Hail to the Dinosaurs!
It never fails -- in response to yesterday's
email about common deadlift questions, we
have been buried in -- you guessed it --
more deadlift questions from Dinos.
Two of them came from Michael Dumas:
"Question 1:
What is the best start position for partial
deadlifts?
Question 2:
If grip is the limiting factor with partial
deadlifts, would this
Those are good questions. Here are the
answers.
Partial deadlifts are a good exercise, but
they work best if you use them together
with the full-range deadlift.
Try doing full-range deadlifts first, followed
by partial deadlifts after you finish your
sets of the full range movement.
The reason you need to continue to do
full-range deadlifts is to work the start
position. The deadlift begins with a leg
drive, and you only work the leg drive
if you do a full-range movement.
Thus, you might do 5 x 5 in the regular
deadlift, followed by 3 x 5, 4 x 5 or 5 x5
in the partial movement.
Or you might do the regular deadlift one
week, and partial deadlifts the next week,
and alternate back and forth between
them.
There is no "best" starting position
for partial deadlifts. It depends in part
on your body structure, and on where
yopu begin to slow down or hit the
sticking point in the full-range
movement.
For some trainees, it works best to start a
little below the knees -- for others, at knee
height -- and for others, a bit above the
knee.
However, a very high start position -- a
deadlift lockout -- is more of a bone mass
exercise and a trap builder than anything
else. It does not have much carry-over to
the full-range movement unless your
problem is locking out the lift to finish
it.
That said, the deadlift lockout is GREAT
for the traps. I like it better than shrugs.
It will powerize and massify your upper
back.
You can rotate between the different heghts
from workout to workout, or use different
heights in different workouts. That's very
effective, because it helps strengthen the
lift at different positions.
As for the grip -- use a reverse grip, and
skip the straps. If you're not strong enough
to hold onto the bar with a reverse grip,
the weight is simply too heavy for you.
If your grip is weak, do timed holds in
the finish position, using both a reverse
grip and an overhand grip. That will fix
the problem very quickly.
I hope that helps. Keep the questions and
the comments coming!
As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I have some terrific deadlift and back
specialization programs in CHALK AND
SWEAT -- along with a total of 50 hard-
hitting workouts for Dinos:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. For fast and steady gains, use the
progression systems detailed in Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 3:
Hard-copy
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_03.html
Kindle e-book
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets3_kindle.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Chalk your
hands, grab the bar, and pull." -- Brooks
Kubik
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