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How To Build A Bigger Deadlift

Learn To Lift Training • March 22, 2021

How To Build A Bigger Deadlift - Top Tips


The Deadlift is regarded by many as the truest test of strength of all the big lifts. It's the exercise you will lift the most on and there are few, if any, more impressive sights than seeing a big Deadlift PB and the raw out pouring of emotion and joy that often accompanies it!


Here's our top tips for building a big Deadlift:


Make sure your technique is on point


It goes without saying that this is fundamental to maximising your performance on any lift and minimising your risk of injury in doing so.


Here's some handy articles we have written on this very topic that should help put in context what we mean by making sure your technique is on point:


3 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Deadlift


The Anatomy Of A Good Deadlift


If you are ticking the boxes for the key elements we layout in these articles then there is a very good chance your technique is excellent. If not then hopefully they will help highlight areas you can work on and thus help you build a bigger Deadlift.


Target your weaknesses in the lift


Once you have good technique in place this is your quickest route to adding extra kilos to your Deadlift. Everyone is built differently and has different leverages so weak points will of course vary.


Three of the most common weaknesses and strategies for addressing them include:


🔹Struggling off the floor at the start of the lift - if this is your weak point in the lift you might consider implementing deficit deadlifts into your training.


A particular favourite of ours is speed work at more moderate weights for singles, doubles or triples.  If done right this can really help to develop explosive speed off the floor at the start of the lift.


🔹Weak core and struggling to maintain torso position - it's worth noting that some rounding in the mid to upper back is to be expected when it comes to more limit lifts and is not inherently unsafe as long as your lower back maintains a solid neutral position. However, that's a discussion for an entirely separate article.


Beyond this normal range of rounding some people really struggle to maintain a strong position through their core and this loss of position majorly impacts what they can lift, particularly when it comes to the lockout portion of the movement.


The way to address this weakness is of course to strengthen your core. This is achieved through the work it performs on the big compound lifts during your training but it is also a good idea to include additional core specific assistance work. Ab wheel roll outs are a particular favourite of ours but various plank and weighted plank variations also work well.


🔹Finding it much harder at lockout - it's important to note here that this can result from poor technique or an inability to maintain a good torso position as above. If this is the case then you obviously have identified the areas you can work on to improve.


However, if this isn't the reason why you struggle at lockout, including partial deadlifts into your training can be a good option. Be smart with how you approach these though, it's pretty well accepted in strength training circles that partials from above the knee have quite a poor transfer to actual Deadlifts. Instead work from at least a few inches below the knee, often 13 or 15 inch pulls are good positions to work from.


Please note the examples given above are far from exhaustive and will of course vary from individual to individual based on their training history, personal circumstances, mobility and so on. They are obviously not prescriptive but intended to give you an idea of what you might consider doing to address your own weak points.


Pick your moments to push


Given the heavy loads involved in Deadlifting and the fact that so many major muscle groups are challenged in the lift, it can be very fatiguing.


How many times have you seen people maxing out their Deadlifts every week in the gym or attempting to work at their limits. These are usually the same people that make very little progress and often regress or get injured due to the high accumulation of fatigue.


Any good training program will build week on week and only push to your limits on select occasions. Indeed, it's much more effective when it comes to building strength to spend most of your time in your training keeping a little in the tank and progressively building the weight every week towards moments when you push for new PBs.


Here's a simple example for someone with a 5 rep max Deadlift of 140 kg:


Week 1 - 120 kg x 5

Week 2 - 125 kg x 5

Week 3 - 130 kg x 5

Week 4 - 135 kg x 5

Week 5 - 140 kg x 5

Week 6 - deload

Week 7 - attempt new 5 rep max


Things can of course be much more nuanced than this but it serves the purpose of highlighting the main take home point here, that it can be a very good strategy to plan the moments when you will test yourself and spend a good chunk of time building towards this using loads that allow you to hold a little back, albeit less and less each week.


Get coaching on this and more


If you would like to build a big Deadlift and want expert coaching on this and more, have a look at our Bootcamp Glasgow and Personal Training Glasgow pages and drop us a message!


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