Deadlift training: A master class Part II
What not to do
Many lifters make the mistake of doing too many reps; this could like this:
135lbs x 12 x 2
225lbs x 8
300lbs x 8
350lbs x 6
400lbs x 5
450lbs x 3 (last rep barely moves due to fatigue)
500lbs x fail
Another common mistake is doing too few reps; this is a recipe for injury and less than optimal performance:
225lbs x 5
400lbs x 3
500lbs x fail
The reason for the failure this time is because you have not used lighter sets to effectively groove the movement pattern and the jumps are so big that they are too much of a shock for your body to handle.
Assistance exercises for the Deadlift
To enhance your deadlift, you must perform assistance exercises. These movements should focus on the key deadlifting muscles (hamstrings, glutes, lower back, upper back and grip).
As a lifter it is your job to find out which assistance exercises help your deadlift the most and which set/rep ranges work best for you.
As a rule of thumb, assistance exercises should be performed for 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps. The better you get, the more you will start to understand what set and rep ranges work for you and which assistance exercises help you the most.
Andy’s favourite assistance exercises
Andy Bolton has worked up to 410lbs shrugs for sets of 6 to 8 reps, but he does not do these anymore and was not doing them in the build up to either of his 1000lbs plus deadlifts. He felt they hindered his deadlift training by tiring his central nervous system.
These days, some of Andy’s favourite assistance exercises for the deadlift are:
Close, Neutral Grip Pull Downs: 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
Single Arm, Machine Hammer Rows: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps/side
Straight Arm Pull Downs: 3 or 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps
BB Shrugs: 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps (doesn’t go over 400lbs these days)
One Arm DB Rows: 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps/side
Leg Curls: 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps
Single Leg Variations: 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps/side
Back Extensions: 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps
He does not perform all these exercises in every session and the back exercises (pull downs and rows) will normally be done on a Bench day, after pressing movements. It should also be noted that this is not an exhaustive list of his assistance exercises, just his favourite. To ensure continuous progress, movements will be alternated every 4 weeks or when he gets bored.
Assistance Exercises for the Deadlift (and Squat)
Hamstrings, Glutes and Lower Back
The hamstrings, glutes and lower back are the prime movers in the powerlifting style squat and the deadlift. These muscles are also responsible for performance in many sports. For example, top sprinters have extremely strong hamstrings. The following is a list of some excellent movements that will help build these areas.
Glute Ham Raise: using a machine or done without
Reverse Hyper Machine
Romanian Deadlifts: done with a barbell or DB’s
Dimel Deadlifts
Zercher Squats or Deadlifts
Front Squats
Box Squats
Hip Pull Throughs: done with a wide or close stance
Band Leg Curls
45 degree Back Extensions
Sled dragging: forwards
Single Leg Work
A lot of powerlifters and athletes overlook single leg work. However, its benefits are numerous. Single leg movements will help correct imbalances between the left and right sides of your body. They will also provide a good stretch for the hips (which are often tight on today’s desk society). Reverse lunges with the front foot elevated and Bulgarian split squats are great for this purpose.
For athletes, most of you will play sports that require uni-lateral work. So doesn’t it make sense to do some of your work in the weight room in the same manner?
Reverse Lunge: with Dumbbells or Barbell
Reverse Lunge: front squat grip
Reverse Lunge: Front foot elevated 4 to 6 inches
Forwards Lunge: With Dumbbells or Barbell
Walking Lunge: With Dumbbells or Barbell
Split Squat: With Dumbbells or Barbell
Bulgarian Split Squat: with Dumbbells or Barbell
Steps Ups: with Dumbbells or Barbell
DB Single Leg RDL
Single leg Squat
Grip
Fat bar holds for time
Fat bar Partial Conventional Deadlift: for time or reps
Pinch Grip Plate Holds
Deadlift Style Pinch Grip Plate Holds: for time or reps
Shrugs for high reps
Shrugs for high reps: thumb less grip
The grip exercises you see here are the ones that we have found carryover to the deadlift the best. In between Andy’s 1003lbs pull and his 1008lbs pull he missed several weights in competition. The reason for these misses was a lack of grip strength every single time. When he made 1008lbs he held it at the top for several seconds. The above exercises contributed the most to this.
