Before you attempt a heavy deadlift, it is important to understand the proper set up for a good starting position. There are several factors that contribute to a good set up, one of which is tightness in the starting position. This was discussed to some degree in the last article in which Richard Hawthorne and Stephanie Cohen explained that they were slow off the ground with the barbell. The reason for this was because they were taking time to build up tension in their muscles in order to maintain drive throughout the whole lift. They preferred this to yanking the bar off the ground and losing power before the lift is completed. Without tightness in the starting position, optimum strength and power will be lacking, form will be poor, and the risk of injury will increase.
It’s one thing to tell lifters to get their body tight in the starting position, it’s another thing to actually explain how to do it. This is why Max Aita dedicates a whole video to this important detail when discussing how to perform the sumo deadlift.
In the video at the end of this article, Max emphasizes three important aspects that will help you to achieve the necessary tightness in the starting position to initiate and sustain a strong pull. These three important aspects are listed below and are summarized individually afterwards:
- Breathing and bracing
- Maintaining Tension in the lats
- Pull the slack out of the bar before lifting
Breathing and Bracing
Breathing and bracing are important. This is done by starting in a standing position with your feet in place for the lift. You then take a deep breath and take plenty of air into your lungs and diaphragm. While doing this, brace with your abdomen by tightening your midsection. Maintain this tightness as you squat down into the starting position.
After squatting down to grab the bar in the starting position, it is important to maintain a neutral spine and avoid hyperextending the back as this can cause you to lose the pressure and tightness in your abdomen.
Maintain Tension in the lats
Maintain tension in the lat muscles of the upper back when in the starting position. Without tension in your lats, your upper back can start to round once you begin to pull, and the bar can start to drift forward. The way to tighten your lats is to drive your arms and shoulders down in order to feel tension in your outer and upper back. You can also build pressure in these muscles by using your hands to apply pressure on the bar towards your body so that the bar does not drift forward during the lift.
Pull The Slack Out of the Bar
Pull the slack out of the bar before attempting to actually pull the bar off the ground. Do not try to suddenly yank the bar off the ground. Give yourself sufficient time to build up as much tension as possible by pulling upward with your hands while pushing downward with your feet before lifting the bar off the ground.
All of these points are demonstrated in the following video:
It’s easy to watch great deadlifters and try to imitate them without knowing the process that they go through when preparing for their lift. Having a protocol for generating tightness at the start of the deadlift can be easily overlooked unless you hear it emphasized by several reputable lifters and coaches. If you already have an effective method that you are comfortable with when preparing for a heavy deadlift, you should keep using it. If not, the video provides you with a good method that you can start implementing. Best of training to you.
To see the previous article on deadlift instructions from Richard Hawthorne and Stephanie Cohen, click on the link below: