Eddie Hall's Deadlifting Starting Movement

As in these two videos, I find Eddie likes to start from a squat position for deadlifting. But usually other powerlifters don’t do this!
Is this because Eddie is a strongman? And what’s the difference?
Here is another guy (strongman) also does this. Koklyaev Deadlift 362,5 kg./ 797,5 lb. , 9 reps - YouTube

Check out Koklyaev. He has a similar approach. I think it’s just what works for those guys.

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Was just coming in to say that Koklyaev also does it but MarkKO beat me to it. I believe Koklyaev does it for different reasons than Hall and other strongmen. Koklyaev’s background is in weightlifting and that’s pretty much the starting position of both clean and jerk and the snatch so I’d bet he gets more strength off the floor and his body tighter.

With Hall, I believe that’s how he gets tight and drives with his quads. When I deadlift, I do that if I want to drive more with my quads and I kind of reverse the motion if I want to pull with my hamstrings more.

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That’s very true. As Eddie always say to he performs DL as squat press!

I dont believe Eddie’s hips are that low when he initiates the pull. He squats for the same reason he rolls thr bar… to create momentum.

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General question to the group. Do you guys think beginners shouldn’t do this? I’ve noticed trying to help some newer lifters to improve their deadlift that most of them that start low like that end up throwing themselves too far over the bar on the way up, and have told them they should try rocking down/ back instead of up/ forward. Opinions?

Aye, don’t learn to do that to deadlift. First learn the general guidelines of proper deadlift form, then when you are actually pulling good numbers like 440 and more, odds are you have noticed some personal quirks you have developed.

I’m a round back puller but I didn’t develop that habit until I started doing max effort pulling and nearing 500lbs and that’s the most efficient way for me to pull singles or touch and go sets. If I do dead stop deadlifts, it forces my form to be drastically different.

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I think dipping down like that engages the hamstrings more at the start of the lift. Brian Shaw does the same thing.

All the guys mentioned in this thread (Hall, Shaw, Koklyaev) are very tall with massive waists. I think the rocking back in the beginning just helps get into a good starting position and get the spine erect to begin the pull

I think beginners should worry way less about how their form looks and focus more on using sound technique and principles regardless of the form. If a beginner can learn how to brace and hinge, then however they look when they deadlift will be fine. So many trainees try to come up with textbook perfect form and still get junked up because their body isn’t rigid and they have no idea how to use their hips.

I like rocking back into the deadlift like Eddie. I don’t do it nearly as dramatic, but something similar.

I also gotta giggle when Rippetoe talks about this being “wasted movement” or something like that, when here is literally the world’s strongest deadlifter doing it.

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Gary Franks rolled it to start too. For more speed. When asked about coaches claiming that you shouldn’t do it he said, “why you listening to them? They ain’t liftin’ 900, brah.”

I immediately started saying “brah.”

I can give a personal example:

when i first started i had to learn form on my own, so it was a lot of trial and error. In my head I was doing this “dip” as Koklyaev, but in reality I was just having that useless movement Rippetoe talks about. I would squat down, think I am tight, start the lift then my hips would shoot up to the position they should be in. It looked like a 2-part failsquat stiff legged deadlift. It was really ugly. I wouldn’t suggest it for newbies, unless they are weightlifting, but that’s another topic.

Maybe you are right about the height, maybe not.

In the end of the day, like it was said before, you should learn how to make your body do the proper work/movement