Secrets of Finnish deadlifting, part I
For a very long time, the deadlift has been almost a national sport in Finland. World records have been broken ever since the seventies. Why are the Finns so good at deadlifting, and what is their secret? I searched for and collected training information from both former and current greats. Here is a short summary.
1. Finnish genetics
To pull or lift a lot, you also need a fair amount of natural talent. Most good deadlifters have long arms and legs. Don’t be surprised to see a middleweight recreational lifter pull over 200 kg on the very first attempt. That is, of course, only a very good start.
The best deadlifters of the late seventies and the eighties came mainly from two kinds of background. First, many of those who could pull a lot had done heavy physical work: loggers, builders, farmers and the like. Their daily work involved lifting, dragging and carrying things. This laid an excellent foundation for a good deadlift and gave them a solid base for starting to train.
Second, many good deadlifters are or were Olympic weightlifters. They had already pulled a lot before specializing in powerlifting. Raimo Välinerva held Scandinavian records in Olympic weightlifting and could clean 150 kg with straight legs. In the early eighties he held the record of 312.5 kg at a body weight of 67 kg, and a little later he pulled 325 kg at a body weight of 75 kg. When the bar still had to be pressed overhead in Olympic weightlifting, the sport demanded considerably more pure strength. Today the emphasis is more on speed and technique.
Many deadlifters of the newer era have previous experience from some other sport. For example, Ismo Lappi, a 75 kg lifter who has pulled 338.5 kg, used to be a javelin thrower and threw over 68 m. His 100 m best is also under 11 seconds. He is fast and explosive, which a good deadlift demands as well.
2. Squatting that has improved the deadlift
All the former record setters and holders, as well as the current ones, have squatted with a narrow stance, or at least this squat variation has occasionally been part of their programs. This kind of squat is a very good exercise for improving the deadlift. Many good deadlifters have trained the squat three times a week. Twice they do regular squats with the bar on the back, and on one day front squats. On one regular squat day they squat with the bar high, on the neck; on the other regular squat day the bar sits more on the back, more in the style of powerlifters.
Lunges and so-called step squats are also used, with the bar on the back. There are two variations of step squats: the box is placed either under the front foot or under the back foot. A block under the front foot works mainly the biceps femoris, while a block behind works the glutes well. Under the back foot they use various blocks ranging from 17–26 cm, and this hits the glutes very powerfully.
Many lifters squat and use different stances. The most common option is still a relatively narrow stance, but several of them have not stuck to just one style and use different stances when squatting. Taito Haara, Reijo Kiviranta and Hannu Saarelainen are lifters like that.
In recent years the box squat has become very popular in Finland. Thanks to starting to use the box, Janne Toivanen pulled 365 kg in the IPF in Austria in 1996. There are others, too, who have progressed a great deal after they began using the box. Ano Turtiainen also brought the box into his squat day, and at every competition he enters he pulls at least 390 kg.
Ismo Lappi, who is, or probably was, the IPF world record holder at a body weight of 75 kg, also does box squats. Veli Kumpuniemi said that if he had done box squats back in his day, or had known about them, he would probably have pulled significantly more. How much more? While pulling, or rather trying to pull, 365 kg at a body weight of 82 kg, he tore his biceps femoris in 1981. Before that, at a body weight of 86 kg, he had pulled 373 kg.
3. Deadlift variations
Even today, many people train the deadlift twice a week. In the old days, training the deadlift three times a week was nothing unusual either. Veli Kumpuniemi, the man the Finns call Mr. Deadlift, sometimes deadlifted as often as four times a week. Below are the variations that he and other greats used in training.
Deficit deadlift, standing on a raised platform
They used 4–12 cm platforms and pulled standing on them. This variation was used quite often. Many used the 3–5 rep range for it and generally pulled in the conventional style. This was the case even when they might pull sumo style in competition.
Stiff-leg deadlift
These pulls were done both straight from the floor and from a block. Those were the two main ways. Some also pulled with straight legs and a rounded back, while others, such as Janne Toivanen, Ismo Lappi and Ano Turtiainen, preferred to keep an arched back here, pushing the butt back markedly.
Those who pulled with a rounded back used longer sets (10 or so) and 40–50% of their max. Deadlifters with an arched back and straight legs, such as Janne Toivanen, also went up to quite heavy weights in this exercise. Toivanen, for example, pulled 300 kg for 4 repetitions with straight legs, standing on a 9 cm block. Ano Turtiainen also pulled with straight legs, but from the floor, with 330 kg for 5 reps.
Exercises of classic lifters
Various pulls are in fact part of the classic lifters’ exercise repertoire. They were done mainly to develop power and speed, and as a rule right before the deadlift.
Translator’s note: I won’t even bother translating these exercises or giving them names. Instead I’ll list them in English and try to find links:
High pulls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6UujQTJ09w
Raw cleans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqYyXdLNfA&feature=PlayList&p=E34B3C95626DF601&i
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OqYyXdLNfA&feature=PlayList&p=E34B3C95626DF601&index=0&playnext=1
Translator’s note: I wouldn’t bet my head that it’s exactly the same, but “clean” means taking the bar to the chest, and “raw” could mean doing it with straight legs. That’s my own guess, though I can’t say for sure. If anyone knows better, please help and fill in the gaps!
Raw snatches:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQwbK5nRU1A
“Snatch” should mean the snatch, but I’ll have to leave open what “raw” adds to it. Is it also done with straight legs?
These classic lifts were done the most. The old-school lifters did many of them with straight legs, just as the Russians did.
Wide-grip deadlifts
Wide-grip deadlifts use the same grip as the starting position of the snatch. Two variants were done here. Some lifters pulled the weight all the way up, while others pulled it only slightly above the knees. These pulls helped improve technique and coordinate the work and position of the shoulders during the pull.
Partial pulls
Hannu Saarelainen, for example, did partial pulls only at knee level: the bar moved only from just below the knee to just above it. The amplitude of the pull, that is, the length of the bar path, was 20–25 cm for him, and it was his weakest phase. The rep count was rather high and the weights light. He emphasized speed and specifically tried to make this weak phase faster.
By focusing on his weak points like this, Hannu managed to pull 347.5 kg at a body weight of 110 kg, even though his build was not the most favorable for deadlifting. Pulls were also done from blocks of different heights, and from the safety bars in the power rack.
Hack deadlift
This exercise could be done, and mostly was done, by long-armed deadlifters. This deadlift variant put the legs to work forcefully and developed the phase of breaking the bar off the floor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J3YZnw3XzU
To be continued…
Translated by: Janar Rückenberg
Come and train! ArtGym
