My approach is unique because it comes from a nearly thirty-year history of resistance training on top of a physiotherapy science background, research of the topic, and devotion to understanding the science of injury production, which conversely is about injury prevention. Professionally, my analysis is of all lifts. This article is only about deadlifting.

Experience makes a person “see” things at an unconscious level and we often take for granted that others see things the same way. This article will show you how I “see” a deadlift when a person comes to me for rehabilitation and analysis.

I’ve broken down the art of deadlifting to an exact science and I’ll show you how recognition of basic physics and applied biomechanics can produce the perfect deadlift position for anyone. Just remember, if you use my work in the future then acknowledge the source. Like most other geniuses I have a healthy ego.

WARNING: This article is about analysis. Anyone who makes a comment about the dangers of spinal flexion in relation to this article is officially deemed a moron. This is not an article discussing loading spinal flexion. It is about biomechanical analysis. Restrict your discussion to the topic.

Base of Support and Center of Mass

Just for the semantics, in deadlifting as the person is close to the surface of the earth the terms center of mass and center of gravity may be interchanged without issue.

“Physics, biomechanics, anthropometrics, musculoskeletal mobility, strength, and weakness are all evaluated to produce a person’s ideal deadlift technique.“

Anyone who has simple martial arts and contact sports experience understands that if you move an opponent’s center of mass outside of his base of support, he will fall over. So it is with deadlifting. The aim of the combined human and loaded bar mass is to remain within the base of support (your feet).

Sounds simple? It is. So, when I work with a person, I observe his or her foot posture. For example in the conventional stance, the feet are closer together and this reduces the base of support compared to sumo stance, which increases the base of support. But in sumo, if the feet are pointing laterally out, then the anterior and posterior stability is decreased. I’m not discussing muscle recruitment here, or why we choose one stance over another, that will follow. This is to show you that foot position is an important consideration in regard to an individual’s deadlift and not to be ignored.

The bar then must travel as close to the person’s center of mass to minimize unwanted horizontal energy expenditure. We aim to keep the bar’s mass as close to the lifter’s center of gravity as possible. This is why the bar begins as close to your tibia/shin as you can get it. The bar must be close to the body.

Ground Reaction Force

We lift in accordance to Newton’s third law, often referred to as the action-reaction law. This describes the forces between two bodies. In deadlifting, one body is the combined human being and loaded bar, while the other body is the earth itself. We exert a force upon the earth with our feet and the earth exerts an equal force back to us (essentially a simultaneous event). This is the ground reaction force.

Vertical and Horizontal Force Vectors

Consider that a vector is a mathematical expression of the direction of force. Simplified for this article, we can consider that when the forces are resolved, there are two force vectors at work, either vertical or horizontal. Now the fun begins.

“When the tibia is vertical, then you have vertical force application to the ground. Any flexion at the ankle will dissipate the vertical force to include a horizontal vector, a waste of force.”

Deadlifting is an endeavor where we aim to lift the bar from its resting position in a vertical manner to upright lockout. There is no rationale to produce a horizontal force upon the earth. Any horizontal vector will be wasted energy that could have been added to the vertical vector. Perfect deadlifting is theoretically a purely vertical vector. That’s what I look for.

Combine the Concepts

Combine the concept of maximizing the vertical vector to the ground reaction force and you will produce maximum potential vertical lifting force (MPVLF). I just created that term, but it looks good and describes the concept – consider that a first.

Bring in the biomechanics now. The bone that can be used as a visual indicator of vector direction is the tibia, or shin. When the tibia is vertical, then you have vertical force application to the ground. Any flexion at the ankle will dissipate the vertical force to include a horizontal vector, a waste of force. 

When I observe this in a patient, I take both front and side views to ensure the tibia position is vertical. When you photograph or video your own lifting, ensure you take both of these views at some point. Problems with vertical tibia production can be mobility, segmental strength, or movement-pattern based.

This applies to both conventional and sumo variations. The vertical tibia is the prerequisite for the most efficient force transmission in all stances. Understanding the principles behind the choices of foot position now follows. It does not mean that some champions don’t break the rule. I’m just helping you by starting with the rules. When you are good enough, you will understand variations.

The Aim: To pull the bar in a vertical vector through the shortest possible distance using the individual’s most efficient musculoskeletal tools.

