Stronger Off the Floor
If you're reading this article, then I probably don't need to tell you about the benefits of deadlifts. The deadlift is the ultimate expression of pure strength. How much weight you can pick up, period.
However, the technique is not as simple as just bend over and pick it up. In order to pull serious weight you have to have great form so that you can put the most force possible into lifting the weight. One of the beautiful simplicities of the deadlift is if you aren't strong enough to lift the weight on the bar, then it stays right there on the floor laughing at you as you walk away dejected.
Getting the weight to break off the floor is the hardest part for most lifters. Once the bar starts moving most people can grind out the last half of the rep thanks to strong hips or upper back muscles. In order to get to the next level you will need to improve your strength and speed off the floor. Here's 5 tips that you can apply instantly to your training program.
Bar placement and leg position- Since reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe years ago, I have always been a fan of this process; Place the bar over the midfoot, about 2 inches away from the shins and then hinge through the hips and reach towards the bar. If you can grab the bar with minimal tibial movement, great! You probably have really long arms and will have a great deadlift, but for the rest of us with normal length arms you will need to bend at the knees to reach the bar. This will cause the shins to come towards the bar (it's ok, trust me!). In this position we should have a straight back with shoulders right over the bar or only stlightly forward. Too far forward and you will load the front of your foot and use your back to lift the bar instead of your hamstrings, quads, and glutes. By letting the knees come forward we are now in a position to use our quads to push which gets the bar off the floor faster. Here is a video of myself deadlifting with the bar to my shins and pulling the weight. It doesn't move very fast!
Here is the same weight, but I placed the bar over my midfoot and brought my shins to the bar. This allowed me to think about putting force into the ground instead of just pulling the weight off the ground. Big difference!
Speed Training- also spoken as dynamic effort days in some training communities. Speed training has gained popularity because it allows the lifter to focus on moving the bar faster instead of just trying to go heavier. It provides some rest on the joints, but still develops the nervous system for maximum output. The most important part of training for speed is intent. You can't just attach a band or chain to bar and think you're getting more powerful. You have to try and move the bar fast every rep. As soon as the bar starts to slow down, shut if off for the day. This means you have to drop the ego and stop grinding out reps in training. Instead, lighten the loads so that you can start moving faster and producing more force. Some lifters should avoid using band or chain resisted because they are already good at grinding out reps, but instead should learn to move faster. In these cases the lifter should use band assisted movements to improve their stretch-shortening cycle and improve velocity. Read more about how to test and program for your body type in this book. Until then, lighten the load about 10% and focus on bar speed!
Deficit- If you have trouble pulling the bar from the floor, then raise the floor! What I mean is that if you improve your deadlift standing on a 2" block, then deadlifting from the floor will feel like a shorter pull and be easier. I have the most success with this protocal and it has helped me break through multiple plateaus over my career. Stand on a 2" board, matt, or weight plate and peform your deadlift sets with about 20% less weight to start. Think about the previous points: pushing with your quads and moving the bar fast. Return to standard deadlifts right before your test or competition date and viola! The bar will fly off the floor and you will smash new PRs. If you don't have a reliable block to stand on then you can also perform snatch grip deadlifts to get the same stimulus on the legs, hips, and back.
Deadstop- In order to get better off the floor, you must pull off the floor (DUH!). Touch and go reps are great to build muscle or rack up some repetitions, but they can become a crutch. If you struggle to break the bar off the floor, but then fly through 4 more reps, then you should make a quick change. For example, if you were doing 5x5 deadlifts you would only get 20 actual deadlifts from the floor in a 4 week cycle. Instead, if you set the bar down everytime you would get 100 pulls from the floor in a 4 week cycle. That is a huge gap in practice and experience. Set it down every rep, get good position, and utilize the other methods above.
Grip- This is a no brainer, but if you can't hold the bar then you can't deadlift it! Even if the weight slips just a little bit in your hands your shoulders and back will compensate and affect your technique. If the upper body has to change its position then the lower body will lose force which will decrease speed or simply not lift the weight. However, if you walk up to a bar and grab it like you're trying to melt the metal and it doesn't move a millimeter in your hands, then you can focus your entire nervous system on putting force into the ground and lifting the weight. The ways to improve this are to avoid using straps, hold the bar for 5-10 seconds at the end of every deadlift set, and perform heavy farmer's carries.
These methods have helped me take my deadlift to near 700lbs and has me moving weights fast that used to grind up my shins. If you are an athlete you don't want to lift slow very often so apply these methods to every deadlift so that you can get stronger AND faster.