1RM Deadlift Test

Before GB WODs PR: 325#

After 3 months of GB. Enjoy below

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Very nice!!

If your weight is still around 150#, you're well on the way to 2.5 x BW.

Even if I didn't know you were a crossfitter, I would guess it just from those deadlifts

I am of course talking about the dropping them part :wink:

Haha... I was kinda envious of his ability to drop a deadlift like that!! If I did it, I'd have massive cracks all over the rendered concrete that is the floor of my home gym on the back porch. :shock:

Strooooong!!!!!

I'm still 150#

Nick_EOD said:

Even if I didn't know you were a crossfitter, I would guess it just from those deadlifts

I am of course talking about the dropping them part :wink:

lol

I'm not going to comment on your DL style but that's a damn good improvement Looks like you could've done more, although that probably wouldve compromised form

Yes I could have but my technique would be supper horrible I was starting to round at 345#.

Thanks Razz and you may comment I accept feedback. I want to improve.

Well basically you start with almost straight legs while they should be much more bent. You then straighten your legs and then lift the weight as in a straight-leg DL style. Ideally you could pull much more weight with your legs instead of making it into an upper body lift.

Nice work bro! That was a solid deadlift! Your form looks good to me; however, I must also comment on the dropping of the weight. At my Crossfit gym, they don't count the rep if you don't lower down to the ground controlled, doesn't have to be a negative but hands on the bar in control until the weight hits the floor. This may not be technical power lifting rules (not sure), but lowering down controlled when training will improve your strength and save your floor!!

Thanks Razz, but I have long legs is there a way to position myself better? Yes I know what your saying im shooting my hips before doing the lift. I appreciate the help to improve because thats what I want to do.

Eddie Thanks! I drop because I like hearing the BANG!

I will not drop next time because your right saving the floor and improve strenght.

I was just having fun testing I didn't expect 355# :shock:

Razz said:

Well basically you start with almost straight legs while they should be much more bent. You then straighten your legs and then lift the weight as in a straight-leg DL style. Ideally you could pull much more weight with your legs instead of making it into an upper body lift.

I would disagree with you here. His form is pretty good based on the way his body is built. The important part is things are lined up properly, not back angle. Deadlift is also very much a full body exercise.

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Nick_EOD said:

Razz said:

Well basically you start with almost straight legs while they should be much more bent. You then straighten your legs and then lift the weight as in a straight-leg DL style. Ideally you could pull much more weight with your legs instead of making it into an upper body lift.

I would disagree with you here. His form is pretty good based on the way his body is built. The important part is things are lined up properly, not back angle. Deadlift is also very much a full body exercise.

So you don't think he could lift more weight if he started deeper and got used to pulling the bar off the floor by using the legs/glutes first? Spartan starts with his back parallel to the floor and I don't believe that's optimal if you want to pull the most weight. It looks more like a stiff leg-DL in my eyes.

Hard to tell from that camera angle, but no it doesn't look like he should get deeper. If he did, he would no longer start with his scaps over the bar and it would not be a straight line of pull. This is more important than depth of the butt or knees. It is still a glute/ham movement even bent over like that. They are hip extensors, and do most of the work. There is no way spinal erectors have the strength to do most of that pulling.

I'll take a side angle at 325# in the coming week for you guys. Should help you analyse better.

Nick_EOD said:

Hard to tell from that camera angle, but no it doesn't look like he should get deeper. If he did, he would no longer start with his scaps over the bar and it would not be a straight line of pull. This is more important than depth of the butt or knees. It is still a glute/ham movement even bent over like that. They are hip extensors, and do most of the work. There is no way spinal erectors have the strength to do most of that pulling.

It may be the angle but already on the lighter lifts at 0:47 it looks parallel to the floor to me.

SPARTAN-367 (PAT) said:

I'll take a side angle at 325# in the coming week for you guys. Should help you analyse better.