Anthropometric Lengths and Stance Application

Human beings bodies vary in many ways. The bones of the skeleton are considered the levers through which forces are applied. This is part of the consideration as to what is going to be your best stance. Consider initially two segments of the body:

1. Lower body – from the pelvis to the feet
2. Upper body axial skeleton – from pelvis to shoulders

As a generalization for the purposes of this article, consider these as two separate segment lengths.

Torque minimization is the evaluation of these two segment lengths. Clearly, we wish to move the bar the shortest distance possible from the ground to lockout and minimize torque forces upon the body by the weight. As a general rule, you will start by minimizing the movement of your longest length. This is the first consideration as to whether you will be best suited to conventional or sumo stance. Minimize your longest segment.

If your torso is short, you will often tend to be conventional stance. This means you are more likely to be a person who is going to pull from your back rather that your hips. This style of pull will invariably lose the lumbar lordosis and flex the spine to use the erector spinae, especially the thoracic erector spinae, when compared to sumo.

There is nothing wrong with that, if you have good coaching. People with a lack of spinal education are rightly scared of loading flexed lumbar spines. But world records are often set that way. If you don’t know what you are doing, you can get hurt. This article is not about how to understand why spinal flexion occurs or recognition of its dangers. This article is about the analysis principles, only that.

With a lifter of very short torso length, the lifter will often appear to have “long arms.” This is more often an illusion, the person having normal arm length, but very short torso length. The truly long-armed and short-torso lifter is predisposed for short pulling distance. The conventional stance will typically load the hamstrings as the hips move over the vertical tibia to find their tension point to lift from. These rare conventional lifters may also then be able to reduce their hamstring involvement further by pointing their toes out and almost totally load their lumbar musculature.

Sumo lifters tend to minimize their longer torso lengths by using their legs and hips as the major force production, as such they will be more upright and use more glute and hamstring tension for the lift. To decrease the torso length effect, the feet are placed wider and the torso becomes more upright.

“[F]oot position is an important consideration in regard to an individual’s deadlift and not to be ignored.“

The basic physics of lifting is established. These are principles I see when I’m asked to evaluate someone’s deadlift. The more you practice, the better you will get at seeing this, too.

Foot Width

Now comes the influence of biomechanics and personal anthropometrics when we consider the mobility of the components of the individual’s joints. A person’s mobility of the hips and lumbar spine will have a huge relationship to his or her achievable position.

Note: Not the ankles, though. Never the ankles. If you want to argue about this after reading this far into my article, then go and buy a coloring book and pencils, because the whole topic must have gone so far over your head that you are beyond saving. Turn off your computer. Do not contact me.

When I identify a person who can improve his or her mobility, I prescribe an appropriate mobility for those joints to achieve. So although I may initially find a good foot position for a person in sumo, should I assess him or her as having potential to change that to his or her benefit, then I aim for that as a longer goal. Today’s optimal stance may change as the lifter becomes more able to increase mobility.

Muscular Strength

Apart from the applied physics, we must consider the real world individual’s strength and weaknesses. It is no good getting a perfect lifting posture that may emphasize glute dominance in sumo if that person has weak gluteals. Conversely, a conventional lifter with weak erector spinae will not be effective.

“Today’s optimal stance may change as the lifter becomes more able to increase mobility.“

We may have found our ideals, but now we have to apply an appropriate strengthening regimen to that person’s weak links before it can become effective. Often the correct technique may be weaker for a lifter compared to what he or she is used to until that lifter builds the new strength patterns. This will yield a long and less-injury prone career, rather than the shooting star and serious injury path.

With foot posture, you have a general rule to apply. When the toes face forward, you will be recruiting the hamstrings in the lift. The further out the toes point, the greater the gluteal recruitment. The further the toes point out, the less anterior and posterior stability you have. But if your vector production is vertical, then this is not going to be a problem. While you learn the technique, it will cause some frustration. Get over it.

Evaluation of the posterior chain musculature, personal strength patterns and weaknesses, and their contributions to the determined stance are imperative in the progression of a lifting routine and plan.

Summary

Physics, biomechanics, anthropometrics, musculoskeletal mobility, strength, and weakness are all evaluated to produce a person’s ideal deadlift technique. So next time you see a person who deadlifts and imitates a squat by placing his shins and knees over the bar, observe how loose and uncoordinated that lift appears. He probably read Starting Strength. Tightness and tension production are the goals to transmit force to the ground. Just ask Pavel.

