Why the deadlift should be a part of any strength program
BY KIM GOSS, MS 3KRWRE\.DULP*KRQHP3ROLTXLQ3HUIRUPDQFH A former strength coach at Miami University of Ohio, Ryan Faehnle is a strength coach who still “walks the talk” by staying in shape with heavy deadlifts. ften a specific weight training exercise is associated with one individual. The first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott, attributed much of his bulging biceps development to the preacher curl, and the exercise is now commonly called the Scott curl. Strongman Paul Anderson, who won gold as a weightlifter in the 1956 OOlympics, popularized the back squat by hoisting poundages that few can match to this day.
On the other hand, the deadlift has had many champions – let’s look at a few. The absolute world record is Benedikt Magnusson, a strongman from Iceland who pulled 1,015 pounds in the straight-bar, two-handed deadlift. 3KRWRE\.DULP*KRQHP3ROLTXLQ3HUIRUPDQFHPRGHO0DU\3LHU*DXGHW The hex bar deadlift is a variation that places more stress on the legs and less on the lower back.
Other pioneering deadlifters include Vince Anello, who in the 1970s became the first man under 200 pounds bodyweight to deadlift 800; Lamar Gant, who in 1985 became the first man to deadlift five times his bodyweight; and Ed Coan, who at 220 pounds became the lightest man to deadlift 900 pounds. And Arnold’s best friend, former Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu, reportedly lifted 750 pounds at a bodyweight of 185 pounds, a lift that far exceeded the world record deadlift at the time. All these men are impressive, but any list of the greatest deadlifters of all time will include Bob Peoples. Peoples was born on August 2, 1910, in northern Tennessee.
With all the heavy chores he did growing up on a farm, he was always strong. Other than having a few dumbbells for workouts, Peoples improvised with his own homemade equipment. One such apparatus was a pair of 50-gallon barrels joined with a metal pipe. He would fill the barrels with rocks and use them to deadlift by standing on platforms of varying heights that served as a power rack. He would also position the pipe across his back and take a walk, in the same way a strongman today would use the Super Yoke apparatus. People’s training equipment was bizarre, and his technique was definitely unconventional.
To improve his leverage he lifted in socks, and he rounded his back and exhaled as he deadlifted. In 1935, at the age of 25, he deadlifted 500 pounds, and five years later he did 600. Six years later, at a bodyweight of 175 pounds, Peoples pulled a world record of 651-1/4 pounds at 175 pounds bodyweight. In 1947 he became the first man to deadlift 700, and on March 5, 1949, in a competition in Johnson City, Tennessee, he hit 7251/2 pounds at 178 pounds bodyweight, TRAINING & EQUIPMENT a world record that stood for over two decades. As a comparison, consider that the current world record is 793.7 pounds.
Peoples also could clean 290 pounds, squat 530, press 110-pound dumbbells for 10 reps, and deadlift 500 pounds for 20 reps.
The Deadlift Advantage Although BFS prefers the hex bar deadlift over the straight-bar deadlift, both are excellent lifts and either can be used in the BFS program. Unfortunately, the deadlift has lost favor in the strength coaching community, but here are a few reasons it should be brought back. First, consider that although the squat is still the king of exercises, the deadlift works many of the same muscles – and then some. In the deadlift, the forearm muscles must work hard to hold the bar, and the trapezius and abdominal muscles are also strongly affected.
Next, the deadlift is relatively easy to master, and compared to the Olympic lifts and the squat, it’s much easier to perform higher reps. Whereas in squatting, flexibility issues can make it a challenge to perform that exercise, especially for tall athletes, those limitations are not a factor in deadlifting. It’s also a more practical exercise in that it doesn’t require spotters or any special equipment other than a barbell, plates and a platform. And because the athlete lifts the weight from the floor, as opposed to supporting a barbell on the shoulders, it’s easier to motivate athletes to go all-out on the lifts.
At BFS clinics, our clinicians often hold a deadlift challenge, and it’s always amazing how many personal records athletes break when they are encouraged by their teammates. Finally, consider that there are many types of deadlifts. To more strongly affect the quadriceps and hamstrings, an athlete can stand on a low platform, which increases the range of motion. A wide stance can be used, a style called sumo, which more strongly affects the muscles that adduct (pull in) the legs. The lift also can be performed in a power rack, with the bar placed at various heights using the crossbars, to overload specific areas of the movement.
BFS has found that heavy box squats can be performed prior to an athletic competition without affecting performance; likewise, deadlifts in a power rack working the end range of the movement can perform the same function. The deadlift won’t replace the squat or power clean in a strength workout, but it’s a remarkably effective exercise that will make any strength program better. If you give this lift a chance, you’re likely to become a diehard fan of the deadlift.
All-Time Best Deadlifts Men’s Records BWT Sajeeva Bhaskaran .......................................... India Lamar Gant......................................................... US Lamar Gant......................................................... US Dan Austin .......................................................... US Oleksandr Kutcher .......................................Ukraine Giovanni Brunazzi ............................................. Italy Ed Coan ............................................................ US Ed Coan ............................................................
US Yuriy Fedorenko ............................................Russia Konstantin Konstantinovs ..............................Latvia Konstantin Konstantinovs ...............................Latvia Benedikt Magnusson ...................................Iceland Wei-Ling Chen ................................. Chinese Taipei Wei-Ling Chen .................................. Chinese Taipei Yi-Ju Chou ........................................ Chinese Taipei Carrie Boudreau ................................................. US Maria Revva...................................................Russia Priscilla Ribic ......................................................
US Elana Zhukova-Soukhorouk .........................Ukraine Coral Blair ..................................................... Austria Dawn Reshel-Sharon .......................................... US Becca Swanson .................................................. US ina t way tsohrugs ves g i r O bes and slee he lifts pic d LQH lym O PO dea L O ” 2 6 s, OE 5 lb H ollars Y X4 À c V ROG with X+ ates l p x Bar4” higher, to e H h ar letes Hig s are ex B h e andl riginal H taller at o e t ams than mmoda all te b t e o k s as acc eeve or b ic sl ust f p m m Oly XA s, 2”
b l 5 4 Xex Bar h-Hex and H o b m o C Hig es the ne bar bin in o x bars e H r la KDQJH regu HUWRF ition Y R LS s SO\Á ing po X6LP e start is c r eves e x e pic sle m ly O s, 2” X50 lb for the big strongest ath gest and letes XWeig hs 75 lbs X2” Oly mpic sleeves - thicker steel frame XHigh-H ex and regula r Hex bars in one b ar reat fo techniq r teaching p erfect ue XW eighs only 1 5 lbs XU sed by B F S Progra Readin m ess DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976 ONLINE AT WWWBIGGERFASTERSTRONGERCOM s EMAIL US AT INFO BFSMAILCOM 7EST 3OUTH 3ALT ,AKE #ITY 54 s &AX
From BFS Magazine — January/February 2013. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
