Deadlift training is a necessary but often neglected part of developing strength and size. With the right programming design, you can develop a deadlift program that is both efficient and effective.
In the world of lifting, the deadlift is often referred to as the king of all lifts. While the squat and bench press are undoubtedly the most popular exercises used in programs worldwide, the deadlift has gained the reputation of being the most technical and hardest to master.
A lot of folks have trouble getting their deadlifts off the floor, and this is due to a lack of knowledge about how to keep the barbell off the ground and pulling it into the body. This holds you back from a lot – big lifts, staying healthy, and more. When it comes to deadlifts, the first point of failure is the start position. Once you get the bar off the floor, the real world will tell you that the hardest part is keeping the barbell pinned against the ground.
The deadlift is one of the best exercises you can do in the gym. Lifting involves more than 70% of the body’s muscles, including the entire lower body, lower back and upper back. The deadlift is also one of the most important exercises for the competitive powerlifter. As Louis Simmons said: The race does not begin until the dumbbell hits the ground. Most people have a weakness or stumbling block that limits their progress. Your stumbling block for the deadlift is the part of your range of motion where you are weakest and tend not to lift. Some of the most common deadlift bottlenecks occur at the very beginning of the deadlift with the bar on the ground, in the middle of the deadlift with the bar below the knees, and at the end of the deadlift with the bar above the knees. If you want to improve your deadlift performance, the fastest way to do that is to address your stumbling blocks. Powerlifting coach Josh Bryant is a big fan of this strategy. He says working on your problem areas is the key to a more powerful deadlift. In this comprehensive guide, I will tell you how to destroy your stumbling blocks at the deadlift and achieve a huge PR at the deadlift. The fastest way to eliminate deadlift blocks is isometric training. Josh Bryant is a big fan of powerlifting-style isometric exercises, and Charles Polikin likes to use functional isometric exercises. Isometric training is so effective because you can target exactly the part of your range of motion where you are weakest. Another good strategy is to use key complementary and supportive exercises to address weaknesses in your deadlift, for example. B. The deficit deadlift, block pulls, dumbbell deadlift and alligator bar. Here is an overview of the rest of this article:
- Part 1: Isometric training
- Part 2: Extra exercises
- Part three: Practice with accessories
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to overcome deadlift stumbling blocks and train to achieve a huge deadlift PR. Message: If you have trouble reading the workout routines in this article, check out this workout reading guide. Let’s get to work… Part 1: Isometric training 
Isometric training is the most effective method of overcoming deadlift stiffness. World-class powerlifter Matt Ladewski says isometric deadlifting was the secret sauce that took his deadlift from 700 pounds to over 800 pounds. Here is an excellent demonstration of an isometric bench press workout: To perform an isometric deadlift, you’ll need a barbell, a power rack, and a set of safety pins. You place safety pins in the part of your range of motion where you are weakest. If your glue spot is just below your knees, put the pins there. You can lift a 135 pound dumbbell at 50% of your max 1. Repeat accusations. Then lift the bar crosswise by the safety pins and pull hard for 6-8 seconds. Your goal is to pull so hard that you break the pins in half! So what’s the point of isometric lifting? Why would anyone want to train this way? Isometric deadlifts have many advantages over traditional training methods. Studies show that isometric lifting produces 7% more strength and uses 15% more muscle fibers than normal training. With isometric training, most of the strength gains occur at the point of the range of motion that you are training. In other words, all the strength gains take place where you need it most: at the stumbling block! The only downside to isometric deadlift training is that it must be combined with a full range bench press. One of the easiest ways to do this is to alternate isometric deadlifts with speed deadlifts. For example:
- Set 1: Isometric lifting
- Sentence #2: Hoisting speed
- Movement No. 3: Isometric lifting
- Movement No. 4: Hoisting speed
And so on. Switching from isometric deadlifting to fast deadlifting is very effective because isometric deadlifting makes your fast deadlifting faster and more explosive. Here’s an isometric bench press exercise that Matt Ladewski did to achieve an incredible 800 pound bench press in competition. Look at this: Matt Ladewski Isometric Deadlift Training
- A1 : Isometric deadlift (2 inches off the ground)**, 4 x 1, 2 minutes rest.