Take your time to understand all that is written above. It gets easier the more you practice. There is so much to consider – physics, body mechanics, joint mobility, and neuromuscular strength and its coordination. If you wish to be a good coach, you need to be able to identify and understand all of these elements, and you need to practice observation. I never said it was easy. Just remember, overnight success only takes about ten years.

Check out these related articles:

• 15 Practical Strategies for Increasing Your Deadlift Max
• Mobility Video – Arching the Back for Greatness
• Why You Should Vary Your Back Squat Stance
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle Today

Photos 1, 2, and 5 courtesy of Becca Borawski Jenkins.

Photo 3 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 4 courtesy of Shannon Khoury.

The post Newton’s 3rd Law and How to Leverage Massive Deadlifts appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

It’s about implementation with due diligence. Do the little things right, and you will see big numbers.

Meet Ian Chilton. He’s one of the good guys.

Let me introduce you to my friend and client, Ian Chilton. He’s a kind soul, a family man through and through, and he is always there for everyone else. He’s also committed to his training. However, sometimes life gets in the way.

Does that sound familiar? Perhaps it even sounds a little like you.

A Little History

I’ve been working with Ian a long time, and during that time we raised his deadlift up to 200kg. In just the last fifteen weeks, he has taken his deadlift from 200 to 240kg. That’s a 20% increase, and no mean feat when you’re already lifting heavy. So you may be surprised to learn that my primary objective with Ian has never been to hit a super heavy deadlift.

READ: 5 Basic Training Principles You Need to Revisit

Ian is a masters athlete with a few old injuries to deal with, and our main priorities have always been longevity and enjoyment. But it’s almost like training for longevity lends itself to scalable, sustainable strength improvements. It’s almost like training for health and performance are one and the same. Funny, that.

So what happened to skyrocket his performance? What did Ian do to take his performance to levels even he wasn’t expecting? Here’s what he put into place to put 40kg on his deadlift in fifteen weeks, and how you can do it, too.

Not Missing a Single Training Session

The programming Ian follows is a weekly strength program I make available to all who have completed my Strength and Power Level 2 Course. The programming calls for four sessions a week. Ideally, these would be on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

“Every week, he gets in all four sessions, even if it means bending the rules slightly by training on alternative days. Because really, there are no rules.”

But as we discussed before, life often has other plans, and this schedule isn’t always possible. However, Ian doesn’t let this deter him. Every week, he gets in all four sessions, even if it means bending the rules slightly by training on alternative days. Because really, there are no rules. And the benefits of consistency trump everything.

Training With Others

When Ian wants something, he gets after it, and when he gets after it, he gets it. He’s never needed to train with others to help drive or motivate him. But over these fifteen weeks, he has hooked up with others on the program for training sessions. And guess what? His progress has stepped up yet another level.

When Ian wants something, he gets after it, and when he gets after it, he gets it.

Don’t underestimate the safety aspect of working with another person on the squat or bench press. Ever struggled with a weight, only to have a spotter for the next rep, and make the weight with relative ease? The body will only allow you to push on if the mind feels you are safe to do so.

READ: 5 Spotting Rules and Techniques Everyone Must Know

Factor in the enjoyment and friendly competition that goes with training in a small group of focused people (and the trash talking that inevitably follows), and somehow you find yourself having more of the super-productive sessions and fewer of the bad ones.

Dialing in Nutrition

This is perhaps the biggest game changer. Ian has dialed in his eating with the help of a company called Gold Standard Nutrition. They have drawn him up a meal plan and provided the food to go with it. The food is convenient, healthy, and quick to prepare, meaning there are no excuses. He’s dropped from 116kg to 103kg. That’s huge.

READ: How to Create Nutritional Plans That Stick

For me, the analysis stops here. I don’t care if the meal plan is centered around the foods the company is selling. I’m not going to enter into a discussion about whether there are healthier options or if variety of food is an issue. These may or may not be concerns, but the simple fact that Ian has dropped 13kg in bodyweight puts him in a much healthier position than he was in before.

“[I]t’s almost like training for longevity lends itself to scalable, sustainable strength improvements. It’s almost like training for health and performance are one and the same.”

His movement is better, he can go for longer, and his performance is through the roof. In fact, he’s the strongest he’s ever been, not just in relative terms to bodyweight but absolute terms, too. That’s what matters. Those are some serious results and benefits.

