Barbell Exercises - Some Variations Of The Big Five

The Big Five lifts are the Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Press, and the Row. Some variations of The Big Five are listed below. They are done as either additional exercises, assistance exercises or to be done just for a change.

Press Variations

1)Incline (bench) Press: Back in the day, the famous strength and conditioning Coach Bill Starr recommended 3 main exercises for football players and track and field athletes: The Squat, the Power Clean and the Incline Press. The incline press was chosen because the angle of the press closely approximated the angle of executing shot putting, discus throwing, tackling, etc. (Starr originally suggested the flat Bench Press be used only because very few athletic clubs in the late 1960s had an adjustable bench, otherwise Starr believed the Incline Press was the best one to use). The incline press is also popular among bodybuilders because it hits the front deltoids and upper chest more than the regular bench press. It is somewhat different in that you cannot use the lats to stabilize the lift so you must work harder on balancing the barbell. Your feet will be flat on the floor and your lower back will be touching the bench which will be set at an angle anywhere between 30 to 45 degrees The elbows must stay under the wrists during the lift. Note: The wrists must be locked with forearms always underneath the bar. Push the bar upwards in a straight line.

2)Decline Bench Press: The Decline Press is the opposite of the incline press in angle direction. In the Decline Press your pelvis is higher than your head. There is less emphasis on the front deltoids and more stress (and thus development) on the lower pectorals and triceps. If you have never done the Decline Press it will certainly feel very strange. This is not a very popular lift for two reasons. One, many benches sold do not adjust downwards and two, many weight trainers feel more comfortable doing weighted Dips which is a bodyweight exercise that feels more natural and works much the same muscle groups as the decline press.

3)Push Press: The Push Press is a standing press using the front deltoids and triceps. It is very much like an overhead or military press except that the legs are used to forcefully to push the bar upwards very quickly. It is not like the jerk in the Clean and Jerk because you are still using your arms to push up the weight. In the Jerk part of the Clean and Jerk, the bar rests on your clavicles and you jump the weight up to a locked-out position using your arms only as a guide. In the push press you are actually pushing the bar. The Push Press can be used to develop great strength because more weight can be used than the ordinary shoulder press. The only drawback with this lift is that initial strength is not developed at the bottom because the legs are assisting you. On the positive side, the Push Press helps the whole body learn better to function as one unit.

Squat Variations

1)Front Squat: Olympic weight lifters do a gosh-awful lot of front squats because it is this movement that allows them to get quickly under the bar when performing the Clean and Jerk. Great flexibility in the fingers and wrists are needed because the bar is managed on top of the front part of the shoulders with the first two fingers of both hands as they stretch backwards. This exercise does not engage the hamstrings or hips as much as the back squat but bodybuilders tend to like and use it to develop the "tear drop" muscle of the quadriceps known as the vastus medialis.

2)Barbell Hack Squats This lift is when you lift the barbell as you would a Deadlift except that the bar is behind your knees. The result is that it throws an large amount of stress onto your quadriceps. The day after you do this lift, expect the middle part of your back to be sore until you are used to it. It is best used at with a moderately light weight perhaps at the end of a leg workout because if you use too much weight, the bar will scrape badly against the backs of your knees. Many weight trainers will not do this exercise because it feels so awkward but that does not change the fact that it is an excellent exercise. When performing it, you should stand on top of a couple of plates to elevate your heels to better isolate the quads.

3)Front Lunges: This is a very popular barbell exercise for complete development of the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. With the barbell across your shoulders step (lunge) forwards with your right foot putting most of your weight on it. The length of the step you take is determined by how well you can then kneel down onto your left knee with your right thigh parallel to the floor. This movement needs a lot of practice. Then from the floor position, put your weight onto your right leg and push/thrust upwards bringing your left foot besides your right foot. You can either repeat again with your right leg or else change to step forward with your left foot to work the opposite side. The famous bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman said that walking across a parking lot doing barbell lunges was one of his favorite exercises.

4)Reverse Lunges: To do reverse lunges, they are performed the same as forward lunges but you step backwards with the non-weighted left foot with your left knee on the floor and then once in the kneeling position, push off with the weighted front right foot.

Deadlift Variation: Sumo

Certain body types seem to be compatible with certain exercises. This is certainly true with the Deadlfit. If you have short legs but a long torso, then the conventional Deadlift is for you. If however you have long legs, you may want to try doing a sumo Deadlift. To perform this lift, you take a stance as wide as possible and reach down to grip the bar with both hands palms down. Your hands will be inside of your legs. Keep a neutral back when you pull and arrange your body mechanics as such that you are using your hips, hams, and glutes to lift bar more than your back. As with the conventional Deadlift, remember to take in a belly full of air just before you lift. Many lifters with back problems use the sumo Deadlift instead of the conventional and oddly enough, although more weight can usually be lifted with the sumo Deadlift, most records are broken using the conventional.

