Deadlift Articles

"Accessory Movements for Deadlifting”

By Ian Smalley

For people who are naturally strong in the deadlift, improving your squatting strength often leads to improvements in your deadlift. However, people who are naturally strong squatters don't derive as much benefit from additional squatting. These people need to be more creative in finding specific exercises to develop their deadlift. Here are some of the primary accessory movements that will help improve your deadlift technique get your deadlift moving again.

Rack Pulls (Sumo or Conventional)

Rack pulls are a great movement for overloading the upper range of motion of the pull, as well as getting your body and CNS acclimated to supra-maximal loads. There is nothing wrong with getting a ton of weight in your hands and moving it. Just be careful not to expect a direct carry over in terms of poundage when you go to pull off of the floor again. While this may seem obvious you’d be surprised how many times a lifter will be dis-heartened when he pulls 750 in the rack and can’t get 550 off the floor. It’s an overload exercise to train our body for the future, so treat it as such.

Prime movers

Glutes,
hamstrings,
spinal erectors

Set-up

Start by placing the pins in the rack at the desired height. Various pin heights can be used for max effort movements, or you can put pins at a specific height to train your individual sticking point. If you’re training a sticking point, place the pins just below where you would normally miss at.

Performance

Other than the starting position of the bar, the performance of a rack pull is identical to a regular deadlift. in terms of proper deadlift technique. Just remember that as you pull, keep the chest up, low back arched, the weight on the heels. Focus on pulling up and back. This exercise will teach your body how to strain, which is an essential skill a lifter must develop for the deadlift. Technique is crucial for success, but when the weight is heavy and your technique starts to break down, you have to dig deep inside yourself and summon the strength to keep the bar moving.

Rack pulls will help your deadlift by:

Acclimating your body and mind to heavy weights
Overloading a specific range of motion where you may be weak

Extra Wide Sumo Deadlifts

Extra wide sumo deadlifts are a great movement for strengthening the hamstrings, glutes, and hips. Moving the stance out increases the stress on the hips and groin, two areas where most lifters are weak.

Prime Movers

Hamstrings,
glutes,
hip adductors and abductors

Set-up

Begin by putting an extra clamp on the bar before you load it with plates, this will allow you to place your stance even wider than usual without smashing your feet. The set-up for an extra wide sumo deadlift is relatively the same as a regular sumo pull, the difference being the exaggerated width of your stance.

Performance

Again, the deadlift technique for the extra wide sumo deadlift is identical to the traditional sumo deadlift. Force the chest up and keep the arch in your lower back, drive the heels into the floor.

Extra wide sumo deadlifts will help your deadlift by:

Strengthening the hips to a greater degree than traditional sumo deadlifts

Concentric only good mornings

Good mornings have been a staple exercise for all strength athletes for decades, but the concentric only version has been used more frequently in recent years. The obvious benefit of a concentric only version is it better replicates a deadlift as there is no eccentric or lowering component to the movement.

Prime Movers

Spinal erectors

Set-up

This movement is best performed using a safety squat bar. Place the safety squat bar on either the pins of a power rack or in a pair of chains suspended from the top of the rack. You want to place the pins/chains at a point where your torso is just above parallel to the ground ( usually around 36-40" off the ground).

Performance

The key to these good mornings is to get very tight before you ever think about moving the bar. Shift your weight to your heels, then squeeze your glutes, hamstrings and erectors to get tight. After everything is tight, think about driving your upper back into the bar as hard as possible, Come all the way up, and then lower to the starting position.

Concentric only good mornings will help your deadlift by: