How to Increase Your Deadlift
by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD
Focus on Form!
There’s no way you’ll ever improve your deadlift without proper technique, like any movement out there. Set up with your feet just about shoulder-width apart. The bar should be touching your shin. Hands should be a thumb’s length away from the body on the bar (here is where you can choose a traditional grip similar to a clean or a mixed grip with one over and one under hand) and keep a neutral head looking forward.
As you approach the bar, you should be approaching with a strong back with shoulders over the bar. Picture a gorilla’s back. When standing up, engage the lats, and keep the bar on the body as you lift your hips upwards first, and pushing your knees back (do not move the bar around your knees, you should be pushing your knees out of the way). DO NOT push your hips or butt back and perform, what I like to call, a “Stripper deadlift”. This should be one, fluid movement. The move is finished with hips fully extended and shoulders back. To lower, perform everything in the opposite fashion OR to really reduce your risk for injury, drop it after standing up fully. Lowering will get you stronger, but dropping reduces your risk for herniating a disk.
Improve Your Grip Strength
Do Farmer’s carries, hangs from the pull-up bar, barbell complexes (not putting the bar down between movements), and kettlebell swings to help strengthen your grip. It will not only make it easier to hold the bar during the deadlift, but will allow for the movement to feel a touch easier, and one less technique item to worry about.
Mentally Prep Yourself
If you want to lift big, you need to think big! It’s that simple. Approach every deadlift as if it’s 1000 pounds. Don’t allow any distractions in your lifting element either as it could significantly lower your lift for that session. If you’re having a bad day, channel that energy into your lift. Don’t let it mess with your intensity in a negative way. However, if there is something really big on your mind, it’s probably best to avoid a heavy lift altogether to avoid an injury from not paying full attention.
