Many people ask me what is my favorite lift.  I am still not sure, but nothing feels better than a well executed deadlift.  Technique is important in the deadlift, but the most important aspect of the deadlift is speed.  When I trained with Garry Frank in Louisiana, he used to yell “speed.”  World record holder George Brink always yelled the same thing. It is impossible to have a sticking point even with bad technique if you are fast enough to avoid it and prevent the bar from slowing down.

            I found my strongest stance for deadlifting while I was doing vertical jumps.  The position my feet were in at the commencement of the jump, I surmised, would be my strongest, most explosive position to begin the deadlift.  I was correct.  In my first meet switching from conventional to sumo, I shattered my previous PR of 705 with a 740 lift.  If you are going to pull conventional I suggest you use the vertical jump technique I just described; it has worked well almost all of my training partners and clients and me. 

The deadlift does not have an eccentric portion, but I attempt to create a pseudo eccentric portion.  Conventional wisdom says to approach the bar in the deadlift, get in your proper position, and lift the barbell off the floor.  When I approach the barbell, I grab it with my rear end straight up in the air. With my rear end still straight up, I set my grip perfectly.  Once my grip is set, I drop my butt very rapidly.  Not quite a dive bomb but pretty close.  When my thighs hit approximately parallel I pull the barbell up, even my maximum lifts are explosive with the technique I have developed. 

I believe the key to deadlifting big is developing the proper muscles.  Training speed by doing down sets with light weights as explosively as possible.  I do as many as eight doubles with 30 seconds rest between them with 60% of my max.  I do this after heavy singles, depending on where I am in my training cycle.  Another important aspect speed training for the deadlift is plyometrics, such as bounds, depth jumps, and box jumps.  Plyometrics are the cornerstone to my squat and deadlift.  I would not have hit 749 on an easy second attempt at the APF SR’s had it not been for plyo's.

I know I am on to something in the deadlift. Genetically, I am not set up well to pull.  I have short legs, long torso, and fairly short arms.  With this in mind, deadlifting 749 meant more to me than my 903 squat or my 622 bench.

"Plyometrics are the cornerstone to my squat and deadlift."