Deadlift: 3 obstacles to a powerful pull

A deadlift rarely stalls because of willpower alone. Most of the time the problem sits in one specific phase: the barbell won’t leave the floor, gets stuck around the knees or won’t lock out at the top.

This is the second part of a three-part article series looking at the sticking points of the “Big Three”: the squat, the deadlift and the bench press. Here the focus is on the deadlift and how to find your weak spot.

Why does the deadlift stall so easily?

The deadlift is simple only on the surface: the barbell is on the floor and you pull it up. In reality the entire posterior chain works at once: hamstrings, glutes, lower back, upper back and core muscles. The shoulders, lats, quads and arms also take a share of the load.

That is exactly why the deadlift carries over so well to real life. You have to lift heavy things off the ground when moving house, at work, in sport and sometimes completely unexpectedly. When your technique is solid, this exercise teaches your body to produce strength with the hips, legs and back working together.

But everyone hits a plateau at some point. A beginner may feel the barbell is glued to the floor. A more experienced lifter may get the weight to the knees, only to lose position from there. Some have everything under control until the last centimeter, but the lockout just won’t come.

Mike Robertson, a former US national team powerlifting coach, breaks deadlift sticking points down into 3 main problems. The solution isn’t always simply “pull harder”. The solution is to train the phase where the lift falls apart.

Breaking the deadlift off the floor: when the start won’t move

If the weight won’t come off the floor, you often lack strength and positional stability in the very bottom phase. A deadlift standing on a raised platform helps here. Stand on a thicker barbell plate or a low platform, for example. This lengthens the range of motion, and your body has to start the pull from a deeper position.

Robertson’s idea is simple: a greater range of motion puts more work on the hip extensors and thigh muscles. It teaches you to use your legs at the start instead of yanking the barbell up with just your back.

Let’s be honest here. If you can’t keep your back flat or in a slight natural arch while standing on a raised platform, this isn’t your exercise right now. Extra depth with poor positioning doesn’t make you stronger; it only raises your risk of injury.

Deficit deadlift

Stand on a thicker barbell plate with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hinge at the hips and knees, grip the barbell with an overhand grip and brace your core. Keep the barbell close to your body, pull smoothly and drive your hips forward powerfully. On the way down, don’t let the barbell drift away from your body.

If this variation is too demanding, use the deadlift to the knees. Pull the barbell only up to knee height, pause briefly and bring the weight back to the starting position under control.

Deadlift at the knees: the middle phase

The second sticking point often shows up around the knees. It feels as if your knees are getting in the way of the barbell. So what is actually happening? Many people try to pull the barbell straight up. As a result, the weight drifts away from the body, the back rounds and the pull loses power.

Robertson teaches a different way of thinking here: don’t just pull the barbell up, pull it toward you and back, as if dragging it into yourself. At the same time, push your knees out of the way. This shifts your center of gravity more toward the heels, and the barbell can travel closer to your body.

A good accessory exercise is the deadlift to above the knees. Start like a regular deadlift, but pull the barbell 4-5 cm above the knees. Keep your upper body tight, your core strong and your back straight. Then either finish the pull or lower the barbell under control, depending on your training goal.

A simple truth: when the barbell moves away from your body, even a light weight feels heavy. When the barbell stays close, you can use your hips and legs far more effectively.

Deadlift and the lockout at the top

The third problem is the lockout. The barbell gets past the knees, but at the top you can’t bring your hips all the way forward or reach a strong finishing position. Here a deadlift from the safety pins helps.

Set the safety pins in the power rack so the barbell sits at about knee height. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grip the barbell with an overhand grip and brace your upper body and abs. Pull the barbell up, drive your hips forward and lock out the finishing position. On the way down, keep the barbell close to your body.

The advantage of this exercise is that you can use a relatively heavy weight. That way your body gets used to a big training load in the top phase, and the lockout doesn’t feel unfamiliar. Just don’t turn it into a half-range ego pull. If your shoulders sag at the top, your back gives out or your hips don’t come through, the weight is too heavy.

A practical deadlift checklist

Before you add the next plates to the barbell, check 3 things. First: do you know where your pull fails? Second: does your accessory exercise train exactly that phase? Third: does your technique stay the same as the weight goes up?

If your start is weak, use deficit pulls from a raised platform or pulls to the knees. If the middle phase falls apart, work on keeping the barbell closer to your body and do pulls to above the knees. If your lockout is weak, use the safety bars and learn to stand strong in the finish position.

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick one sticking point, work on it consistently for a couple of weeks, and see whether your regular deadlift becomes smoother. Usually the spot you’ve been avoiding is the one that adds the most.

FAQ: deadlift and sticking points

Does a deadlift always have to be done from the floor?

No. If your goal is to improve a specific phase, it makes perfect sense to use a raised platform, pulls to the knees or the safety bars. The pull from the floor remains the main exercise, but accessory exercises help you strengthen the weak spot in a targeted way.

What should you do if your lower back rounds during the pull?

Reduce the weight and check your starting position. If your back position is already gone before the barbell moves, a stronger pull won’t fix it. You need better bracing, a more suitable height or an easier variation.

Does pulling heavy from the safety bars improve your lockout?

Yes, as long as your technique holds up. Pulling from the safety bars helps you get used to heavy training load in the top phase, but the weight must allow you to bring your hips all the way forward and lock out your body properly.

Source: www.menshealth.com

Translated by Janar Rückenberg

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