Performing GPP and Prehab Religiously

Every week, Ian hooks up with me for a GPP/prehab session. We’ll perform a variety of drills to keep his body healthy, do some gross-level conditioning work, build on weak areas, and take a look at technique points. Ian is so convinced of the role these sessions play in his progress that he calls them his “secret weapon.”

Ian during one of his prehab sessions – what he calls the “secret weapon.”

Sorry, Ian, your secret is out. And I’ll let you all in on a secret, too. It’s not that these sessions are with me. It’s the fact that week in, week out, Ian is consistently taking the extra steps required outside of his regular training sessions to keep himself in check, along with conditioning his body to cope with the increased demands he’s placing on it.

Leaving Something in the Tank

This program calls for regular max work. But “max” is a vague word. Rarely will Ian go beyond his technical max (the max weight he can hit with perfect technique, or at least without any major deviation), as he knows a max reliant on good technique is not only a better strength-builder but a better strength-marker, too. This type of max scales well on all levels. At the end of a cycle, he pushes a little harder and goes for a training cycle max. But unless he is in a competition setting, Ian will always leave something in the tank.

“Doing a few of these things, here and there, now and again, is not going to do anything at all. The cumulative effect of each of these performance points is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Once the main lift of the day is done, it’s on to a supplemental movement, followed by a few assistance pieces. Ian knows the trick here is to not miss a single rep. It’s simply not worth it. Hit the rest of your session with intent and perfect form and you will build and bulletproof your body without wrecking it.

Trusting the Program

Are there things Ian doesn’t like doing in the program? Absolutely. Are there things he is unsure about? For sure. But he does them, without fuss and without fail. He’s put his trust in me to program for him and has seen the results that come when he puts all the pieces of the puzzle together with intent, mindful application, and common sense.

Trust the program, and concentrate on how you can implement it in the best way possible. How many of these aspects of your training do you truly have dialed in? And how many do you just pay lip service to? It would be all too easy to read this article and think, “Is this guy serious? Playing with this stuff is not going to add 40kg to my deadlift.”

And you’d be right. Doing a few of these things, here and there, now and again, is not going to do anything at all. The cumulative effect of each of these performance points is greater than the sum of its parts.

RELATED: 7 Markers of a Solid Strength Program

Don’t take the concepts in this article lightly. Ian has been lifting for decades, and it’s only when he nailed every single one of these points down that he advanced at a rate he would never have previously dreamed of. If you feel like you’re doing everything by the letter and still not making progress, it’s time to nail down these details and watch your numbers fly.

Photos courtesy of David Watkins.

The post How to Put 40kg on Your Deadlift in 15 Weeks appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

But just because you aren’t shaped like a primate doesn’t mean you should shun this primitive lift. The deadlift is a lift for everyone, but there are variations in the lift and better ways to use these variations according to your goals – and that’s what we will go through today.

Here are six deadlifting questions I get asked on constant basis. I must admit, my responses to these questions over the years have evolved. These are my answers as I now stand, through many errors, much experimentation, and a smattering of experience.

Question #1: Conventional or Sumo?

My response to this question depends on who you are and what you train for. If you are an Olympic weightlifter, your coach probably already tells you to stay away from the deadlift. The deadlift is too similar to the first pull on the clean. Training both, particular for a lifter who is yet to groove his or her pull from the ground, can mess up the neural pathways for the first pull significantly. Couple this with the fact that weightlifters pull from the ground at percentages of their clean and snatch that are perfect for training the deadlift, and there is a strong argument for weightlifters leaving the deadlift well alone.

But I know what it’s like to want to deadlift – to need to deadlift. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get cravings that can only be appeased through picking something particularly heavy up off the floor. So as a weightlifter, if you need to deadlift, my advice would be to go sumo. Keep the movement entirely different and separate from your bread-and-butter lifts.

However, if you are only concerned with your powerlifting total, try both deadlift styles if you haven’t already. It makes sense to train in the one that allows you to lift the most weight off the floor for one repetition. This can be based on a number of factors including gender, relative strengths, general preference, and body type. If you’re shaped like me, it’s probably sumo. If you’re tall and big, it’s probably conventional.

If you are training strongman, my advice would be to train conventional the majority of the time for better overall strength carryover. Plus the sumo deadlift is often disallowed from strongman competitions.

