34 ways to increase your Deadlift

[Talo]

34 Ways To Increase Your Deadlift (http://stronglifts.com/34-way-to-increase-your-deadlift/)

May 10th, 2007 by Mehdi (http://stronglifts.com/about-mehdi/) Posted in Deadlift (http://stronglifts.com/category/deadlift/) | Print (http://stronglifts.com/34-way-to-increase-your-deadlift/print/)

http://stronglifts.com/images/strength-training/deadlift-vince-anello.jpg (http://stronglifts.com/34-way-to-increase-your-deadlift/)I love the Overhead Press (http://stronglifts.com/how-to-overhead-press-for-maximal-upper-body-results/). But recently, my interest in the Deadlift (http://stronglifts.com/how-to-perform-the-deadlift-with-proper-technique/) has risen.
When your Squat & Press improve while your Deadlift stays behind, there’s something wrong with your method.
So I looked into my books, searched the internet & took my training journal.
These 34 ways to increase your Deadlift are the results of my findings.
Perfect your Technique
1. Learn the Olympic Lifts. The Deadlift is not a Stiff-legged Deadlift. Olympic Lifts will teach you to keep your hips down.
2. Learn to squeeze your abs. A tight core is key to lifting big weights. It’s also safer for your lower back. Brace your abs.
3. Do glute activation (http://stronglifts.com/how-to-activate-the-glutes-to-fix-your-lower-back-pain/) work. If you lockout the weight by pulling back instead of using the glutes, start doing glute activation work.
4. Improve hip mobility & flexibility. Tightness in the hip area will make it harder to use the glutes. Do some (dynamic) flexibility work.
5. Deadlift more. The more you deadlift, the better you’ll become. Try deadlifting twice a week: once light, once heavy.
6. Get starting strength (http://stronglifts.com/starting-strength-book-review/) by Mark Rippetoe. The best investment you will make: it will teach you the technique on the major lifts.

Increase your Strength
7. Increase your muscle mass. The bigger your muscles, the greater your strength. So eat more.
8. Use the maximal effort training method. Heavy singles at +90% intensity for 3 to 7 sets.
9. Strengthen your legs. Full Squats & Front Squats are your friends.
10. Strengthen your hips. Box Squats, Glute-Ham Raises, Pullthroughs, Reverse Hypers, Romanian Deadlifts, Sumo Deadlifts, …
11. Strengthen your glutes. Kneeling Squats, Deadlift Lockouts, …
12. Strengthen your lower back. Goodmornings, Reverse Hypers, Weighted Hyperextensions, …
13. Strengthen your upper back. Barbell Row, Powercleans, Powersnatch, High Pulls, …
14. Strengthen your abs. Windmills, Turkish Get-Ups, Front Squats, Zercher Squats, Quarters Squats, Heavy Deadlift Lockouts, Side Deadlifts, Side Bends, Pulldown Abs, Prone & Side bridges, …
15. Do unilateral work. Lunges (http://stronglifts.com/dumbbell-lunges-technique/), Step-Ups, Single-leg Deadlifts, Pistols (http://stronglifts.com/how-to-master-the-one-leg-squat-using-box-pistols/),…

Increase your Speed
16. Pull fast. Learn to pull with maximal speed by applying maximum force & acceleration to the bar.
17. Speed Deadlifts. Several sets at 70% intensity.
18. Bands. Popularized by Westside Barbell (http://www.westside-barbell.com/): bands will teach you to accelerate the bar.
19. Chains. Another accomodating resistance method. Chains will also teach you to accelerate the bar.
20. Box Squats. Box Squats are perfect to learn exploding from the bottom position.

Train your Sticky Point
21. Train the bottom movement. Deadlifts from blocks, Snatch-grip Deadlifts, Halting Deadlifts, Deadlifts with small plates, …
22. Train the middle movement. Rack Pulls from knee level.
23. Train the top movement. Deadlift Rack Lockouts.

Train for Power
24. Olympic Lifts. Power Cleans (http://stronglifts.com/who-else-wants-to-improve-his-power-clean-technique/), Powersnatch, … will learn you to explode under the bar.
25. Plyometrics. Depth Jumps are perfect to develop leg power.

Train your Grip
26. Stop deadlifting with straps. Straps will only make your grip weaker.
27. Train your supportive grip. Static Holds, Thick Barbell Holds, Side Deadlifts, Farmer Walks, …
28. Use an alternate grip. Best way to achieve big weights.
29. Use chalk. Don’t let sweaty hands be the limiting factor.
30. Use an overhand grip as much as possible. Only use the alternate grip once you can’t handle the weight with an overhand grip.
31. Squeeze the bar. Squeeze it as hard as you can, you’ll have a better grip.

The Don’ts
32. Don’t Deadlift in running shoes (http://stronglifts.com/what-are-the-best-lifting-shoes-for-squats-deadlifts/). They reduce power transmission & impair foot stability. Buy a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All Star (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NZO9MC?ie=UTF8&tag=stronglcom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000NZO9MC) the’re cheap & efficient.

33. Don’t use mirrors. It only gives you info on one plane. Learn to feel the movement, listen to your body.

34. Never bend your lower back. Always keep a neutral spine, brace your abs!

[bobbyorr]

Increase your Strength
7. Increase your muscle mass. The bigger your muscles, the greater your strength. So eat more.


I love that one~!!!!!!

Louie Simmons has a saying in most the Westside DVD's "Have you ever seen someone lift heavy weights with out a big powerful mid section??? I know I haven't"

[JacktheThriller]

yeah deadlift my strongest lift !! Now i know how to get it stronger

[declan]

A question to the powerlifters here. When do you use straps? Only on meets? I can say my grip is not that strong, not weak either since I could hold on to 365lbs both overhand but always had trouble holding on to the bar once I get past that weight so I was forced to use straps.

Some say straps is efficient as a support so you could actually continue working out your back or doing dl's even if your forearms are fatigued and your grip is giving out on you.

Thoughts?

[bobbyorr]

have you tried a mixed grip? onw han d facing forward and the otherhand on the bar as normal?? I can hook grip and double overhand up to 405, but I can mix grip over 700....

And I would never use straps unless it is a max weight rack pull or car deadlift..... a goodd line from Dave Tate "If you have 600 lbs back, 600 lbs hamstrings, and a 400 lbs grip, you have a 400 lbs deadlift

[Talo]

A question to the powerlifters here. When do you use straps? Only on meets?

You are not aloud to use straps in a meet.

Bodybuilders are the one's that use straps because they don't care so much about the grip.

[declan]

You are not aloud to use straps in a meet.

Bodybuilders are the one's that use straps because they don't care so much about the grip.

I was uncertain but glad you pointed out my ignorance. I stopped using mixed grip after reading about bicep injuries from its use. Most of the ideas I read about are from bodybuilders so it is refreshing to read inputs from REAL powerlifters.

I will try to strengthen my grip and lose the straps on my next strength cycle. I'm going to start really low poundage though ;)

[Janitor Pants]

I found that my grip caught up very fast once I stopped using straps.

The lady that owns the gym I go to is a retired competitive body builder and she put me onto straps when my grip started limiting me.

I started 5-3-1 a little while ago, and decided to avoid straps. I am now entering my third cycle of it, and without straps my PR is higher than what it was before with straps. 3 months for my grip to catch up, not too bad I think, and I also switched to chalk which I'm sure helped out a lot.