- A2 : Quick lifts with chains (match position)***, 4 x 2, 1/1/X/0, 2 minute break.
- B1 : Reverse hyperextension, 4-6 x 15, 1/0/X/0, rest 60 seconds
- C1 : Squat, 4 x 12, 1/0/1/2, rest 60 seconds
- C2 : 45 degrees back extension (hold DB), 4 x 12, 1/0/1/2, rest 60 seconds
- D1 : Push-ups, 4 x 15, 1/0/1/0, rest 60 seconds
**With 65% of your maximum 1. The attachment is made on the rod. Grab the pins as hard as you can for 6 to 8 seconds. ***With 55% weight of the rail and 10-20% weight of the chain. You can click here to watch the training video for this session. Trust me, this workout is much harder than it looks! Isometric lifting overloads the central nervous system and forces the body to activate new muscle fibers not previously used. By the end of this workout, you will find your hands contracting as if you had Parkinson’s! Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. It’s just a sign that you’ve been training your nervous system really hard. I recommend deep breathing or light meditation after this workout to calm the central nervous system and bring the body out of fight-or-flight mode. You can expect to achieve a huge PR in your deadlift after just a few weeks of using this isometric deadlift exercise template. Functional isometry Another excellent method of isometric training is called functional isometrics. Functional isometrics is a combination of partial movement repetitions and full isometric contractions of the upper body. Here is an excellent video demonstration of functional isometric deadlift training: To perform a functional isometric workout, take a deadlift and divide it into three equal parts:
- Lower part of the exercise
- The central part of the exercise
- Upper part of the exercise
You should perform 3 functional isometric sets in each part of the range of motion. So you do 3 sets in the bottom third of the exercise, 3 sets in the middle third, and 3 sets in the top third. In each set, perform 4-6 repetitions with a partial range of motion, followed by an isometric contraction that overcomes all obstacles and targets the upper ischium nodes. Your goal is to pull so hard that you break the pins in half! After an isometric repetition, lower the weight again and try another repetition with a partial range of motion. Functional isometric exercises are so effective because they combine the best aspects of two different training methods: Partial movement repetitions and isometric repetitions. Functional isometric exercises are so effective because they allow you to address three different postural points in one workout. Here’s an example of functional isometric training you can try. Look at this: Deadlift Functional Isometric Training
- A1 : Isometric exercises in low cross lift position, 3 x 5**, 1/1/X/1, 4 minutes rest
- B1 : Isometric exercises in low cross lift position, 3 x 5**, 1/1/X/1, 4 minutes rest
- C1 : Isometric exercises in low cross lift position, 3 x 5**, 1/1/X/1, 4 minutes rest
- D1: deadlift (full range of motion), 1 x 5, 3/0/1/0, 4 minutes rest
**Designed as an isometric series for deadlifts. Perform 5 reps with partial range of motion. On the sixth try, pull the top pins as hard as you can for 6-8 seconds. Then lower the weight again and perform 1 more repetition with a partial range of motion. After the last set of deadlifts, for example, you can do some exercises for the core muscles of the deadlift. B. For the upper back, lower back, glutes and hamstrings. Functional isometric exercises are very taxing on your muscles and central nervous system, so make sure your recovery is on track. I recommend you be a little careful with the weights the first time. The athlete in the video above remains very conservative with his weight choices. If the weights are too light, you can always increase them for your next functional isometric workout. In summary, isometric training is the fastest and most effective way to solve your deadlift problems. Of course, this is not the only way! Using appropriate complementary and supportive exercises is also an excellent strategy. Part 2: Extra exercises 
One of the best strategies to overcome deadlift stagnation is to use additional deadlift exercises. These are exercises similar to the deadlift and help strengthen parts of the range of motion. One of the best strategies is to determine if you are weak at the bottom or top of the deadlift, and then use exercises that target that specific weakness. Here are some of the best supplemental exercises to improve your deadlift from the ground up:
- The deficit is narrowing
- Increase in breaks
- The lightning is rising
- Lift the bracket
