Powerlifting - The Dead Lift

The deadlift brings almost every muscle group in the body into play, with the spinal erectors and hamstrings being the main prime movers. The traditional style deadlift begins with a loaded barbell resting on the floor. The lifter steps close to the barbell with feet shoulder width apart. As the lifter squats down to grip the bar the hips should be as close to the bar as possible, the lower back arched and the bar very close to the shins. The shoulder blades should not be pulled back and together as some suggest, this merely increases the distance to pull the weight and over stresses the trapezius. In fact the shoulders should be slightly rounded. The hips should not be too low to the ground in the start position. Many people make the mistake of starting low, and it results in a large amount of wasted movement as their hips travel back up to the point where the weight actually starts to leave the floor.From this start position, as much air as possible should be drawn into the belly (not the chest as expanding the rib cage increases lifting distance) before using leg and back power to lift upwards. The deadlift has the lifter and the weight in a kind of pendulum, the weight is pushing down and pulling the lifter forward whilst the lifter is leaning back and lifting the weight up. This counterbalancing needs to be understood before attempting a lift. To lift that weight you have to pull the bar back and lean backwards into the lift. At first it may feel as if you will fall backwards but this wont happen as the barbell will balance you out. The way to achieve this pulling back of the bar is to drive the weight through your heels, keep your shoulders behind the bar and keep your eyes focused on a spot a few metres above eye level. During the lift, back and legs should work synergistically to create one smooth movement. Many people who do not master the proper technique first lock out their legs then peform the last part of the motion with their back alone (as in a stiff legged deadlift). This is not only dangerous for the lower back with heavy weights but it would also fail in a competition as it counts as two movements. To successfully complete the lift, the lifter must pull the bar back and up far enough that they lock out in an upright position with shoulders pulled back. This is most successfully completed by thrusting the hips forward to bring both the bar and shoulders backwards. As in the Bench Press, when the bar is being lifted it must at no time start to lower back down again else the lift will not count.

The alternative method of deadlifting is the ’sumo’ deadlift - so called because the only major difference is a sumo style wide stance. In the sumo version, the feet are placed up to two shoulder widths apart and the arms hang imbetween the legs. There are several biomechanical advantages to this version, the biggest being a shorter distance through which to lift the bar and not having to bend the torso so far forward. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference and which the individual finds easier to perform.

Stretch Reflex - Discussed in more detail in the bench press section, the stretch reflex is an important consideration for powerlifters. When a muscle is stretched close to its maximum, it contracts forcefully - this is called the stretch reflex. In other words, during the eccentric phase of a lift as the weight is lowered, the prime movers are stretched and at the bottom of this phase the stretch reflex aids in making the muscles contract and lift the weight back up. In the deadlift, there is no eccentric portion of the repetition because you lift the bar from a dead stop, you don’t lower it then lift it. Therefore there is no real stretch reflex. It is argued that by rocking the hips slightly a small stretch reflex can be created, but this is unlikely to make a large difference to the lift. For dynamic strength there is no greater test than the deadlift.

A Typical Training Program For Deadlift

A common mistake in the deadlift is to try to train heavy all of the time. Many lifters rarely do more than four repetitions of the lift. Training at submaximal levels will however create greater increases in strength than training at full throttle week in week out. Similar to the periodization program for bench press, a steady progression over a twelve week period from higher reps to low reps is the most commonly used method. Rather than start with ten sets of ten reps in the deadlift though only six sets are performed as it such a taxing lift that more than six sets would probably be overtraining for most people. The program would look something like this:

6 sets of 10 reps for two weeks
6 sets of 8reps for two weeks
6 sets of 6reps for two weeks
5 sets of 5 reps for two weeks
4 sets of 4 reps for two weeks
3 sets of 3 reps for two weeks

As the reps go down, increase the weights. This workout need only be performed once a week. Try incorporating this sequence with ancilliary work for the back, for instance lat pulldowns, barbell and dumbbell rows and machine rows.

Once the twelve week program has finished, take a week off to allow the body to recover then start again.

Other Training Methods

A common exercise done to increase deadlifting strength is the partial deadlift where the lift is done in a power rack with the bars set at varying heights. This can help improve lockout technique, as well as grip and back strength. More weight can generally be used in partial deadlifts so the lifter can use this exercise to become accustomed to performing at least part of the lift with the heavier weight before attempting a full deadlift at the same weight. Partial deadlifts are an invaluable tool, and many find it useful to perform them in place of regular deadlifts once every three to four weeks.

June 22nd, 2007