how to deadlift scary amounts of weight: Principles & Variations
Deadlifts. The king of all lifts-the highlight of any meet day.
Who doesn’t love a good, strong pull? There’s no further satisfying feeling than standing up with a ton of weight in your hands; then slamming it on the ground. It’s what we all live for.
Everyone wants those big numbers-whether it’s 200, 2 plates, 2x bodyweight, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800-and getting a big deadlift is certainly a great goal.
You SHOULD lift those heavy weights. And by optimizing your technique, mindset, and programming, you can be well on your way to achieving big numbers.
Mastering Your Technique-
Deadlift technique is often highly misunderstood. Walk into any 24-Hour Fitness, and guarantee, you’ll see high-school gym bros bouncing the floor, shooting their hips up, as their backs curl like cats.
Yet, this technique will not benefit you in performance OR longevity. Having a solid technical foundation will set you up to pull big weights in the future- and do so FOR your future.
Here are 5 keys to optimizing the deadlift:
Proper Bracing-
Creating a solid brace before you pull is essential to lifting more weight. During the deadlift, tension must be *maintained* throughout the rep. Proper bracing stiffens the trunk, aids in spinal position, helps transfer force through the floor, and allows you to hold that position you created during your setup.
The key is sufficiently timing your brace. Don’t create it after you pull- as that defeats the whole purpose. Get your torso and hips set, then take a big breath in, expanding through your rib cage. Slightly exhale: “bearing down,” like you’re about to take a punch. Pressure should be created throughout your entire trunk, creating your own "weightlifting belt." After you go through that process, lift the bar while holding your air. Don’t fully exhale until you reach the top. This way, you can stay tight during the whole rep.
2. Proper setup-
Because just “gripping and ripping it” won’t get you very far.
When lifting heavy weights, the utmost intention is necessary to lockout a new number. Every step of your setup should lead you to optimize your lift. Create a checklist: set the torso, then the hips into proper position, grip the bar, pull it close to you, take a big brace, mentally prepare, then lift. Be aware of each detail, and solidify your position before the bar leaves the floor. So then, when it does, you’ll be set up for success to execute your rep.
3. Confidence
Deadlifts can be such a mind-fuck. They’re often the finickiest lift-the one that can be the most soul-crushing, the one we emotionally invest so greatly into.
Because of this, psychology and confidence play a significant role in performance.
Part of creating confidence is creating your pre-lift ritual. This includes your setup and anything that helps you mentally.
Maybe it’s a mantra in your head.
Maybe it’s rage, turning into an animal.
Maybe it’s bringing a state of calm, zen, and quiet.
Maybe it’s visualizing the lift, seeing yourself complete it before your attempt.
Whatever it is, bring that to your deadlifts. Experiment, and find what helps you have your best pulls. It takes time and repetition to find your "zone." But once you do, your deadlifts will never be the same.
4. Slack pull
One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing lifters jerk the bar off the ground, losing any tension created when setting up.
This happens because they’re not using a technique called “pulling the slack out of the bar.” What is it?
When you pull the slack out of the bar, you’re engaging your lats, securing the bar toward your body, and essentially “pre-pulling” the weight. This makes the lift easier before you even go to start it. Pretty helpful, right?
Admittedly, simply saying “pull the slack out” can be confusing. Let’s go through what that means.
Pulling the slack is twofold: externally rotating the shoulder (wedging the bar in) and closing the armpit toward the body.
Some ways to think about it are:
-” Protect your armpits, don’t let someone tickle you.”
-” Squeeze an orange in each armpit, like you’re trying to make orange juice.”
-” Pull the bar in toward your shins.” "Make them bleed!"
-”Pull the click out of the bar.”
When “slack” is effectively “pulled,” you’ll hear a little *clang* with the weights. Before you go to pull, there's a small amount of space between the bar and the plates as it rests. Then, if slack is pulled, the plates slide closer to the bar, which will make the force transfer more efficient.
This cue is one of the most significant game-changers to your deadlift, so rest assured, it’s something you should be doing. If you don't pull the slack out of the bar, the bar will pull the slack out of you; tension, positioning, and efficiency will all compromise.
5. “Pushing” vs “pulling” off the floor-
Many lifters commonly perceive the deadlift as just a “pulling” movement. This lift is a staple on many "pull days," so you’re just “pulling” the bar off the ground, right?
Yet, when performed this way, lifters often remove their legs from the movement entirely, limiting the numbers they can potentially hit. This can manifest as "touch n go" deadlifts-which is highly unspecific to the competition deadlift. When you go to pull a single, you've got no momentum, and that push off the floor is essential to your strength. So, for maximal strength- ensure each rep is trained with a full dead-stop.
Wanna deadlift more weight? Yeah, use your legs. They’ve got a high degree of potential force production.
Instead of imagining just “picking the bar up,” think of “pushing the floor away from you.” To do this, create a solid foundation. Screw your feet into the ground: big toe, pinky toe, and heel are your three points of contact.
Be patient off the floor- create as much pressure through your feet as possible.
Push from your entire foot, not just your “heels.”
When pulling sumo, ensure your toes are pointed out and imagine “spreading the floor apart.” There’s a crack in the middle of the floor, and your goal is to spread it using only your feet.
