New Deadlift Training Approach: Rack Pulls, Speed Pulls and Isometrics

A couple years ago I published a blog about the Paul Anderson power rack method to build a big deadlift.

In the past month I have devised a slightly more elaborate scheme to enhance the impact of that program built on rack pulls.

It combines three of my favorite training methods: rack pulls, isometrics and speed work.

Word of caution, this workout should be done once a week as it will toast your CNS (central nervous system) as well as your muscles.

 

Begin with speed

You begin this workout by doing some regular deadlifts. The caveat is that you stick with weights where you can pull 5 reps with good speed.

I suggest using three to four sets maximum.

The first is your opening warm up weight. Next jump to your second warm up weight.

Then do no more than two sets with a weight that challenges you.about 85-90% when you do five reps with perfect technique.

Accelerate the bar as rapidly as possible after you come off the floor.

Use perfect technique on all lifts. This is a major challenge when you are doing more than two reps. Generally, everyones technique goes to hell around the 4^th or 5^th rep.

Now you are primed for step #2.

 

Rack Pulls

One of the most effective ways to use the power rack is to start at the top of the lift doing a lockout with a big weight that you cannot now pull for a full deadlift.

Over a few weeks you gradually increase the distance you pull the weight.

Modern power racks are easily adjustable in 2-inch increments. The basic idea of what Ill call the incremental deadlift is that you begin with the weight placed about 2 inches below your lockout position.

Your initial lift will be to move the weight about 2 inches. When you can do this for 2 single reps, you then increase the distance you will have to lift the bar.

The easiest way to do this is to put a barbell plate on the floor and stand on it before you lift. By standing on the plate, you have basically lowered the bar by 2.

This is infinitely easier than lowering the rack setting which would require unloading and then re-loading all the plates on the lifting bar.

The idea is that over a period of weeks you begin with a weight that is perhaps 50 pounds over your previous best deadlift. You use the rack and plate stack to gradually move down to doing a full deadlift with the new larger weight.

Begin each session by pulling from the highest position (2 inches to lock out) and add height to your platform for each successive rep.

If you have bumper plates available, you can use 10- and 15-pound plates for the smallest increment of change in the distance you move the bar.

You can see in the pictures below that the lifter has increased the depth of his pull by about 2 inches when he stands on the plate.

Do no more than 5 (or 6) total reps in a workout. You are pulling a weight that is huge for you and this will tax your central nervous system.

But the third and final part of this workout is the isometric pull.

 

Isometric Pull

At this point you have pulled full deadlifts with speed out of the bottom and locked out super heavy weights at the top.

Now you work on the middle range of the pull.

There are two ways to do this depending on the equipment you have available.

The first is to grasp an empty (or very lightly loaded bar) and get into the position where you are halfway between the initial lift off the floor and locking out.

At the halfway point contract every muscle in your body with maximum intensity for six seconds. Repeat this three times.

This static contraction will train your CNS to put out maximum intensity at the midpoint of the lift.

The other way to do this is to set an immovable restraint on the power rack at the midpoint of your lift. Take the empty bar and pull against this restraint with all the force you can possibly generate for six seconds.

Repeat this three times.

After the third set you will be glad the deadlift training is over until next week.

 

Bottom Line

After 4-8 weeks of this program, you should have developed a much stronger deadlift. I would not recommend going beyond 8 weeks as your CNS will need time to recover and your bod will need a change to consolidate your increased strength.

Combining speed work, maximum contraction an moving a super heavy weight a short distance you get the benefit of three different strength building approaches.