Doug LarsonDo you want to improve your deadlift? You should. Next to squats, there’s no better way to get strong and put on muscle.
Here are three quick tips that will really help you pull more weight off the ground.
1. Form first
First thing’s first, you have to understand that the deadlift is not at all like a clean. Grab the bar, flatten your back, but let your hips come up a bit at the start. Accelerate the barbell off the ground quickly, wedging your hips forward and through, and pulling the barbell back and into your body.
2. Speed kills
You have to pull heavy to get strong. There’s no way around that. But you don’t have to do it all of the time. For every heavy session, spend 3-4 sessions pulling sub-max loads from the ground as quickly as possible, with the best form you can manage. The weight will feel light, but you should pull as if you had 800 pounds in your hands. Learn to be aggressive. This ain’t patty cake, baby.
3. Pull more often
Practice makes perfect, but it also builds strength. More reps add’s up to more strength, it’s just that simple. But that doesn’t mean you have to always pull heavy, or fast. As you add pulling volume, make it easy work. Pull smooth reps. Grab and really squeeze the barbell at the start. Dig the knurling in. Take all the slack out of the barbell. Feel the tension right through your long, stretched arms, your spine, hips, hamstrings, grounding down through your heavy heels. Right as the tension is going to break, pop the weight from the ground, finishing with quick hips. When you go back to pulling quickly, you’ll lift quite a bit more, which will come as a pleasant surprise.
Happy deadlifting,
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