If you are a CrossFitter or athlete going after general physical preparedness, I would find what works for you. If you need to build strength, conventional could well be the answer due to its impressive posterior chain development. However the sumo may be better if longevity is the main aim of your game. This is due to its more forgiving mobility requirements, along with a relative reduction in shear forces and torque.

Question #2: Double Overhand or Mixed Grip or Hook Grip?

Double overhand grip until you get to the point where you cannot complete the rep because of your grip. Note, this is not the same point as when it gets hard to keep hold. At that point go to the bucket and coat your hands in man-the-f***-up dust. Push past this point until you get to the point where you are genuinely losing grip of the bar and it is affecting the lift. From there on use the mixed grip.

Maintaining this double overhand position for as long as possible is the best possible training for your grip strength. You will find that the point at which you have to switch gets heavier and heavier as your grip improves. If you are also able to push past the pain of the hook grip, then feel free to use it from the start. It is stronger than the standard double overhand yet safer than the mixed grip – a great combination if you can handle it.

Question #3: Straps or No Straps?

Yes, if you need them. If your grip is the only thing impeding you from hitting a much heavier deadlift right now, then please put on a pair of straps and go lift heavy. Exhaust all the above grip options first though.

Some people argue that if the body cannot grip the bar, it has no business lifting the bar. I agree in the fact that caution is required. One of the dangers of straps is burnout from going heavier than the body can handle, especially if using them for partial deadlift reps. I disagree in the fact that for many people controlled use of straps is acceptable and useful in order to get stronger. This, after all, is much more the purpose of the deadlift than the grip training you also happen to receive.

Point of note – I don’t want to see you use straps if you do no additional grip training work. Using straps is recognizing a weak link in your chain, one that you need to strengthen through other grip work. Try adding in farmer’s walks, static holds at the top of a deadlift, fat bar or Fat Gripz deadlifts – or even all three.

Question #4: Belt or No Belt?

Depends what you’re using it for. To protect your back? No belt. Learn to breathe properly. Learn to create intra-abdominal pressure, to brace the spine without the aid of a belt.

As an aid to lift more weight? Go for it. Not from your first lift, but not only for your last few. Learning to breathe hard with and against the belt to make the most of it is just as much of a skill as learning to breathe without one.

Question #5: Touch-and-Go or Drop the Bar?

I would put money on the fact that your position off the floor from your second rep onwards is not as good as your initial rep. Dropping the bar allows you to reset yourself into a consistent lifting position each time. Technique -> Consistency -> Intensity.

A second point relates to recovery. Deadlifts are hard enough to recover from already. The lowering of the bar, the eccentric part of the lift, adds to this recovery time or even multiplies it. You have already done the lift, and the hard part of it at that. If you are able to drop the bar where you train, it makes sense to me to do so. Therefore, in strength training, I would advise dropping the bar.

If you must practice touch and go (and I’m thinking of CrossFit workouts here), keep it light. There is little point using this technique with heavy weight during training.

Question #6: Heavy or for Reps?

Mostly heavy. Heavy deadlifts are good for the soul. However, don’t go for max singles all the time. In fact, you should only be hitting max singles during testing, i.e. at a competition. During your training, it’s just not worth it. Once again, the impact on your recovery is simply not worth the squeeze for the small increase in weight. Also, the likelihood of being out of position on a true one rep max deadlift is far greater than if you are going for a heavy double or triple.

Deadlift for reps can must also be hit with consideration. The opposite consideration, in fact – more is less. Hitting deadlifts for fifty-plus reps in a workout for time is a recipe for disaster.

For those training from a strongman perspective, I believe that deadlifting between a range of low reps (2-3) and high reps (12-15) and with a range of objects is ideal and important.

I’m glad we’ve cleared all that up. We’ve looked at how to lift the bar, how to lower the bar, for how many reps, how to grip the bar, and which additional aids to use. All that’s left is for you to go lift the damn thing.

Have fun, be sensible, and let me know how you get on!

Photos 1,2&4 courtesy of Becca Borawski.

Photo 3 courtesy of Chris Duffin.

The post 6 Common Deadlift Questions Answered appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

It is just one of those unexplainable feelings. Power, strength, accomplishment, they all don’t do justice to the feeling of hitting that all time best deadlift. When you first begin down that journey of big deadlifts, you think there is no end is sight. Each workout feels like you can do more, lift bigger, the plateaus never seem possible.

