Joel Sward - SwardStrength - House Of Muscle - Deadlift

Just keep pulling!

When I first started lifting weights I fell in love with the squat. The squat became my main lift and I really did not do too many deadlifts. Over time that has changed as I have also learned to love the dead-lift and now it is just as important to my lifting routine as the squat. My personal best deadlift is 800 lbs. for 1 rep and that was raw. (Raw in power-lifting lingo means without any power-lifting gear.)

The deadlift really is a great representation of someone's total body strength. If there is one lift that really shows how strong someone is, it is probably the deadlift. It is so basic in its design -- so simple and pure. There is a heavy weight on the ground, so what do you do -- bend over and pick it up!

The main mistake most people make with the deadlift is that they use too much lower back during the lift. The lower back is going to come into play, there is no way to avoid that, but you want to try to bring in as many other muscles as possible in addition to the lower back. As someone with bulging discs can attest to, this is a very good idea.

Mostly you really have to concentrate at keeping the lower back arched at all times. Try to lift the weight with your hamstrings and upper back and keep the lower back out of it as much as possible.

Also, do not let the bar drift out away from the body. The bar should actually be dragged up the legs. When I go heavy I use baby powder on my legs to help the bar slide up. I also remove my shoes and dead-lift in my socks -- less further to pull.

Well get at it! Go pull some serious weight!

Train Hard!

Joel