By Stephen Brindle
If you consistently check out the Bas Barbell site I’m
guessing that you aren’t just doing P90X, Insanity or using the shake weight
but are doing some type of hardcore lifting. If you’re reading this article I’m
assuming that you like to deadlift! Practicing excellent technique on your
deadlift is crucial and should be addressed first before doing lots of
assistance work. I recommend checking out one of Steel’s videos on deadlift
technique to see the proper way to deadlift.
Once your deadlift form is good there are some assistance
exercises that can really help your deadlift out! Since I starting implementing these assistance
exercises my max has gone way up. I recommend doing 2-3 of these exercises
after your work sets of deadlift. Try them out and see which ones you like the
best. I would change up the exercises about every 3-4 weeks to add some variety
and keep the body from getting used to the same stimulus. These exercises will
strengthen your lats, traps, lower back and your grip to help your deadlift max
improve.
Touch and Go
Deadlifts
These are normally done at the end of my regular work sets with
a lighter weight (60-75%) of max, as a down set. These are done like a normal
deadlift except the tempo is much faster since you do not pause the weight on
the ground. The key is to not let the weight bang on the ground which can be
tough on the back but to let the plates tap the ground as you go down fast but
under control. I do these at the end of my workout for some extra volume for
high reps. I focus on getting real good lockouts on every single rep by
squeezing the glutes real hard. They have a conditioning effect as well. Doing
a set of 65% for 15 reps “touch and go” will sky rocket your heart rate and
give you a feeling similar to pushing the prowler. Don’t be surprised if you
get gassed after these sets! Another added advantage to them is that they help
strengthen your grip. On the last few reps the bar might feel like it’s
slipping out of your hands but you have to squeeze the life out of the bar and
not let go!
Rack Pulls
Set up the rails in your power rack around knee
height and load a bunch of 45s on the bar. Keeping the shoulders in front of
the bar and a tight upper back simply stand up with the weight. These are
essentially partial movement deadlifts. You will be able to use some real heavy
weight on this lift; more
than your 1RM. This will shut off your body’s protective
mechanism called the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO).
This will ensure that when you go for a new max you will already be used
to handling heavy weight. The body will
not be shocked by you lifting a weight that heavy since it has already done it
and knows what it feels like. For me, that
is where rack pulls have their greatest benefit. Another benefit of them is that pulling such heavy weight will
help your grip. Lastly, they help out with your lockout. If you are someone who
is able to get the weight off the ground on deadlifts and end up hitching or
being unable to lockout fully, these will help with your hip extension and the
lockout. Heavy weight and low reps work
best on this lift. To make them even tougher lower the height of the rack.
No Touch Deadlifts
Steel introduced me to these. He says that Dan Austin from
South Carolina used these with great success. They consist of doing a normal
deadlift motion but not letting the plates touch the ground on the way down.
The key on these is to have a lot of speed in reversing the weight from the way
down to the way up. The knees should bend just as they do doing a normal
deadlift. At first glance these might appear to look like RDLs but the knees
bend a lot more on these. I find these typically work well as “down sets” for
extra volume after your normal heavy deadlifts.
Bent Over Rows from
the floor
After Steel had me do these for about a month I noticed my
deadlift get way stronger! I like these for developing lat and erector spinae
strength. In Starting Strength
Rippetoe says, “ The lattismus dorsi have a very important role to play here;
its function is to pull the humerus back which is very important to the
mechanics of the pull.” The lats help you keep the bar close to the body during
the pull which helps you lift more weight. I like the normal bent rows that are performed
with the bar below the knee but I noticed when I started doing heavy rows from
the floor my deadlift max started to rise. The start position for these is the
same as the start of a deadlift. The bar is positioned over the middle of the
foot, close to the shins. While attempting to keep the shoulders in front of
the bar the bar is rowed below the chest to the stomach region with the elbows
being brought above back level. It is pivotal to try to keep the upper back
flat on this movement without too much heaving while the lower back is
contracted isometrically; this will allow the lats to be strengthened in
specifically the same movement plane as they are used in the deadlift. Make
sure to keep the bar close to your body on these. 4-6 sets of 3-6 reps have
worked well for me.
Kroc Rows
These have been made popular by
Matt Krocazelski. They are great for developing one’s grip= similar to
the touch and go deadlift with the high reps. Pick a weight that you would
normally do 10 reps with on the DB One Arm Row exercise. Now do a set of 20!
Your form might break down a little bit but the key is to squeeze the dumbbell
as hard as you can no matter what and do not drop the weight!
Heavy DB Rows
Probably my favorite exercise for simultaneously building up
strength in the lats and rhomboids as well as strengthening the grip. I never
use straps when doing these no matter how heavy I go. That’s just my personal
preference. I also try my best to grab
the middle of the handle of the dumbbell without my hands rubbing against the
weight of the dumbbell. 5-6 sets of 5 reps are one of my favorite rep schemes
on these.
Heavy Shrugs
I believe these help my grip out since the weight used is so
heavy for 6-12 reps. I also think strengthening the traps has some benefit on
the lockout of a deadlift. Even though you don’t actively shrug the weight
while deadlifting the traps as well as the whole upper back are still activated
during the lift. I typically do 5 sets
of 6-12 reps on these.
There you have it. Those are my 7 favorite deadlift
assistance exercises. Start implementing them into your workouts and you will
be giving the people what they want in no time- a new max!