"Pushing" when deadlifting will allow you to use your entire body, not just your back-bettering your longevity and numbers in the long run.
Spending time focused on your technique is paramount to success. Without a solid foundation, plateaus, injuries, sticking points can ensue.
Many lifters believe they need some crazy variation to up their deadlift strength.
“My lockouts are weak, so I’m just gonna program banded rack pulls.”
“I can’t seem to break the floor, so I must need Reverse-Banded-Deficit-Boris-Pause deadlifts.”
Typically, these so-called “weaknesses” are often due to faulty techniques.
You can get somewhere with shit form, but eventually, it will catch up to you. Create a solid foundation-do the hard and boring work. Your pulls will thank you in the long run.
That said, intelligent programming means choosing specific lifts to get you stronger. Here are 6 of our favorite deadlift variations:
Opposite Stance Deadlifts
While you may find your primary deadlift stance (even though you could be in an open relationship with both), training the opposite variation has a significant carryover.
If you’re a conventional puller, sumo can help mitigate lower back fatigue, build up lacking glute/hip strength, and improve your power & patience off the floor.
If you’re a sumo puller, conventional can help you maintain tension off the floor, build up that back, and improve mid-range strength.
Each deadlift assists the other. While both sumo and conventional are equally “valid” pulls; they're different movements, each with benefits. Simply providing a new stimulus can be what it takes to blow that deadlift out of the water.
Train both to be better at one and decent at each.
2. Romanian/Stiff Leg Variations
It's no secret that a strong posterior chain is essential to a monstrous deadlift. Your hamstrings, glutes, erectors, and upper back are the foundation of the lift.
So, you're insulting your deadlift strength if you're not including some accessories targeting these muscle groups. Romanian deadlifts and Stiff-legged Deads train this directly.
RDLs start from the top, at lockout, and the bar only travels to about mid-shin, as far as your hip flexion goes. This lift emphasizes the glutes & hamstrings (no wonder all the IG Influencers put them in every workout)-improving lockout strength & hypertrophy.
Stiffies are just a deadlift done with little knee flexion. The movement starts from the floor, and you get a greater hamstring stretch on the way down. This variation focuses more on torso positioning and back strength off the floor.
Both are great lifts to boost that deadlift, targeting slightly different areas.
3. Deficit Deadlifts
Many lifters struggle with maintaining positioning off the floor. It’s a weak point for a lot of us.
Deficits allow you to train this weakness directly. By standing on a 2-inch plate or block, the range of motion increases. You're required to work harder to get the bar off the ground. That way, positioning is further challenged, and you rely on leg strength to give you that “push.”
Then, when you pull your competition deadlifts, it’ll feel much easier to break the floor- a feeling we all want.
4. Tempo Deadlifts
Yep, no surprises here, right? Tempo is one of my favorite variations for any competition lift. The same applies to deadlifts.
Struggle with off-the-floor positioning, tension, and lockout strength? Add a pause at the knee. Doing so will require you to improve awareness of your technique in that area and address any faults in your form. (Note: this variation can be overused, so use it sparingly when necessary.)
Struggle with torso positioning, or need more posterior chain work? Slow down the eccentric. We rarely perform the eccentric portion of the movement, so directly targeting it can highly benefit you. A slowed-down lowering lights up those glutes and hamstrings and helps reinforce proper hip & back positioning, something a lot of lifters can benefit from.
Yeah, it’s torture, but tempo can be the secret sauce for a better and stronger deadlift.
5. Front Squats
An *unconventional* (pun intended) deadlift accessory-yes, but hear me out.
One of the most common mistakes lifters make when deadlifting is removing their quads from the equation. This relates to that whole "pushing vs. pulling" idea mentioned earlier.
Your quads are large muscles that can produce a lot of force. And recruiting strength from your entire body will make for a stronger pull.
Front squats allow you to reinforce that *push* off the ground to get you back up. They also hammer the upper back, heavily engaging the lats, another essential component of deadlifting.
All in all, including front squats as an accessory, can't hurt your deadlifts- and it could be just the stimulus you need.
6. Rep Work
We all know that going through higher-volume phases is beneficial for strength. Improved work capacity, technical proficiency, hypertrophy-it's certainly a necessary evil.
The same holds for deadlifts, yet, it's a tool many lifters neglect. We all want to max out on heavy singles year-round but then wonder why we can't seem to progress.
Only training in that 90%+ range will lead to poor recovery and staleness-hindering your progress in the long run. Spend phases with varied rep ranges and lower intensities. Doing so will help improve technique confidence, provide a new stimulus to the body, and challenge your work capacity. This doesn't need to be crazy- a good 5x5, some extra sets, higher-rep accessories are some of my favorites for higher-volume deads.
Then, when you DO pull those heavy singles-your hard work will be reflected.
All in all, a strong deadlift is a lifetime goal for damn near everyone. If it isn't for you, it should be.
The deadlift (whether sumo or conventional) is a technical lift, much more so than many new lifters may think. Therefore, optimizing your foundation is essential for both longevity and performance. Pair that with intelligent programming, and you can be well on your way to being the strongest person in LA Fitness, or at least, an average lifter in an actual strength gym.
We all want a good platform pull. Dedicate your training to getting you there.
After all, deadlifts make life worth living.