You will not see typical grip training methods like the Captains of Crush Grippers on the list. The reason being that we find that they do not carry over to the deadlift anywhere near as well as the above exercises do.
With all grip work focus on squeezing the bar as hard as you possibly can on every single rep. This sounds very obvious but we find our performances improve when we consciously focus on this.
Core
It is extremely important to have a strong core for squatting and deadlifting and indeed for all sports. One of the most important things are athlete can learn is how to keep the natural lumbar arch whilst performing their chosen sport. To do this, the core must be braced hard. (Think of what you would do if you were going to get punched in the stomach). To brace the core hard, all areas of your mid section should be worked.
Core exercises should be treated like any other resistance exercise in the weight room. This means they should be done hard and heavy. We like 4 sets of 10. We do not like 10 sets of 100 as we often see written in the latest celebrity training program. These programs, if real at all, often revolve around crunches. The crunch is an out dated exercise that is much better replaced by other, more challenging movements.
To attack your core from all angles, try the following exercises, rotating to a new one every few weeks:
Pull Down Abs
Pull Down Crunch
Dragon Flag
Hanging Leg Raises: Legs bent or straight
DB Side Bends
D-Handle Oblique Push Downs
Full Contact Twist
Side Plank
Plank
Swiss Ball Crunch
Upper Back and Lats
Getting your upper back and lats stronger will drastically improve your ability to lock out heavy weights. However, the benefits of heavy rows and pull ups or pull downs do not end there. Strength in this area is also required for a big bench and to perform many sports techniques.
Rows in particular are important for shoulder health. A lot of people do a ton of pressing movements that involve internal rotation of the upper arm. This can lead to lousy posture, less than optimal performance in your chosen sport and injury risk. Rows involve external rotation of the humerous and therefore balance out the pressing.
One Arm DB Rows
Machine Rows
BB Rows: overhand or underhand grip
Pull Ups: Wide pronated grip, neutral grip
Chins: Underhand grip
Pull Downs: Various wide of grip: pronated, supinated or neutral
High Pulley X-over Pulldowns
Single Arm, Shoulder Height, D-Handle Pulley Rows
Assistance exercises: the wrap up
We have listed a lot of assistance exercises. To ensure that you are working all aspects of your deadlift, make sure that you are performing exercises from each section on a regular basis.
Using the Deadlift for Bodybuilding
The deadlift can add slabs of muscle to your physique. Unlike a powerlifter, who will usually train the deadlift with 1 to 5 reps, bodybuilders can utilise higher reps to promote hypertrophy.
There are so many ways to split up a bodybuilders training week (once a week, twice a week, total body three times a week and so on). Regardless of how you split your training week, the deadlift and certain variations can allow you to achieve your goals.
For hypertrophy we like the deadlift from the floor, partial deadlifts and Romanian Deadlifts done for sets of 3 to 15. The hamstrings often respond well to low reps and heavy weight, so it is useful for a bodybuilder to sometimes perform heavy sets. In contrast, the lower back often responds well to high reps, making a variety of rep ranges viable for hypertrophy.
Bodybuilders may use straps to perform these movements as they are trying to develop their physique to its maximum aesthetic potential. This means that a cast iron grip is not a necessity like it is to a strength athlete. That said, we still recommend only using straps for top sets.
To hit the back as hard as possible we recommend the conventional deadlift from the floor or through a limited range of motion. A limited range of motion will really allow you to overload the back muscles with heavy weight and is also an easier position to get into than the pull from the floor. Bodybuilders do not need to pull from the floor and if they can not do so whilst arching their lumbar spine, pulling from blocks or pins in a power rack is a useful alternative.
To promote growth in the hips and glutes, the sumo would be the preferred deadlift of choice. Again, this can be done from the floor or as a partial movement.
Powerlifting tips
The deadlift is more neurologically taxing than the squat. For this reason, having de-load weeks every 4th week will ensure that you do not burn out. Better still, try not pulling every fourth week and see how fresh you feel on the 5th week. You must be training hard to do this. In affect, you have to earn the right to back off.
For maximum carryover to your competition deadlift make sure that each rep starts in the right position. To ensure this, don’t bounce your reps. Pause them and re-set if necessary in order to ensure each rep starts close to your shins. If need be stand up between each rep and set up to the bar again.
