Day 5 - Foundations: Deadlift

Ahhhh. The art of picking up heavy stuff. Learn to do it correctly, and you build a foundation of strength forever, but do it incorrectly, and you'll build a foundation of weakness that can/will end up hurting yourself often. The deadlift is probably the most valuable skill in your arsenal and definitely the most used one.

No fear tactic, just reality. Form here matters most. It’s about building a foundation for everything else.

Time Domain

  • 3 ROUNDS - The deadlift is never one to be done to rep failure. Poor form, even a little bit, can be disastrous. Choose a weight where all 7 can be done perfectly, following all the points of performance in Mark’s video (in resources below) - use the single-hand variation, two-hand, obscure variations (level 3 only). I don’t care, but the basic two-hand will most likely be the most functional.

    • Start the clock

    • Levels 1 & 2: Execute 7-11 deadlifts, slow and steady.

    • Level 3: Explode out of the bottom to hip lockout. Take an extra :01-:03 to squeeze the glutes extra hard at the top, then lower the weight back down.

    • Rest 1:30 after each round (set)

* Yes, it might end up being :30 or so over 5 minutes, sorry.

Workout Movement

  • Level 1, 2, & 3: Pick up a weighted object with perfect form, 7 times

    • Level 1: < 50

    • Level 2: 50-200lbs

    • Level 3: 200+ lbs

Resources - How to

These are both kettlebell videos, but it doesn’t matter. Use whatever you have, the principles don’t change. I will be doing it tonight or tomorrow with several different loaded items for illustration.

Score

  • Score your weight, the style of deadlift executed, and how it felt