Powerlifting Basics: The Powerlifting Deadlift

Your heavy squat gets you into the meet, your bench press pads your total. Finishing your powerlifting competition with a strong deadlift may be what it takes guarantee your position on the medal stand. There is no equipment for the deadlift, no racks, and no benches. A loaded barbell simply lies on the platform challenging you. That weight lying in the center of the platform, however, can be more intimidating than the deeply bowed bar biting into your shoulders as you open your meet with a heavy squat. Don’t play around with the deadlift. Set up quickly and pull explosively.

In the gym, your deadlift training is your most effective back exercise. In the meet, the deadlift puts an exclamation point on your powerlifting competition. The deadlift form may seem simple, but for me it has been one of the most difficult exercise techniques to perfect. As with other powerlifting lifts, the goal is different than with other forms of strength training or body building. The focus is not on working the muscle as hard as you can during every repetition of every set. Your goal is to lift the most weight you can with as little effort possible. The key is to complete your lift as efficiently as possible. You are likely to see significant gains in the amount of weight you can lift simply by improving your lifting technique, even if your strength remains constant. I’d like to summarize the deadlift technique into three key points:

• Set up quickly, getting stable hand and foot placement
• Get “under the bar”, contracting your glutes and hamstrings as you do
• Pull the barbell from the floor with your legs, locking it out with your hips and back

For a video demonstration of the powerlifting deadlift, I’ve included links at the end of this article illustrating both conventional and sumo styles.

The Lift

You should train just as you will compete from your first warm-up set to your last working set. Treat each repetition of every set as if it were a competition lift. Keep your deadlift form correct and pause briefly between each rep. This will train your mind and your body to complete lifts that will get three white lights from the judges in competition. There is only one competition command in the deadlift, the “down” command after you lock out indicating you can lower the weight to the platform. I have interjected this command into the lifting sequence described below.