats, and for years did partial squats. I relied on my deadlift to get the work done, but was limited to 600#, and could not break it. Decided to do front squats and to my amazement due to the weight placement and mechanics I could squat ass to heels without pain. Although I was really weak in the deep position I worked it, and my deadlift went up. Nice one arm row video! Makes a strong back for stones!
@Dustin W.: nice, brutha, I gotta tell ya, I’ve heard of more issues from partial squats then full squats
dude, the old school tunes r legit, and, touch n go on that deadlift! BOOM!
Zach – 2 questions on Deadlifts.
What are your thoughts on the Trap Bar for DL’s vs. Straight Bar? I seem to get a way better grip on the Trap Bar and can generally lift almost 30% more weight using it. I also notice that the grip height of the Trap Bar is about an inch or two about the height of the straight bar, which might help explain why I can lift more.
Next question is – do you recommennd alternating the over/under ands when using the straight bar on heavy sets when a double overhand grip just isn’t enough?
Mike
Yes, I def. suggest over under to go heavy, unless U can hook grip HEAVY!!
I use trap bar and straight bar deads to give the body a shock, too much of ONE thing ends up crushing the back = less results!
Never do deadlifts. You can hurt your back so
Bad. I noticed most heavy deadlift men are the fat type guy. Im a pull up freak. I think pull
Ups are squats are the best MEN exercises.
Seekay, that is quite the uneducated comment. It’s a shame to see people talking AND thinking with such a weak mindset and attitude
It’s a shame having a weak mindset and attitude. True. You should think before you post, leave your emotions away and maybe if you ask what happened to me maybe we could all learn something, including myself. 20 years lifting and 30 years training martial arts. Im so sorry my comment is misunderstood.