Deadlifting is the ultimate lift. There, I said it. That’s right, not the squat or the bench press, the deadlift.
It requires raw strength and is relatively simple to complete. You must pick it up, lock it out and place it back down again. It’s obvious if you don’t, you can’t cheat it like you can with a bench press or squat by doing a half rep. You have to pick it up and put it down. I’m not encouraging poor technique by the way, the deadlift is still a skilful lift and proper form is paramount if you want to reduce the chances of an injury, which is most likely going to be a lower back one resulting in a considerable amount of time spent out of the gym, not ideal.
With that said, you’re probably reading this article because you want a stronger deadlift, whether you agree with what I have said above or not, so let’s get to it.
Below are some of the bests techniques I incorporated to increase my deadlift when it seemed all hope was lost. some of them are so simple you won’t want to believe them, but it's often the simple tweaks that have the biggest return on performance.
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Use proper form. An obvious one, right? Don’t get me wrong, powerlifters have tonnes of muscle and brute strength and could most likely deadlift huge amounts with poor form, but in competition their form is near impeccable. There is a right way to deadlift and a wrong way. One of those ways will make you stronger.
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Don’t think of the deadlift as a pressing movement – I see beginners do this a lot and it links in with the point above, knowing correct form. The deadlift is a pulling movement and some lifters use their legs far too much, squatting down to the bar, gripping it and almost squatting back up
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Record your lift. You can do this two ways, by writing down what weight you use and filming your lift. By writing down what weight you are lifting and how many reps you perform each week, you are leaving a clear paper trail of your training sessions. This makes it much easier to see your progress and know what you have to do in each session to be better than your last. Filming your sets is great for reviewing your form. Sometimes during the set, you know something doesn’t feel right. By watching it back you can analyse your form and see where any improvements need to be made.
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Keep a belly full of air. Before your lift, take a big gasp of air and hold it in your stomach, tensing your abs. This is going to keep your core nice and tight, which is important during the lift. Keep the air in your lungs until you are fully locked out as releasing the air mid lift will break any tension and could result in failing the lift or worse, injury.
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Keep the bar close to your body. The closer the bar is, the better the load will be distributed through your hamstrings, glutes and lower back, meaning you will be stronger. The moment the bar drifts away from your body at any point during the lift, means a huge amount of weight is now being placed on your lower back. You know what means, a failed lift and an increase of a lower back injury.
If your deadlift sucks, or you want to simply increase it from where it is now, try some of the basic techniques above whether you are a beginner or an advanced lifter, as some of the most simple things can easily be forgotten but make a huge difference.
