Get Yoked with the Deadlift

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Here is an article that I wrote over a year ago all about the Deadlift. A Weightlifter could use this as well just substitute the Deadlift with a Clean Position Pull. In a perfect world, the Deadlift should equal or be slightly more than your back squat. If that is not the case, then focusing on the pull is something that you should do. If you are still a coach that doesn’t believe in pulling, I recommend looking outside the box. Muscular balance is something that you need to research. A balanced body will fire more efficiently, and a balanced body will be less likely to get injured. Enjoy the article!

Get Yoked with the Deadlift

I often get asked, “If I had one exercise that I could do for the rest of my life, what would it be?” That’s easy: Deadlift! It’s the rawest exercise on earth! I can picture it now some caveman looking at another caveman challenging him to who can pick up the heaviest log. When I was a young lad, I remember constantly seeing who could lift the heaviest object. Most exercise scientists agree that the most functional exercise on earth is the deadlift because we were designed to squat down, grab an object, and stand up again.

There is also this huge debate as to whether Olympic weightlifters should deadlift or not. I defer to the best lifters in the world, the Chinese. They deadlift, so I do too. Here’s the thing that most people miss. All the world champions are jacked! All of them!!! They are strong, period! Two weekends ago, I met Klokov, and that dude is jacked. He is strong all over. He also filled us in on the fact that he didn’t start until he was 13 years old. That’s important because he was able to develop efficient technique in about the same time as our athletes in the US. The difference is they have a much bigger focus on strength.

Now this argument is beaten to death, so I am not going on a big rant about strength vs. technique. I just want to make the point that getting stronger is always a good thing. One of the best weightlifters that I have ever seen in person is Tim McRae. Here is a 70k lifter that could snatch 145k and clean & jerk 180k. He could also deadlift 680lbs. Is that a coincidence? I don’t think so.

Here is a routine that will get your deadlift yacked:

Day 1
wk 1 Deadlift paused at knee 3 sec 3RM, then -5 & -10% for 3
wk2 Deadlift paused at knee 3 sec 3RM, then -5 & -10% for 3
wk3 Deadlift paused at knee 3 sec 3RM
wk4 Deadlift paused at knee 1 sec 3RM, then -5 & -10% for 3
wk5 Deadlift paused at knee 1 sec 3RM, then -5 & -10% for 3
wk6 Deadlift paused at knee 1 sec 3RM
wk7 Deadlift paused at knee 3 sec 1RM, then -15% for 3×3
wk8 Deadlift paused at knee 1 sec 1RM, then -15% for 3×3
wk9 Deadlift against mini bands 60%+mini bands/2 x 5 with 60 sec rest between sets

Day 2
wk 1 Deadlift off Boxes Bar at knee 3RM, then -10% for 3
wk2 Deadlift off Boxes Bar at knee 3RM, then -10% for 3
wk3 Deadlift off Boxes Bar at knee 3RM
wk4 Deadlift off Boxes Bar 2″ below knee 3RM, then -10% for 3
wk5 Deadlift off Boxes Bar 2″ below knee 3RM, then -10% for 3
wk6 Deadlift off Boxes Bar 2″ below knee 3RM
wk7 Deadlift off Boxes Bar 4″ off ground 3RM, then -10% for 3
wk8 Deadlift off Boxes Bar 4″ off ground 1RM, then -15% for 3
wk9 Max Deadlift from floor

You will want to take 72 hours between days. I would pair deadlift with squats, and I would focus on an equal amount of posterior and anterior chain exercises. The deadlift builds bullet proofing mass as Dan John calls it. You can always tell a great deadlifter by their massive neck, traps, back, glutes, and hamstrings. Ed Coan is the first person to come to mind when I am talking about great deadlifters. Not to mention, Ed comes to mind when I am talking about yoked Powerlifters. I remember reading a Flex Magazine with Ed being compared to Dorian Yates. Did I mention that Ed deadlifted 903lbs weighing 215lbs? Boss!

So the moral of the story is: to get yoked, deadlift!

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