And here are some of the best additional exercises to improve your deadlift point near the lockout:
- Earthen Dykes
- Ribbon Cutting
- Reverse belt pull
- lifting of chains
Let’s take a closer look at each of these exercises. Deadlift Extra exercise #1: Increase in deficit Message: You can click here for an excellent demonstration of deficit killing. The deadlift is one of the best exercises you can do to improve your deadlift from the ground up. Many powerlifting coaches, like Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training Systems, use the deficit deadlift as a key exercise in their powerlifters’ training programs. To perform a deadlift, simply stand on a small platform of 1 to 4 inches. The platform forces you to squat or bend more to hold the bar and increases the range of motion of the exercise. Most powerlifters do deficit deadlifts in sets of 3-5 reps, but you can do more or less depending on your individual needs. Deadlift Supplementary exercise 2: Hoisting while stationary Message: You can click here for an excellent demonstration of the deadlift with break. The pause lift is a somewhat unusual, but highly effective variation on pull-ups to improve strength from the ground. The basic idea is to lift the weight 1 to 3 inches off the ground, then pause for 1 to 2 seconds and complete the lift. Many athletes struggle to maintain the arch of the lower back when lifting weights off the ground. This exercise is very helpful in strengthening the proper mechanical position of the lower back as you begin to pull. For safety reasons, most powerlifters do this exercise 3-5+ reps, although you can go lower if you really know what you’re doing. Deadlift Additional exercise 3: Lightning goes through Message: You can click here for an excellent demonstration of the lightning deadlift. Lightning Deadlifts are one of powerlifting coach Josh Bryant’s favorite world-class exercises. Blitz deadlifts are used to improve explosive power from the ground up, allowing you to quickly pull the bar to overcome any obstacles you encounter. Here is the exact procedure to perform a flash totalizer:
- Step one: Perform 1 repetition of the speed deadlift, lowering the chains on either side of the bar. You should use about 40-60% of your maximum strength on the first repetition plus extra weight in the chains.
- Step two: Immediately after the first repetition, your training partners remove the chains from the bar and you perform another speed repetition using only a straight weight.
Flash lifts are just fast lifts performed for 2 reps with chains on the first rep and no chains on the second rep. The first repetition with the chains trains your brain to pull the dumbbell to the stop as explosively as possible. If you don’t pull as fast as you can, the chains will eventually bring the bar to the ground. On the second repetition, your body thinks the chains are still on the bar, so it tells you to keep pulling explosively. There’s just one problem: The chains fall for the 2. Repetition is not an option! This means your 2nd straight weight reps will be one of the fastest speed reps of your life. How cool! Josh Bryant likes to use blitz deadlifts as an extra exercise for the last 1-3 heavy deadlift workouts before powerlifting competitions. This is a great exercise to do when you need to rest on the floor and work on your strength. Deadlift Additional exercise 4: Handle pulls Message: You can click here for an excellent demonstration of performing pull-ups with the shoulder grip. Pull-ups with the deadlift are a very underrated supplemental exercise to the deadlift. They are very similar to deficit push-ups: A wider grip than normal requires you to squat/bend more to hold the bar. This means that the range of motion is slightly greater than with a normal deadlift. However, the pull-up is not limited to increasing range of motion. A wide barbell forces all the muscles in the upper and lower back to work much harder to stabilize the weight. Your lats, trapezius and rhomboids have to work very hard to stabilize your shoulders and upper back throughout the movement. I highly recommend trying this exercise if you have trouble getting up off the ground. You won’t be disappointed! Deadlift Supplemental Exercise #5: Block elevators Message: You can click here for an excellent demonstration of the Block Deadlift. Block pull-ups are one of the best exercises you can do if you have trouble lifting weights to avoid a lockout. Block pulls are similar to rack pulls performed in a rack. The big difference with the block pull is that the 45 pound plates are on two blocks on either side of the rod. The block pull mimics the feel of a normal deadlift much better than