Cool

I really appreciate the help guys. Honestly Thanks.

Razz if you look at most powerlifters none of them start low to the ground (unless using sumo form but that's a whole other ball game), hell for a good majority of them it looks like they do a romanian deadlift. If dropping down lower was a way of lifting more weight I think more powerlifters would end up using the technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFT3FEvqSRY

everytime i see this type of deadlift i feel pain in my biceps...see on the web how many deadlifter broke his bicep tendon in this way...

The thing is power lifters find ways to 'make the lift easier' in order to lift more total weight like altering the stance and using suits etc. Their goal is to lift more tonnage. For strength training you can't solely go by what the pros do.

In strength training the goal is to get stronger and i'd like to think healthier, lifting with good form will help ensure that. That's also why there have been some discussions on wether or not to use a belt while lifting.

Mr Brady said:

The thing is power lifters find ways to 'make the lift easier' in order to lift more total weight like altering the stance and using suits etc. Their goal is to lift more tonnage. For strength training you can't solely go by what the pros do.

In strength training the goal is to get stronger and i'd like to think healthier, lifting with good form will help ensure that. That's also why there have been some discussions on wether or not to use a belt while lifting.

Only Bolton uses a suit out of my examples and there are plenty or RAW competitors that use nothing but a belt. Your comment is a bit hard to understand to me, are you saying that lifting with hips higher is somehow unhealthy or that it increases stress? if so I'd like to see where you got that information. Just because the form is altered from textbook doesn't make it not good form, like I said if it wasn't good form powerlifters would not be using it.

While I agree that the goal of a powerlifter is to strictly lift more weight weather through technique or muscular gains, I don't see how this isn't applicable to a strength training trainee. If someone added 100 lbs to their deadlift by optimizing technique are you going to tell that person that they didn't deadlift a 100 lbs more? It's one thing to put on a suit and add lbs. but saying that as a strength training trainee you don't benefit by adding weight through more optimal technique is not entirely correct in my opinion.

alex87 said:

everytime i see this type of deadlift i feel pain in my biceps...see on the web how many deadlifter broke his bicep tendon in this way...

I am assuming you mean mixed grip. People tear their biceps through improper technique of jerking too fast at the start and letting the elbow bend slightly, not because they used mixed grip. If you do the same thing with double overhand grip you'll still injure something (usually the elbow). The more weight you use the less of a room for error there is, lot of peopel develop the bad habit of jerking initially with a slight bend and once they get to heavier weights an injury occurs but this is not because of the mixed grip itself.

I agree with AlexX. Proper technique is not a way to cheat your way into doing more weight, such as a suit, which I am against. Using proper technique allows you to lift heavier, more explosively, and build strength and muscle without injury. The more weight you can do the stronger you will get, and you can't do this if you use incorrect form and hurt yourself. As far as how low to the ground you should be, this is specific to the person. If you are doing a regular deadlift, like Spartan is doing in his video, the goal is keep the back flat (lumbar curve), feet under the hips, bend the knees, keep the weight on the heels, and the bar on your body (almost like you are rolling it along your legs like a paint roller). The depth of your hips and how much you are leaning back is what puts the weight on your heels. This will be different with everyone depending on there height. If Spartan is not rounding the back and the weight is on his heels with his current form, than his hips are low enough. He is a tall guy. I am around 5' 7" and my hips go a good bit lower than his, doesn't make it right or wrong.

Hmm so Alexx you are saying that lifting close to 1RM with a rounded spine is not gonna make you more injury prone than lifting with a straight spine? Because what I see in those videos is bad form in my eyes but I may be wrong.

Yea those guys didn't have the best form in the world. But, in my eyes if you maintain all the key points I listed above, your hip height doesn't matter, but your back better be flat and your knees bent (unless doing them straight leg = different movement) with weight on the heels. If the back rounds at all you technically broke form. So I think both of yall (Razz and AlexX) are right in your own ways.