WOD Thursday 02 September 2010

Let's talk a little bit about the deadlift shall we? 


The Deadlift is one of the only movements that has been ingrained into our DNA. Nothing would have ever gotten done if we had never learned how to pick up heavy stuff. Few exercises provide us with such physiological benefits. Unfortunately, no exercise packs such a wallop and for that reason many people find it to be rather intimidating and choose to avoid it.

In truth, the Deadlift has such a profound effect that on our bodies that you should only do one working set if you are going all out. This falls right in line with Wendler's 5/3/1 as we only do one true working set on all our exercises and the response to this program has still been overwhelming. 


Don't fear the deadlift, commit yourself to every pull. Set your shoulders, arch your back, dig your in your heels and pull until the weight either moves, or you pass out in the process. In the mean time, here are a few tips from Jim Wendler himself on how to do a deadlift properly and safely.

"•    To figure out the best stance for your deadlift, pretend you’re about to perform a vertical jump. Get your feet and body into position. Now, look down and move your feet in slightly. This is your starting position. This varies from lifter to lifter, but I’ve found this to be an optimal starting point.
•    Your toes should be pointed slightly outward.
•    Don’t deadlift with your weight on the balls of your feet. This is an injury waiting to
happen. Your weight should be on the middle of your foot or toward the rear.
•    Start with the bar just in front of your shins, but not touching them. Once you reach down and grab the bar, your shins will meet it.
•    Your upper back should be pulled together with your shoulders over the bar.
•    Your lower back should be arched or held static in whatever position you’re in. I don’t deadlift with a perfectly arched back, but it’s not rounded either, and it won’t round during the lift.
•    Your hands should be placed just outside your feet – wide enough to allow you to get your hips through at the top of the lift. You’ll have to experiment with this.
•    Most people deadlift with a mixed grip. One hand is supinated (like you’re doing curls), and the other is pronated (palm facing toward you). Using a double overhand grip (both hands pronated) is fine, but using straps is not. Choosing which hand to supinate is a matter of personal preference.
•    Before lifting the bar, fill your diaphragm (not your chest) with air.
•    Begin the ascent by easing pressure into the bar. Do not jerk the bar off the ground. This is how you tear a bicep or hurt your back. The best way to do this is to squeeze the bar hard with your hands and squeeze your butt.
•    I try to keep my eyes focused on a point on the ground about 15 feet in front of me.
•    Before the bar is lifted, I always think, “Butt down, chest up.”
•    The first movement of the deadlift should be initiated with the legs, not the back. This is why it’s imperative to have strong quads to deadlift.
•    Once the bar begins moving up your shins, start pulling back and onto your heels. Don’t let the bar come out in front of you. Keep it close to your body at all times. It should touch your thighs on the way up.
•    Once the bar passes your knees, push your hips through to complete the lift. At this point you should be standing erect (not back), and your knees should be locked.
•    You can either lower the bar slowly to the starting position or drop it. This depends on how quickly you want to get yourself kicked out of a public gym.
•    There are two options for doing multiple reps with the deadlift. You can either touch-and- go the reps (slight bounce off the floor), or you can do dead stop deadlifts. For these, you’ll reset for each rep. I’ve done both, and both work. The downside to touch-and-go is
that when you build up momentum, you can bounce too hard and lose your tightness. If you’re strong enough to hold your position and you have the control to do it, this option will work for you. The dead stop option is good for most people, but make sure you reset perfectly each time. The beginning portion of the lift is where most back injuries will occur. In this regard, the touch-and-go style is a little safer."

5/3/1 week 2
Deadlift Set one, 3 x 70%
                    Set two, 3 x 80%
                    Set three, 3 at least x 90%

Grit your teeth dig in your heels and pull your heart out, do as many reps as you can manage on that last set!

Conditioning I feel like going heavy today
Advanced/Intermediate: 5 Rounds for time
                                       3 power cleans @ 90% one rep max
                                       5 front squats
                                       7 L-pull ups/Tuck L-pull ups

Beginner: 3 rounds for time
                5 power cleans @ 85%
                5 front squats
                10 jumping pull ups
               10 hanging leg raises/hanging knee raises