the rack pull. It has to do with the way the rod bends when you pull it. Many powerlifters find that they are weaker when the bar hangs just below or above the knees than when they start from the ground. Chad Wesley Smith belongs to this camp. He has a huge squat and has a lot of leg movement from the ground, and he lacks that leg movement when he does block pulls. If this is the case for you, block pull-ups can be a great option to strengthen your lock and lower back. It can be very difficult to maintain a good mechanical lower back position if you start a block pull with the bar closer to your knees. Deadlift Supplemental exercise #6: Ball lifts Message: You can click here to see an excellent demonstration of lifting with a belt. Band pulls are a favorite exercise of the Westside Barbell powerlifting team. The bands work like big rubber bands. You stretch and increase resistance as you lift your weight off the floor. When the bar reaches the locked position, it feels like the straps are trying to hold you down! Belt lifts have two major advantages over regular lifts:
- You overload the upper part of the exercise
- They let you lift weights explosively.
Many powerlifters find that lifting with a band also improves their deadlifts, because they have to lift the weight as explosively as possible, otherwise they miss the lifter. They really are a very versatile exercise. Most powerlifters use band lifts as a maximal strength exercise with 1-3 reps or as a dynamic strength exercise for multiple sets of 1 rep. This is good advice, as lifts with a high number of reps on the band are very difficult to recover from and often do more harm than good. Deadlift Supplemental exercise #7: Belt lifts Message: You can click here for an excellent demonstration of the inverted band elevator. Band reversals are very similar to normal lifts. The bands make the weight lighter at the bottom of the movement and heavier at the top. But reverse lifting with a belt feels very different than regular lifting. It feels like the weight is floating in your hands when you lift it to lock it. It’s actually hard to describe. In general, it is slightly easier to lift inverted belts than normal belts. They are great for overcoming blockages in the locked-out portion of the deadlift. Powerlifting coach Chad Wesley Smith uses reverse band lifts as his primary supplemental exercise when training for the 800+ pound bench press. Deadlift Supplemental exercise #8: Chain hoists Message: You can click here to see an excellent demonstration of the chain deadlift. The chain lift is another good exercise to train the hit points in the upper half of the lift. The chains serve as another form of resistance and make the bar heavier as you pull it all the way down. Chains are slightly less popular than bands, reverse bands and block pulls as an additional deadlift exercise. In fact, very few top powerlifters use it. One of the problems with lifting chains is that it is very difficult to install them correctly. During a deadlift, chains can easily get stuck under the 45 pound plates and things can go wrong. If you have an effective way of setting up chains, they are a great extra exercise. Part 3: Auxiliary exercises 
Another good strategy to overcome deadlift stagnation is to use accessory exercises that target weak muscle groups. In this article, I will not be able to cover all assisted deadlift exercises. Instead, I want to talk about 4 of the most effective and underrated assistance exercises to overcome deadlift stagnation. Here are 2 of the best assistance exercises to break your deadlift points:
- Safe squat bar Hello
- Dumbbell deadlift
And here are the 2 best supported deadlift exercises to help you clean up your blocks:
- 45 degree back extension with straps
- Crock’s Row.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these exercises. Auxiliary exercise #1: Safe Squat Bar Hello Message: You can click here to watch the instructional video for this exercise. Good Morning is a great exercise for improving deadlift strength from a standing position. This exercise strains the lower back, glutes and hamstrings, but in a very different way than the normal deadlift. In my experience, a good morning with a dumbbell for a safe squat is the best morning option to increase your deadlift strength. The safe squat bar has a comfortable contact surface that hugs your neck and shoulders, making the exercise much more comfortable. In addition, for safe squats, the barbell has a built-in curve that brings the center of gravity further forward of the body. This means that in the low exercise position, the lower back and the rest of the erectors of the