T Nation

What Is Wrong With My Deadlift

Bodybuilding
#1

I’ve been reading posts on this site and everyone benching and squatting similar numbers to my own is absolutely shitting on me when it comes to deadlift 1RM’s.

I just looked at some, in my opinion, tiny ass kid’s thread and his numbers were 225, bench, 315 squat, 405 deadlift? I can bench 225 a few times easily, I do 10x3 with it, squat 315 a few times, would do 10x3 with it if I applied that set/rep scheme to squats, but don’t even come close to 405 on my deadlift. I can’t even pull 315 yet.

Is there some mistake that lifters commonly make that would lead to this? I deadlift almost as often as I squat and bench, and am very strict about my form. I have more or less been improving at the same rate as those other lifts as well- I just started real low with them because I had a hard time with proper form. Are there other lifts I can do to help get a stronger deadlift?

#2

its about how your made good squaters and benchers have short arms and short legs

good deadlifters have long arms short legs and no torso

find your groove in the lift

n3wb

#3

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=586815
I think this should help. I only pull 315 on the deadlift for 6 reps. And my numbers are about the same as yours. Some people just have really strong hamstrings,lats, or a lower back. I don’t think it’s unsual to have the deadlift be your best lift.

#4

Don’t worry about what others are doing, or saying they are doing. As long as you are progressing and putting more weight on the bar, you’re good to go.

#5

[quote]n3wb wrote:
its about how your made good squaters and benchers have short arms and short legs

good deadlifters have long arms short legs and no torso

find your groove in the lift

n3wb
[/quote]

Yes, the way you are put together had much to do with the resulting leverages.

I have long arms and my bench and OHP kind of suck. My DL was 585 and my trapbar dead was 640. I’ve squatted 500x1 as well with shorts and a t-shirt. My bench was a hard 360. (plus I had a bad compund break of my humorus which tore my elbow joint and damages my Unlnar nerve, not to make excuses!)

#6

[quote]derek wrote:
n3wb wrote:
its about how your made good squaters and benchers have short arms and short legs

good deadlifters have long arms short legs and no torso

find your groove in the lift

n3wb

Yes, the way you are put together had much to do with the resulting leverages.

I have long arms and my bench and OHP kind of suck. My DL was 585 and my trapbar dead was 640. I’ve squatted 500x1 as well with shorts and a t-shirt. My bench was a hard 360. (plus I had a bad compund break of my humorus which tore my elbow joint and damages my Unlnar nerve, not to make excuses!)
[/quote]

Heh, I’ve broken my Left and Right Humerus. I bet I wouldn’t have these problems if my body didn’t have to spend so much time healing in my pre-teens. Thanks for the advice guys.

#7

I agree with everyone else. Some people are naturally good at one lift. I am long armed and long legged. My bench sucks (<300), my squat (400-425ish) is OK, and my DL (pulled 465 off 4" block conv and couple of weeks later pulled 405x5 as a top set) is pretty good.

I DL rounded back (upper) style because if I try to use “good” form I can barely get to the bar. For my height and weight they aren’t great numbers but awhile back I set personal goals of sq 500, bp 400, and dl 600. All raw, not even a belt.

#8

There is no reason to believe that you cannot build a good deadlift simply because of your body type. You can develop all good lifts with the right information and practice. One of the biggest things is to not deadlift every week, I find the best gains when I pull about every two weeks.

Dave Tate also mentions this in 12 common deadlift mistakes. It is a great article, if you take the advice in that your deadlift numbers should go up. Good luck.

#9

It could also have to do with flexibility. I’ve seen a lot of guys that aren’t flexible enough to get low and have good form to come out of the hole.

#10

I agree with the body type comments, I’m a much better squatter than I am a deadlifter simply because of my body type, I actually tend to focus more on the deadlift than the squat now because its kind of a weakness for me…

Also why base your lifts on what people on the internet SAY they do?Compete against yourself, not some tool and on an internet message board.

#11

You may also be squatting high, inflating that number compared to your deadlift.

#12

Just forget about body types for now. Where is your sticking point in the deadlift? This will tell you everything you need to know to improve.

Describe your set-up when pulling. Do you dip, grip, and rip or do you spend a long time before actually pulling? You might pull more in a sumo-stance for your body type compared to conventional.

As for exercises, well I’d say the best accessory to pulling heavy is another day in the week for speed pulls with snatch-grip. Other than that, other types of deadlifts, rack pulls, deficit pulls.

#13

[quote]EatSleepLift wrote:
I’ve been reading posts on this site and everyone benching and squatting similar numbers to my own is absolutely shitting on me when it comes to deadlift 1RM’s.

I just looked at some, in my opinion, tiny ass kid’s thread and his numbers were 225, bench, 315 squat, 405 deadlift? I can bench 225 a few times easily, I do 10x3 with it, squat 315 a few times, would do 10x3 with it if I applied that set/rep scheme to squats, but don’t even come close to 405 on my deadlift. I can’t even pull 315 yet.

Is there some mistake that lifters commonly make that would lead to this? I deadlift almost as often as I squat and bench, and am very strict about my form. I have more or less been improving at the same rate as those other lifts as well- I just started real low with them because I had a hard time with proper form. Are there other lifts I can do to help get a stronger deadlift? [/quote]

Looking at those numbers, and the date of your post, I get the feeling that I may well be the “tiny-ass kid” you’re talking about (though for the record, it’s a 405 squat, 385 deadlift) I’m not sure that 25 counts as kid, nor 225lbs as “tiny”…I would have just called me weak and got it over with

As for your DL, I can only tell you what works for me. I’m 6’ tall, and carry a lot of that in leg. One thing I’ve noticed is that I DL low. That is, I carry my body particularly upright, with a strong negative arch, and my hips begin low to the ground. The emphasis of my lift tends to be on the legs, with as little back as possible.

What part of the DL are you having trouble with? Getting off the floor, getting to lockout, or holding on? That at least will narrow down where your weakness is.

Check where you have your hands, as well. Try experimenting with closer in or farther out, especially if hanging on is an issue.

For other exercises, I tend to do good-mornings after squats on Tuesdays, and front-squats after DL on Thursdays. I’ve found it to help immensely, though it also prompted me to do more core work so I could stand up to heavier front squats (even 225 was giving me issues with core stability)

If all else fails, try to imagine pushing your feet through the floor while you lift, rather than trying to bring the weight up. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, I know, but it helped me get over the 315 hump.

Good luck, lift hard.