4 Cues That Exploded My Deadlift
Over my 10 years of competitive powerlifting… my deadlift has increased over 100 lb- from 500 lb- 680lb.
One of the biggest factors in this improvement was ultimately learning how to deadlift PROPERLY. So I wanted to share some of the cues that helped deadlift really click for me and hopefully they can help you too!
1- Relax the traps ⬇️
When first learning to deadlift, many lifters will tense up their traps and “shrug” their shoulders UP in their setup thinking this is helping them…
But by RELAXING the traps, and shruggling “down”, we keep the arms long, which helps to shorten the distance the bar has to travel, and also helps to stabilize the torso by engaging the lower lats.
2- Push the knees forward at the start➡️
Many lifters will initiate their deadlift with their low back- making the lift way harder and putting us in a bad position off the floor.
Instead, I find it helps to push the knees forward and initiate the movement by loading the QUADS.
This ultimately makes it easier to push the weight off the floor, saving the low back and launching the bar off the floor.
3- Flex the abs 🔒
One of my favorite deadlift cues to help keep the core BRACED is flexing the abs like youre getting punched in the gut.
A braced core helps keep the torso stable so the legs can do their job in pushing the weight off the floor.
4- Pull the chest up ⬆️
Pulling the torso up as you begin to push through the legs can help to create “leverage” to get the bar moving off the ground.
This has always helped me keep my shoulders in line with the bar as opposed to getting pulled over the front of the bar and transferring the load into my legs.
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