Then it happens. You stall. All of a sudden twenty or thirty pound jumps are no longer possible. Heck, going up by five or ten pounds seems like tons. What next? Just try and try to lift harder and harder?

I have seen many lifters bang their heads against the deadlift wall many times. However, sometimes the best answer is to actually get away from the deadlift. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes that lifters make is thinking the deadlift is only performed in one manner.

Powerlifters and Olympic lifters have used variations of their competitive lifts to improve their specific weaknesses for decades. We can use the same strategy with the deadlift to help our body to perform at its highest level and solve some of the issues that create these plateaus. Here are three unusual pulling variations that I have found to help people blast through their deadllift plateaus.

Snatch Grip Deadlift

One of the most underutilized forms of deadlifts, the snatch grip accomplishes a few different goals. Right off the bat, lifters find significant weaknesses in their upper back. An inability to maintain the position of the upper back leads to early rounding of the lower back. Obviously this is problematic for safety of the low back, but this instability also greatly weakens our ability to pull well. The longer we can lock in the upper back, the more likely we are to pull more weight.

The second benefit of the snatch grip deadlift is the extended range of motion for the pull. Developing pulling strength from an extended range of motion can have great carryover to pulling more conventional deadlift stances. We can also see if lack of mobility in the hips, ankle, and upper back are a limiting factor in increasing our deadift poundages. If we can assume the snatch grip deadlift position without rounding then we may find flexibility or mobility to be a limiting factor in our pull. This is a reality many lifters don’t like, but once resolved it can result in instant success.

Sandbag Shouldering

I am not talking about using a token amount of weight and performing super high repetition conditioning work. Instead, use a challenging weighted sandbag that makes three or four repetitions per side to be serious work.

Why sandbag shouldering? Like the snatch grip deadlift, the sandbag shoulder actually extends our pull because instead of starting the pull about mid-shin, our hands scoop underneath, creating a longer distance of pulling.

Unlike the snatch grip deadlift, we have more of an emphasis on what is known as rate of force development. Working on our ability to generate force faster from the ground can help the initial pull from the ground or, in some instances, when locking out the deadlift.

We have the snatch grip deadlift to work on the extended range of motion, so why not just use a power clean to improve rate of force development? Sandbag shouldering is an unusual lift in the fact the sandbag is an unstable weight that forces more of the small stabilizers to fire during the pull. The movement of the sandbag to one side of the body also causes what is known as anti-rotational forces.

You can see sandbag shouldering being performed incorrectly all the time when people twist, lean, and do everything but maintain the same posture as when they pull in the deadlift. The entire point of sandbag shouldering is to resist the forces of the unstable object and pull to one side of the body. Imagine a lower body pull that builds angles and parts of the trunk and hips unlike almost anything else.

Add in the fact that the distance the sandbag must cover is quite great compared to most pulling exercises and sandbag shouldering becomes a drill that anyone serious about power and strength should develop proficiency in performing.

Staggered Deadlift

Changing how we stand in relationship to the weight when we lift is rarely implemented into programs. However, it is one of the most effective means in identifying weaknesses in a lift. Slightly destabilizing the body exposes the lifter’s issues and we can focus on improving these instabilities.

The staggered deadlift can show us the following:

• Too much of a tendency to pull with the low back and not the hips.
• Instability in the hip especially in the frontal plane and transverse planes.
• Increased emphasis of driving force into the ground rather than simply trying to lift up the weight.

How to Use

Performing all three variations within a training session is far from ideal. Cycling is a far better option. We can use all three within a cycle or, if we want to identify which is most effective for ourselves, use only one. Using all three, we can implement a heavy, medium, light cycle. One day being a heavy emphasis, another medium, and the last day light. Since the snatch grip deadlift is our most stable lift we can use it as the heavy, and following a pattern of instability we would follow with sandbag shouldering and staggered deadlift

• Day 1-Heavy: Snatch Grip Deadlift 3-5 sets of 2-5 repetitions
• Day 2-Medium: Sandbag Shouldering 3-4 sets of 2-4 repetitions per side
• Day 3-Light: Staggered Deadlift 2-3 sets of 4-5 repetitions per side

The post 3 Unusual Accessory Exercise to Bust Through Your Deadlift Plateau appeared first on Breaking Muscle.