palindrome emordnilap's Public Library

What do I eat?

Anything that has a face and can run/swim/fly away from you. Anything that comes from such animals. Pretty much anything that grew in the ground, on a vine, or in a tree. Use some common sense, but select the most caloric dense items you can find.

When people ask me about running my answer is always, "Running from what?"

"Hey, Dan! Do you run?"

Me: "From what?"

The follow-up to that is, "Conditioning for what?"

When it's time for the actual deadlift, the set-up is the most important part of the exercise. If you get this wrong, no amount of correction during the lift can compensate, so pay attention.

Your feet should be no wider than shoulder-width apart, with the bar nearly touching your shins. Your feet can point straight ahead or up to 45-degrees outwards. To pull the biggest weights, you'll need to use a mixed grip with one hand pronated (palm down) and the other supinated (palm up).

Your hands should be just outside your legs. Don't turn this into a snatch-grip deadlift by having your hands miles away from your shins because you'll greatly reduce the amount of weight you can use. Your arms should hang straight down from your shoulders, with no bend at the elbow. Your arms will act as hooks, connecting the bar to your torso.

In the start position, your lower back should be arched and your upper back should be relaxed. This provides a safe position for the lumbar spine, while minimizing the total distance of your pull.

To understand the importance of this, think about how many average gym rats you've seen injure their lower back while deadlifting as little as 225 pounds. I bet you can think of quite a few, maybe even that guy you see in the mirror a few times a day.

I've never had a lower back injury, despite handling weights more than four-times that heavy. The difference is that I understand how to keep my lumber spine arched, while too many people let their lumbar spine round. This is a dangerous and biomechanically-weak position.

While we're discussing posture, your head position should be neutral, neither looking up or down. For me, this means I'm looking about six feet in front of me at the start of my deadlift.

When you're ready to get the bar up with maximum efficiency and minimum risk of injury, the flex must first be pulled out of the bar before the plates leave the ground. To do this, think of trying to make the bar bend while it's still static.

You're applying some force to the bar, and then applying a whole lot more to actually get the bar moving. There should be no sudden movement or jerking. Focus on keeping your arms locked out, flexing the triceps, and generating total body tension. The bar leaves the floor with huge leg drive. Think of driving your heels into the floor.