DL Assistant Lifts

What supplement lifts do you guys do for dl’s, I am struggling with the middle of my dl the 3 inches past my knees. any suggestions?

Sounds like you could benefit from heavy rack pulls done from knee level. Heavy RDL’s might help, too.

Speed work. Momentum is great for overcoming sticking points.

I have a sticking point just below there- right below my knee. I don’t really do much DL accessory work except for upper back work and I do relatively little regular deadlifting. I mostly address this sticking point with deadlift specfic heavy work- maybe not max singles, but still going pretty heavy. Here’s what I like these days:

Good Mornings from pins or chains- working up to a max single or triple

Rack Pulls from right at the knee- no straps, all singles, working up to a heavy single

Deficit pulls- standing on 45 lb plates working up to a heavy double

DLs against bands or chains- I like using a lot of chain or band and realtively little bar weight- e.g. using 315 of base weight and adding bnads or chains with each set up to a max or near-max single

Sumo/Conventional- I pull conventional in meets. But I sometimes pull sumo in training. I feel like sumo pulling makes you think through the lift more and keep a tight groove- versus the just ripping the bar off the floor conventional style.

Speed work. I have the same problem as you do (miss weights right before lockout) and every single person in my gym has suggested speed work. Bands, chains, even straight weight and just focus on ripping the bar off the ground as fast as possible.

FWIW, Ed Coan said that nothing helped his squat and DL more than squat and DL variations. He also said bent over barbell rows helped his DL a lot.

Thanks I will try doing some speed work

I think speed work is great, I also think that strengthening up that upper back would do you good. Kroc rows, heavy bent-over barbell rows, and chin/pull-ups have helped me tons in lockout strength.

[quote]ebomb5522 wrote:
I think speed work is great, I also think that strengthening up that upper back would do you good. Kroc rows, heavy bent-over barbell rows, and chin/pull-ups have helped me tons in lockout strength. [/quote]

Yea I do alot of upper back if I can get it passed my sticking point i can lock it out, I do rack pulls just past my knee at almost 1000lbs and bent over rows at like 450 so I dont know what the problem is exactly Im just going to try speed work sets of 5 at 75% of my max for 2 weeks or so and see how that works

[quote]jakjak824 wrote:
ebomb5522 wrote:
I think speed work is great, I also think that strengthening up that upper back would do you good. Kroc rows, heavy bent-over barbell rows, and chin/pull-ups have helped me tons in lockout strength.

Yea I do alot of upper back if I can get it passed my sticking point i can lock it out, I do rack pulls just past my knee at almost 1000lbs and bent over rows at like 450 so I dont know what the problem is exactly Im just going to try speed work sets of 5 at 75% of my max for 2 weeks or so and see how that works[/quote]

Wait, wut? 1000 lb rack pulls? How much do you deadlift?

[quote]Aragorn wrote:
jakjak824 wrote:
ebomb5522 wrote:
I think speed work is great, I also think that strengthening up that upper back would do you good. Kroc rows, heavy bent-over barbell rows, and chin/pull-ups have helped me tons in lockout strength.

Yea I do alot of upper back if I can get it passed my sticking point i can lock it out, I do rack pulls just past my knee at almost 1000lbs and bent over rows at like 450 so I dont know what the problem is exactly Im just going to try speed work sets of 5 at 75% of my max for 2 weeks or so and see how that works

Wait, wut? 1000 lb rack pulls? How much do you deadlift?[/quote]

I can hitch up 775 pulled 800 just over my knee two weeks ago with stricked form right at 750

[quote]jakjak824 wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
jakjak824 wrote:
ebomb5522 wrote:
I think speed work is great, I also think that strengthening up that upper back would do you good. Kroc rows, heavy bent-over barbell rows, and chin/pull-ups have helped me tons in lockout strength.

Yea I do alot of upper back if I can get it passed my sticking point i can lock it out, I do rack pulls just past my knee at almost 1000lbs and bent over rows at like 450 so I dont know what the problem is exactly Im just going to try speed work sets of 5 at 75% of my max for 2 weeks or so and see how that works

Wait, wut? 1000 lb rack pulls? How much do you deadlift?

I can hitch up 775 pulled 800 just over my knee two weeks ago with stricked form right at 750[/quote]

How much do you deadlift?

[quote]jakjak824 wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
jakjak824 wrote:
ebomb5522 wrote:
I think speed work is great, I also think that strengthening up that upper back would do you good. Kroc rows, heavy bent-over barbell rows, and chin/pull-ups have helped me tons in lockout strength.

Yea I do alot of upper back if I can get it passed my sticking point i can lock it out, I do rack pulls just past my knee at almost 1000lbs and bent over rows at like 450 so I dont know what the problem is exactly Im just going to try speed work sets of 5 at 75% of my max for 2 weeks or so and see how that works

Wait, wut? 1000 lb rack pulls? How much do you deadlift?

I can hitch up 775 pulled 800 just over my knee two weeks ago with stricked form right at 750[/quote]

And you needed help with choosing assistance exercises?

Yeah…

[quote]ebomb5522 wrote:
How much do you deadlift?
[/quote]

750

[quote]jakjak824 wrote:
ebomb5522 wrote:
How much do you deadlift?

750[/quote]

If that is a real number, I recant my first post as I am no longer qualified.

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
jakjak824 wrote:
ebomb5522 wrote:
How much do you deadlift?

750

If that is a real number, I recant my first post as I am no longer qualified.[/quote]

Ditto. Yeesh.

Moderate weight good mornings for higher reps has helped me a ton with deadlifting and squatting!!!

[quote]jakjak824 wrote:
ebomb5522 wrote:
How much do you deadlift?

750[/quote]

If that number is a deadlift from the floor, then I am not qualified to give you advice. I would suggest that you look into rack pulls from your weakest part of the ROM. If your sticking point is about 3 inches below the kneecaps then by my understanding you’re about optimal and should just try to get stronger all over.

If memory serves that spot is approximately the spot where the body’s leverages are poorest in the lift, IF all muscle groups are adequately strong–ie no individual lagging muscle groups.

Not sure though.

Try speed pulls against doubled bands to work on blasting through it. My best guess is a combination of strict dead-stop rack pulls from the sticking point your ROM and speed work from the floor. This should work both momentum to get through the lift and starting strength at the sticking point. Maybe throw in a few isometric pulls at that same sticking point on one of your days (look into Thibs stuff for that).

Post a video!

I have no camera I do have one vid from last year of me hitching the shit out of 725 if you guys wana see that?

(it was my first pull over 700)

sigh

That’ll do for now, I guess.

Get that 750 filmed, though. We like big lifts!!