How to Pull a Heavy Deadlift

Pulling a heavy deadlift takes great strength.

Few lifts will strain your body and mind as much as a heavy deadlift, which is probably why so few people do them. The deadlift works your back, core and legs and is one of the greatest lifts for building muscle and power. To pull a heavy deadlift requires good technique as well as great strength. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Things You'll Need

• Barbell
• Plates that fit the bar

Instructions

Execution

1. Chalk your hands. This means rub magnesium carbonate into them to dry up moisture. You just need enough to lightly dust the palms of your hands.

2. Walk up to the bar and place your shins directly against it. Reach down and grab the bar with your hands slightly wider than your legs, and alternate your grip. Turn one hand so the palm is facing you, the other so the palm is away from you.

3. Bend and the hips and knees and lower your hips until your shoulders are behind the bar. Arch your lower back and stick your chest up. Look up slightly, but not so much that you are looking at the ceiling.

4. Pull the bar back and up at the same time by straightening your legs and hips. Drag the bar up your body, do not allow it to move away from you at any point during the lift. Do not allow your back to round.

5. Continue to straighten by driving the head and shoulders back and the hips forward. Do not stop until you are completely erect. Do not roll your shoulders back at the top of the lift.

6. Lower the bar along the same path without rounding your back. Do not drop it, but do not bend over and lower it with just your back.

Tips & Warnings

• Before you pull a heavy deadlift, start light and work up to it, building both technique and strength. It may be best to wear flat shoes, instead of shoes with some sort of air cushion as your feet may slide around in them and you want as much stability in your feet as possible. High top flat basketball shoes work well.

• A heavy deadlift takes conditioning as well as strength and focus. Do not do it when you are fatigued, prepare for it properly like you would any other exercise or contest that takes training time and preparation. Pull heavy, but pull safely.

References

• PubMed: Deadlift Muscle Force and Activation Under Stable and Unstable Conditions. 2010
• PubMed: A Three-Dimensional Biomechanical Analysis of Sumo and Conventional Style Deadlifts. 2000
• PubMed: Lumbar Spine Loads During the Lifting of Extremely Heavy Weights. 1991
• PubMed: Biomechanical Analysis of the Deadlift During the 1999 Special Olympics World Games. 2001

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• "Starting Strength:" Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore 2007
• "Strength Training Anatomy-3rd Edition": Frederic Delavier 2010