After reading the Precision Pulling article, and then deadlifting, I feel more emphasis on my hamstrings now, less on my lower back and upper back/traps. I think this has to do with having my heels almost directly below the bar.
However, I always heard people say that deadlifts target the lower bar a lot. Am I doing something wrong here? (I follow the chest high, hips high, head up protocol.)
How can I get my upper back more involved? Pulling my shoulders back at the top of the movement?
[quote]datta wrote:
After reading the Precision Pulling article, and then deadlifting, I feel more emphasis on my hamstrings now, less on my lower back and upper back/traps. I think this has to do with having my heels almost directly below the bar.
However, I always heard people say that deadlifts target the lower bar a lot. Am I doing something wrong here? (I follow the chest high, hips high, head up protocol.)
How can I get my upper back more involved? Pulling my shoulders back at the top of the movement?[/quote]
correct me if i’m wrong, but i never thoguht deadlifts were targetting much of the upper back. for those you could do chinups, pullups, bent rows, and a bunch of other things.
Start doing your deadlifts with a snatch grip, It will definetly hit your upper back more.
As you get stronger and put more and more plates on that DL you will feel it ore and more in the upper back, and will want and get a strong upper back from it. BUT its from the static hold you are doing. its not EVER going to be more of a workout for your upper back than it will the glutes, hams, low back, hips, hell even quads it just wont.
Yes its putting the WHOLE damn body under a hell of a load but it isnt going to magically replace stuff dedicated to the upper back. rows etc.
you could make some crazy hybrid of a DL and add a press to it and a sqaut. To make it work the upperback and everything more. LOL the bear comes close. You could row the bar hold stiff leg it up, press it over head, drop it to your shoulders, sqaut, re press it up and then do a slow negative of an upright row followed by pushups, there now you got a complete exercise LOL
Nice work on the adjustment to get pulling right keep pulling and do some heavy rowing, chins, etc to nail the upper back further.
Phill
Thanks very much.
Yea there is basically alot of effort by your upper back muscles to maintain your posture as you lift heavier. I actually feel it alot doing SLDLs too because those muscles have to directly work against gravity to maintain posture.
I do two sets of 3/4 deads in the powerrackand go heavy for 6-8 reps. The safety bars should be positioned below the knee. I generally always use straps when doing this in order to get those heavy reps out. After hitting heavy 3/4’s, I am able to lift the weight from the floor in full motion exercises alot easier since my last two sets were killers with heavy weight. Inversely, you can pack on good size by this type of exercise.