by Thomas Incledon, PhD(c), RD, LD/LN, RPT, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Introduction
There it was: 600 pounds. All I had to do was deadlift it just once. I set up and pulled, yet nothing happened. Lucky for me my coach saw the problem. “You’re not setting up right.” But how was I supposed to figure out exactly what “right” was? As the scientist geek that I am, I certainly needed to investigate the situation. I researched it thoroughly by practicing thousands of deadlifts, and now 600 pounds is a joke. The strategy in this article not only worked for me, but it also worked for my training partners, my fianceé, and if you follow it, I will add your name to the list.

Deadlifts vs the Other Powerlifts
In recent years the deadlift has improved very little, while the squat and bench press have improved at a much faster pace. The main reason why so many guys can now squat and bench more than ever is that squat suits and bench shirts are better. I have watched guys get buried by weights, only to put on a bench shirt and make 50 pounds or more easily. For me lifting has never been about buying the latest equipment, so I am not a big fan of high-tech squat suits and denim bench shirts. I’d rather see everyone lift wearing only gym shorts and T-shirts. Turning to the deadlift we see that fancy shirts and suits just haven’t had the same effect. My main point is that the deadlift is a better indication of overall body strength because it isn’t tainted by the effects of other equipment.

Unfortunately the deadlift is a movement where you see some of the worst techniques. Most guys set up too fast, pull right away and as a result their backs round and hips kick up. They then have to perform a straight-legged deadlift. If you have very weak legs, then this may be the best strategy in order to lift huge weights. On the other hand one could say why not get your legs strong and learn how to use them? The guys who know how to use their legs in the deadlift usually maintain better mechanical position and as a result lift heavier weights. Let’s find out the right position so we can use the legs, hips, and back to their fullest potential.

Finding the Right Position
I picked this strategy up from Patrick Jacobs, Ph.D., who used this strategy to train lifters to deadlift over 800 pounds. Set up the bar outside the rack at a position just short of lockout. Unrack the weight, take two small steps back and lower the bar to the floor using proper mechanics. At first you will flex at the hips with an arched back. Then as the bar passes the knees, you squat down the rest of the way with the bar in front of you. Once the plates touch the floor, pause for a second, and then push upward to complete the movement with flat feet against the ground. When done correctly you will notice that the movement feels very comfortable and that you won’t feel yourself rocking forward or backward on your feet. Make sure to keep the bar close to you. This technique can be used to teach the starting position for a novice lifter and to help an advanced lifter re-establish his starting position. After four weeks of deadlifting in this fashion, you will know where your body has to be in order to set up properly.

You should be able to bring the bar all the way to the ground with your back flat or arched. If your back rounds before you hit the floor, then you need to increase your flexibility. Don’t keep going to the gym and doing deadlifts to the floor, as this will only reinforce your inflexibility. Instead, try stretching out the areas that are limiting your range of motion. This may be your glutes and/or hamstrings. Warm-up carefully and stretch in-between sets if necessary to help you achieve a full range of motion. Perform the deadlift as described above, but only come down as far as you can maintain proper mechanical position. For example if you find that your back rounds 3” off the floor (measured from the bottom edge of the plates), set up some blocks so that you only come down to 3.5” off the floor. The plates will rest on the block at the bottom position. With each workout decrease the block height by about ⁄”. With time you will be able to go all the way to the floor.

Training Cycle
For a lifter with appropriate deadlift flexibility who has trouble finding his starting position, I would set up a 12-week cycle that has him deadlifting from the top down every week for the first four weeks, then switching to deadlifting from the ground up during weeks 6, 8, and 10. The first 4 weeks the weights would involve starting at 70% of the previous max for 2 sets of 8 reps. There would be an increase in intensity and volume until week four. The volume would decrease and the intensity would increase for the remainder of the cycle. To maintain conditioning, 2 minutes of rest are taken between each set. Warm ups would involve an easy set of five reps and 2 sets of 3 reps before lifting the top weight. The table below lists the percentages of your max deadlift to use for each set. Use the max weight you lifted recently, not a weight you did years ago or hope to do in the future. A sample cycle would look like the chart below:

 
For a lifter with inappropriate deadlift flexibility who has trouble finding his starting position, I would set up a cycle that has him deadlifting from the top down every week until he can reach the floor, then switching to deadlifting from the ground up every other week until a new max is performed. The first few weeks the weights would involve starting at 70% of the previous max for 2 sets of 8 reps. There would be an increase in volume and a ⁄ inch increase in range of motion each week until he can reach the floor with proper mechanics. The volume would decrease and the intensity would increase for the remainder of the cycle. A sample cycle would look like this (assuming that he starts with the plates on 3.5” blocks):