My and my mate have now completed Str 1 which we both agreed was a good programme and have now moved onto Str 2 after a week off.
Yesterday we did exercise C which includes deadlifts followed by 1/4 deadlifts.
I thought they were ment to be easier? We both really struggled to lift over what we'd managed with the full deadlift. It just felt all wrong. We set up the bars on the squat rack just below knee height as suggested and paid close attention to our form. But we barely managed to lift an additional 5kg!
For me it felt as if the momentum which is there in full deadlifts really helps you get that weight up, of course with 1/4 deadlifts that momentums not there. We both found it really frustraiting as we expected to be beasting heavy weights!!
Any suggestions?
A second point relating to deadlifts is that I'm now reaching the point that my grip strenght is starting to let me down. A few fella's in the gym have suggested straps to help me out but I'm aware the book is against the use of straps and gloves, what should I do to stop me dropping the bar during the lift?
that's odd...I always found rack pulls easier to do because there's less inertia to overcome. Try with lighter weight to get a comfortable feel for rack pulls and then move up as needed. As cynic said, mixed grip is recommended as you move up in weight.
Is your stance or grip width different when pulling off the rack?
Is your butt too high or too low when you start the pull? If you imagine that you HAD pulled from the floor, what position would your butt and back be in at that stage?
If your butt is too low, the bar is too far out in front AND your quads have to do more work to squat the weight up from a disadvantaged position. Plus, how are you going to get your knees out of the way?
If your butt is too high, then your back is not verticle enough, so the bar is out in front again. The lever is now too long AND you're off balance.
For me, below the knee IS harder. It's an unnatural position to start in for me. I have to go light to get in the groove, then add weight. I can't go from deadlifts, straight to these without working my way up a bit. Above the knee is no problem, but below the knee and down the shins, nope.
Bottom line, practice the movement until you feel confident.
That's a very good point Lost Dog about checking our position during a standard dead lift and comparing it with 1/4's. Will do some investigation, although my friend who's trained for a lot longer than I have has always stressed the importance of technique with dead lifts, so I would be surprised if our form was bad. It my be that we need to raise the bar on the rack a bit as well and see if that helps, however this will put it above knee height for me. I am tall which does have its disadvantages with squats/dead lifts.
And we probably started too heavy, but as we thought it would be easier we went heavy. Will try a more gradual approach with them next week and let you know how we get on.
As for my grip I started using mixed grip last session which helped but I was still losing it a bit. An suggestions on good grip strength exercises I could try? This this may just be one of my weak points.
Farmer's Walks or Farmer's Holds
BB Holds -- Load up the bar in a rack set pretty high and just hold it. It should be heavier than your deadlifts. Hold for time.
Str 2: Deadlifts questions.
Linear Mode
