Brainsandbrawn
■Deadlifting is all about brute
strength executed with sound
technique. “Although pulling weight
offthefloormaysoundsimple
enough, there are actually quite a lot
of things you can get wrong,” says
Wright. “Poor technique lets down the
majority of deadlifters in your
average gym, and can cause serious
injury. When setting up for your lift
youwanttoremembertopullyour
shoulders back and your chest out,
locking down your shoulder blades.
This creates tension in your back that
will help prevent you from rounding
the lower back or having your hips
comeuptooearly.Yourgoalistodrive
thehipstowardsthefrontwall,so
lean back into the lift and squeeze
your glutes hard while pressing
through your heels in to the floor.”Hardandfast
■Even if you’re a beginner you’ll
quicklyprogresstohavingat
least100kgonthebar.And
when it start getting serious, you
don’twanttoliftwithsuspect
technique. “If you find you’re
struggling to perform this lift with
good technique, then start with
some rack pulls — which means
settingthebarupinarackaround
30cmoffthefloor,”saysWright.
“You’ll develop the strength in a
shorter range of movement.” And
if you’re finding that you’re having
togrindouteveryrep,youmay
want to work on your speed of lift.
“To help build your deadlift speed,
work on heavy kettlebell swings.
By firing your hips forwards
against the weight of the kettlebell
you’llbuildstrongerglutesand
hipdrive,supercharging your
deadlift power.”PERFECT FORM
Standing with your feet
shoulder-width apart,
grasp the bar with your
hands just outside
your legs. Lift the bar
by driving your hips
forwards, keeping a
flat back. Lower the bar
under control — though
once you get up to really
heavy weights, it’s OK to
drop your final rep.- Deadlift
TARGE T SWHOLE BODY
If you’re looking for
raw strength then the
deadlift is the move for
you. “It’s a posterior chain
builder, working the
musclesontherearof
your body to pull the bar
fromfloortohip,”says
Wright. “The deadlift will
allow you to move more
weight than any other
barbell exercise, so use
it to develop your overall
strength and power.”
“The deadlift allows
youtomovemore
weight than other
barbell moves.”