Ahh the deadlift. One of the true tests of strength. Many people pride themselves on how much weight they can pull from the floor. I know I am one of them. However, most people are not achieving their full potential in this lift. The deadlift, when done properly, can improve total body strength and development as well as athletic performance. When done improperly it can lead to severe injury. Here are 10 personal tips for a stronger and safer deadlift.
1) Proper Warm-up
I cannot stress enough how important a proper warm-up is before any kind of workout. So many people go to the gym, do a few light, high rep sets, and think they are ready to lift heavy. THAT’S NOT A PROPER WARM-UP!!!!! You need to warm-up without weight first. Do not do static stretching, as it will actually take away from your strength. Instead perform a dynamic warm-up focusing on the hamstrings, knees, quads, entire hip complex and back muscles, particularly the spinal erectors. Once this is done you can get into your light sets and work your way up to your heavy sets. A sample warm-up would look like this:
Air Squat x 15
Walking lunge with Knee Pull to Chest x 10 each leg
Alternating stationary side lunge x 10 each side
Side to side leg swing x 10 each leg
Frankenstein kicks x 10 each leg
Hip raises/bridges x 10
Fire hydrants x 10 each leg
Bird Dogs x 10 each side
Scorpions x 10 each side
Leg extensions 2×20 (light, to warm up VMO)
2) Foot Placement
Foot placement can make or break your deadlift very easily. I’m talking about a standard deadlift here, not sumo or RDL or any other variation. I have found through a lot of experimentation and great advice from competitive power lifters that the best food placement is right under your hips. This is where you will generate the most power. A wider stance may feel slightly more comfortable at first but you will still not be able to create the torque and power through the hips that you can with a slightly narrower stance.
3) Spread the Floor
You’ve probably heard this saying used with squats, but it holds value for deadlifts as well. As you begin your pull the last thing you want (besides a rounded back) is for your knees to buckle inwards. By pushing your knees apart through your lift you will do 2 things: keep your knees straight, and create torque in the hips which will make your lift stronger. By letting your knees move inward you are letting your adductors take over and you are losing all of your power. Pushing the knees out recruits your abductors, most importantly your gluteus medius, and allows you to create more power through your hips and takes pressure off of your fragile knees.
4) Keep the bar close
First, pull the bar right up to your shins. When I say this I mean literally touch the bar to your shins. That’s how close to the bar you should be at the beginning of your lift. This will lessen the chance of the weight getting away from you which would cause you to A) potentially hurt your back and B) not complete your lift do to a leverage disadvantage. You can usually tell a good dead lifter by his shins. If he has scrapes and scars up the front of his shins he probably lifts right. Don’t be afraid to bleed! I’ve gone through many leg workouts after deadlifts with blood running down my shins. Think of it this way; it’s better than a herniated disk!
5) Don’t build up tension
Many people approach the bar and get into their position to pull and sit there for several seconds before they actually lift. All you are doing is creating tension in your muscles and expending excess energy. Take your grip on the bar, keep your legs straight or slightly bent, head down, pull the bar close and get psyched up. When you are ready to lift sink into your position and pull.
6) Drive through your heels
You should never be deadlifting from your toes for several reasons. 1) You cannot generate much force by pushing through your toes. 2) You are at a complete disadvantage from a leverage standpoint. 3) You will destroy your knees. Sit back on your heels through the entire lift.
7) Take a deep breath
This one is simple but highly over looked. Right before you lift take a nice deep breath of air. This will not only supply your muscles with oxygen during your lift but your full lungs will support your upper back and your diaphragm will be pushed down to help support your mid and low back. Try not to exhale too early as you need all the support you can get during heavy lifts.
8) KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT
This one is in all CAPS because I see guys doing deadlifts all the time with rounded backs. STOP! If you cannot keep your back straight or do not understand how to do it you should not be deadlifting. Period. 1) You are putting yourself at serious risk of injury such as a herniated disk or pulled muscle. 2) Your lift will suffer greatly. You cannot lift very much weight just with your lower spinal erectors, which is essentially what you are trying to do when you lift with a rounded back. You should keep your head up, shoulders back, push your chest out and try to arch your lower back. This will straighten you out. Then try to maintain that position through your lift.
9) Pull, don’t jerk
Your lift should be smooth. You will notice a small amount of “play” or “slack” in the bar before you lift. You need to pull that out before actually lifting. As you are getting psyched up for you lift you should be gently pulling on the bar to take out that slack. As you sink into position and begin to lift it should be smooth and controlled, never a jerking motion. You will only hurt your back by trying to jerk the weight up. The initial goal is not speed it’s getting the weight off of the ground. From there you build momentum. Think of it like this; if a truck is pulling a 5 ton trailer and you stomp on the gas you will not move very far. You will just spin your tires. However, if you ease into the gas and get the trailer moving you can accelerate as you go. The same holds true for deadlifts.
10) Hips, hips, hips
You MUST use your hips. You will never lift a significant amount of weight if you extend your knees and then your back. You must do both at the same time which really means you need to focus on hip movement. As you begin your lift you should be pushing your chest out and at the same time pushing your hips forward. You should not be thinking about extending your knees and back. Just focus on moving your hips forward. By doing this your knees and back have to extend, only at the same time rather than individually. The more muscles you can get working together at the same time the stronger you will be.
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