Three things I am working on concerning my pulls
1) Minimal tension and minimal accessory movement during the lift
2) Simultaneous knee/hip/spine extension. Everything starts and finishes at the same time.
3) Double over hand grip on all pulls. If I can’t hang on to it, I do not need to lift it yet.
I worked up to Pr’s in lift intensity, and volume tonight. Feeling good. I have not deadlifted in several months, and now it is coming back around. I expect a 625-640lbs pull @235 this go around.
This position for deadlifting tested far better than my standard conventional stance or my sumo stance.
My suggestion to you, keep testing different positions. Some times you will suprise yourself
ATG
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{ 18 comments }
Not overthinking the deadlift has worked very well for me now that I have some kind of a groove. I used to really tense prior to the lift itself, but that led to just too hasty lifting, whereas now I can just pick up the weight and tense appropriately.
“My suggestion to you, keep testing different positions. Some times you will suprise yourself.”
You talkin to me?
had an interesting conversation with one of my customers yesterday. I have been cutting the guys hair for 6 years, in that time he has put on no muscle, put on fat, just looks worse. He asked me what i have been doing because i don’t look the same since the grip and rip. I told him about the gym movement and how it can be applied to anything you do. I said it has been the easiest i have ever worked out in my life, and yet the most productive. He replied he is very happy the way his training is going, and he can’t put anymore time into changing the way he works out. I just said huh, thats cool. These are the type of people that are out ther. He is happy with just looking the same, never learning or progressing.
Frank, I deal with people ALL the time asking me for advice about training. In particular there are a few who regularly ask me, then don’t even attempt to apply what I’ve told them. I had one guy tell me he wanted to get into PL but didn’t know what the lifts were. Then one told me that training movements rather than muscle groups won’t get him big. Has he tried it? No. Next time it’s going to be as simple as this: test it out yourself or you’re wasting my time.
Frank, some people are beyond reason. Whatever you do or don’t do, you can’t make them change themselves. :/
As a 50 YO who is trying to get back into training and who is currently doing more of a Romanian style DL (RDL), I notice the following things:
1. Your back is more parallel to the ground like a RDL (starting position), but you are looking down rather than keeping your head upright (gaze forward).
2. Your feet appear closer together than most RDL stances.
3. You are returning the weight to the ground rather than keeping tension when performing more than a single rep.
I know your training philosophy emphasizes “what works for the individual”, but could you comment on the advantages/disadvantages of these points? I am definitely in noob land concerning deadlifts.
“3) Double over hand grip on all pulls. If I can’t hang on to it, I do not need to lift it yet.”
Adam, is this one of the Gym Movement protocols or just one of your own goals? Would you recommend this to all lifters who don’t compete in powerlifting?
IAaron this is my own thing, simply a product of my pursuit of more and more grip strength. I do not recommend anything to every one except test it out, for an individual I would help them call it based on their goals
Gotcha. Thanks, Adam!
Looks ugly, smells good? Appears funky but tests well? I am itchin’ to get this surgery and get back to weights. I will tame the beast in Philly, I will tame the beast in Philly. . . .
Hi there Adam!
You will get that huge pull this year–no question!
Remind me this weekend when you are hear as I have some thoughts on the hump back deadlift for you.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson PhD(c)
Is it a text book dead lift…. no. It is more of a RDL. The part I personally like is the ease that you pull 500 with double over hand grip. Unless you are making a video on how to do the perfect dead lift, your style is working pretty dam good. You have to be comfortable when doing a dead. If you try and force yourself into a position you will put undo stress on your self somewhere. I say roll with it ! Don’t lift the bar. Just push your heels into the ground .
Adam,
I really like your double overhand philosophy, but enjoy your demeanor when Deadlifting even more. After watching you demonstrate at Grip n Rip it opened a whole new window into this lift. As I approach the bar now calmer than ever, it seems my form gets safer and more efficient the more it is practiced. I never utilized a neutral spine alignment before Feb. 2010. Today I pulled 405 fairly easy at 185 BW. My PR one week before Grip n Rip was 315. I thought 450 might be my limit, but after today I’m not so sure, 500 seems possible by the end of 2010. For some reason hitting a PR in this lift is much more exiting and motivating than in other lifts to me.
Thanks Adam
Dustin, that is an outstanding achievement, +100lbs in under 4 months is not bad man! stay Calm, like a bomb
Adam – or anybody else who can answer this,
When doing heavy singles like this, how do you stay away from tension, hard breathing, etc?
I’m still trying to figure everything out, I must have watched the DVD six times now. With high reps it’s clear for me when to stop the set. But when training for strength with 1 – 4 reps, almost every rep takes a lot of tension. Or should I really keep the weight so light that even singles are easy?
Thanks, Jeroen
How do the heavier weights test? If they test well and you’re not in pain or in poor alignment, you’re fine. There will always be some tension. It just needs to be proportionate to the task.
You are going to heavy. A single is merely doing one rep. nothing special about it.
Strength training with 1-4 reps is a sacred cow, challenge it
Thanks Josh & Adam,
For me heavy weight in the DL tests well about once a week. Though with a heavy (for me) DL, the time it takes for my toe touch to recover between sets, increases quickly.
Adam, how much did you rest between sets in the DL-session in the video?