nutrition and performance book

THE DEADLIFT
The deadlift is the “daddy” of lifts. You will attempt to pick up a dead weight directly off the floor.
That’s it. However, unlike some other compound lifts the dead lift is a do all or do nothing kind of
lift. It takes absolute sheer strength with a massive amount of muscle recruitment to do so. If it’s too
heavy, then bad form can be spotted a mile away. So, getting it right takes times and precision. This
lift will help to develop a strong and uniform body like no other.
The bar and plates will be directly at your feet
Make sure that the bar is mid foot, the whole foot, not the mid-instep, and not touching the
shins etc.
Your stance will be slightly closer than shoulder width apart, however due to different body
compositions and sizes this may be something you will need to play about with
Make sure your feet point slightly outwards
When you grip the bar make sure the hands are on the outside of the legs but touching them
Grips vary. Mainly use an overhand grip. However, as the weight goes up you can use an over
hand and underhand on opposite sides, or use wraps. This depends on your grip strength
When you grab the bar make sure you don’t move it. Bend the knees towards the bar till the
shins touch it
Do not sit into the deadlift. Keep tension in the hamstrings. Your body should be apx. 65
degrees as illustrated in the photo. Maintain tension.
Keep a neutral spine. Do not hunch and do not arch too much. The same applies for the head
and neck. Look directly forward
Keep the arms perfectly straight
Squeeze your chest up as hard as you can. DO NOT MOVE THE BAR. This establishes a "wave"
of extension that goes all the way down to the lumbar, and sets the back angle from the top
down. Do not lower your hips – lift the chest to set the back angle.
Engage the lats and take a deep breath to activate the core
Squeeze the bar off the floor and drag it up your legs in contact with your shins until it locks
out at the top. If you have done the above sequence precisely as described, the bar will come
off the ground in a perfectly vertical path. All the slack will have come out of the arms and
hamstrings, the bar will not jerk off the ground, and your back will be in good extension (do
not lean back). You may perceive that your hips are too high, but if you have completed the
steps correctly, the scapulas, bar, and mid-foot will be in vertical alignment and the pull will
be perfect. The pull will seem "shorter" this way.
Lower the bar down in the exact opposite motion
Exhale at the top of the lift
Deep breath. Reset the body. Repeat.
Some common mistakes to avoid:
Rolling the bar to your shins to lifts it. Leaning back to far at the extension (top). Shrugging at top of
deadlifts. Hitting your knees on the way down. Using a belt with bad deadlift form (get the technique
down before you wear add-on’s, preferably never use a belt). Watching your reps in the mirror
weather its side on or face on. Using bent elbows to lift jerking them into the lift, this causes injury to
them. Wrong shoe types with elevated heels for example. Squatting the deadlift (sitting into it) as
stated keep hamstring tension. Not touching the floor with the barbell on the way down.
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