spine must work very hard. The Good Morning Barbell safe squat is an incredibly effective exercise for overcoming the deadlift on the floor. If you have access to this bar, make sure you use it. My experience is that sets of 4-6 reps are ideal for this exercise. Auxiliary equipment 2: Deadlift You can click here to watch an instructional video on this exercise. Dumbbell pull-ups are an incredibly effective exercise for lifting dumbbells. This is definitely one of the best assistance exercises you can do to improve your starting strength on the deadlift. The starting position for this exercise is the same as for the normal lift. First, lift the weight off the ground to the middle of the shin or slightly above. Then bring your elbows back so that the bar rests on your stomach. When rowing with weights, you should lean your upper body forward or even throw it forward to help contract your upper back. Then lower the weight to the starting position. Essentially, the first half of the exercise consists of a quick leg lift and the second half consists of a very heavy dumbbell row. This exercise definitely works the lower and upper back. This is actually a form of eccentric training, as you push a much heavier weight than your maximum weight for one repetition. I highly recommend watching this video of Brian Shaw, the strongest man in the world (4 times), performing the dumbbell deadlift and incorporating it into your training program. This will increase your starting power in the deadlift if nothing else! Secondary exercise 3: 45 degrees back extension with bands Message: You can click here to watch the instructional video for this exercise. If you want to improve your deadlift strength, the 45 degree back extension with bands is a very underrated option. I learned this exercise from a guy with an ass, Brett Contreras. The basic idea is to use bands to overload the upper part of the exercise. This exercise creates an insane amount of tension in the lower back in the high position of the exercise. Many practitioners believe that two hard sets of this exercise are enough to really increase lower back strength. Auxiliary exercise #4 for deadlift: Kroc Series Message: You can click here to watch the instructional video for this exercise. Croc’s Row is the brainchild of world champion weightlifter Matt Krochaleski. Kroc pull-ups are essentially one-handed dumbbell pull-ups, with a high number of reps, performed to failure, with a fair amount of cheating or body English. For years, Matt has had a serious obstacle when crossing the railroad tracks at the closing. He could lift any weight off the ground, but as soon as the barbell reached his knees, he slowed down and stopped. When Matt realized that every time he used one-handed dumbbells in his program, his deadlift block strength improved. Matt started using heavier and heavier dumbbells, and his blocking performance skyrocketed. Here are some of Matt’s best lifts in the Kroc series:
- 225 pounds x 25 repetitions
- 250 pounds x 15 reps
- 300 pounds x 13 reps
There are two major drawbacks to Croc’s implementation. First, they are very difficult to accomplish in a commercial gym. Finally, most commercial gyms do not have 200+ pound dumbbells available for you! The second drawback is that they are very difficult to repair. Matt Kroc always did one set of exercises for each arm and that was it. If you are more of a volume type and like to do a lot of sets and exercises, Croc Rows are probably not for you. Supplement 
If you’re stuck in a bench press training set, you probably have a stumbling block holding you back. The quickest way to increase body weight is to find where that weak spot is and use training methods to strengthen it. Isometric training is probably the fastest way to overcome the difficulties of the deadlift. One of the best isometric training strategies is to alternate sets of isometric deadlifts with fast deadlifts. This strategy makes you stronger and more explosive at the same time. Other options include using supplemental and supportive exercises to work on weak areas, such as. B. deficit deadlifts, pull-ups on the block, dumbbell rests and dumbbell squats with confidence. So, what are you waiting for? Develop your next deadlift workout and attack your missteps like you mean it! Failure is not an option for me. Success is all I can imagine. Thanks for reading and good luck with your strength training! Dr. Mike Jansen. I am the creator and owner of Revolutionary Program Design. I help advanced athletes take their training to the next level and achieve results they didn’t even know they had.
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