Day 5 of 365: Upping Your Deadlift IQ!

Hopefully, by now you have read yesterday's post detailing the setup of the deadlift.  If not, I would highly recommend you do that before starting today's dive into deadlift.

  

 

In yesterday's post, there is a lot of good info on how to find the correct start position when deadlifting.  That is great, but that's only part of the story.  Once you find that perfect position...now what do you do?  Just rip it off the floor? NOOOOOO!!!!  Please don't be THAT guy or girl...You'll make me look bad, as well as yourself, and most likely lose a disc or two in the process.

NO.  NO. NO.  Once you find that perfect setup, you must now create as much tension in the "system" as possible.  I use the word, "system" to describe the unit that is YOU + the BARBELL = SYSTEM.  Get it?  Here's a visual that I use with my athletes:

Suppose your buddy and you are out 4-wheeling after a rainstorm.  You both have your own trucks so it turns into a game of "match what I do".  You go first and make through a massive mud pit, but your buddy does not.  Now, you have to hook up a tow strap to pull him out.

Now, let's think here.  Do you think that if you start with slack in the strap and just floor your gas pedal that you'll pull him out?  Nope!  You have either snapped your tow strap, or ripped the front end/back end off of one of the trucks...Not effective! 

Tension in the system = successful pull

Let's take a different approach.  What would happen if you slowly drove forward, taking the slack out of the strap and creating TENSION?  I think we all know the answer to this one...you would successfully pull your buddy truck out of the mud pit without damaging your tow strap or either one of the trucks!

Are you picking up what I'm putting down?  

• Slack in the system = broken tow strap and/or broken trucks
• Slack in the system = missed lift and/or broken discs

Pretty straight forward, right?

So, the next time you go to rip a bar off the floor to show how "strong" you are...DON'T!  Rather, create massive tension in the system(YOU + BARBELL = SYSTEM), then slowly initiate the lift by mainitaining your body position and drive your feet into the floor...much like the old days of leg press...just a different angle.

More on this coming your way soon!