Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

BEYOND BRAWN
deadlifting 500 pounds. I was, however, still giving more focus to the squat,
but was not getting results proportional to my application.
17.14 During the deadlift-focus period I am now going to describe I found I
could progress on the deadlift akin to how the famous squatters did on the
squat—train hard, rest a lot, eat well, and you can add weight to the bar
almost every week, and do so for a long time. is was so very satisfying and
made me wonder what I might have done had I clicked with this important
reality early in my training life.
Breathing, and deadlifting technique
17.15 When deadlifting heavily, whether in the stiff-legged or bent-legged version,
I always used grip aids. I had neglected to do serious grip work and was paying
the price by having to use the crutch of heavy grip support.
17.16 During the bent-legged deadlift the stress upon the body from holding the
bar in the standing position while pausing to breathe is very great, and will
increase fatigue. e alternative of breathing while the bar is on the floor or
platform—while in the crouched setup position—is not satisfactory either.
e legs and back tire from being kept in the setup position.
17.17 What I used to do was maintain my grip on the bar, though relaxing my
hold, while the bar rested on the platform. I also maintained the positioning
of my feet. But I did not keep my knees bent in the starting position. I
straightened my legs, while keeping my hands and feet in position, and took
a few quick and deep breaths with my legs and arms straight—my back
would naturally round during this pause. en I would bend my knees, get
in position with a flat back once again, set the bar against my shins, and pull
the next rep; and then repeat the process.
17.18 I always set myself up in a flat-back position, and the initial drive from the
floor was with both thighs and back strength. But my legs quite soon locked
out and the deadlift became a total back exercise. is became exaggerated
after I developed knee problems—by taking more of the load on my back I
reduced the stress on my knees. When my form got ragged, my back would
round quite a lot at the top of a rep. While I absolutely do not recommend
this round-back style of deadlifting, I got away with it for quite a long time.
Even when I got injured at the end of the cycle I do not think the excessive
rounding of my back was anything more than a contributing factor at most.
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