Rowing Variations

It is recommended that the best rowing exercise is what is called the Pendlay Row. The movement here is to, after finding a comfortable stance, keep the upper torso parallel to the ground while pulling the barbell, elbows out, to the lower chest. The bar is let down and released after each rep and picked up again in a quick rest-paused fashion. Some lifters nearly drop the weight but the best way is to let the weight down. One rowing variation (next) is called Bodybuilder Rows.

Bodybuilder Rows: Using a neutral (arched) back, pick up a barbell using the same grip as if you were doing shrugs and stand upright with arms extended and hanging down. Bend forward, not too far, and with elbows in, pull (row) upwards to just above belt level. You will be able move massive amounts of weight rowing this way and in fact, sometimes the weights involved are so heavy that the barbell should lifted off a rack instead off the floor. This exercise is sometimes also called the Yates Row named after bodybuilder Dorian Yates.

Finally

And there you have some lifting variations of The Big Five. Again, the reason why these variations are performed is to have a more complete routine, to assist with getting stronger at doing the big five or just for a change.

CALVES TRAINING

                                                     

You hear it all the time, "My calves are never going to grow, it's genetics!" The problem with this statement is it's TRUE. It's not the genetics part of the statement that's true, it's the part about your calves never growing that is true. The reason for this is that the genetics argument is just an excuse not to train your calves hard. When you say my calves are never going to grow you have already put yourself in the frame of mind that they aren't going to grow. I guarantee that if you change your way of thinking about calf training you will see new growth to your calves. FORGET ABOUT GENETICS.
  

We can sit here all day and debate whether being genetically gifted determines  your potential to build great calves. Or, we can get busy and start some hardcore  calf training. The key to calf calf training can be summed up in one word -  intensity. If you just go through the motions, up and down on the standing calf  raise machine, your calves will not grow. The reason calves do not respond to  low-intensity training is because they are used to be worked all day long,  everyday. Think about it, the weight of your body is on your calves every time  you walk up stairs, get up from a chair or just walk to your car. Therefore, it is  important to really raise the intensity level when training calves.    Before we move on to the actual calf workout, let me attempt to explain to you  what I consider intensity. Intensity is basically having the mental stamina to  break certain pain barriers. For some reason (most likely due to the type of  muscle fiber), calves are extremely painful to train once you have gotten to that  last rep. The bad news is that is when your calves start growing. When your  calves really start burning, that's when we start counting reps. Remember what  I said about intensity, it's the ability to break through pain barriers. TIPS TO SUCCESSFULLY TRAIN YOUR CALVES    Don't worry we will get down to the nitty gritty, but first I want to share some  important techniques with you. After reading this, you will inevitably see people in the gym making these same mistakes that you may be making now. First, train calves in  flat soled shoes such as Otomix footwear. Even better, train your calves in bare  feet. You got it, take your tennis shoes or boots off before you start your calf  routine.    Second, your stance is very important when training calves. Probably the  biggest mistake that I see people make when training calves is having your  knees bent too much. Remember, we want to take the quads out of the  movement and isolate the calves. Slightly bent is alright, but I prefer your legs  to be as straight as you can get them. Your feet should be positioned with your  heels a little wider than your toes. It is very important that the pressure of the  movement is directly on your big toe. Having the weight over your big toe will  really help you get a full contraction on every rep.    Another tip that is often overlooked is calf stretching. I really like to stretch  my calves hard before training them. As a matter of fact, I have seen two  different apparatus' designed to specifically stretch the calf muscles. Without  getting too technical the calves are made of the soleus and the gastronomies.  To stretch the soleus, use a seated calf machine with no weight and stretch. To  stretch the gastronomies use the standing calf raise and stretch your heels to  the ground. Also, I try to stretch my calves frequently between sets.     Finally, you want to concentrate on getting a full contraction on each and every  rep. When you go down you will literally feel like you are sliding off the calf  machine. When you are at the top of the movement you will almost be standing  on your big toes. You may have already noticed the guys who use huge weight  and bounce every rep have small calves??? LETS GET IT ON Workout One Exercise #1  If you thought I was kidding about training intensity, you are about  to get tested right away. This first movement will teach you what I mean by  having the mental stamina to break through pain barriers. Since most people  like to do standing calf raises first then that's where we will begin. The  difference is we are going to do a set of fifty reps. You will perform all fifty reps  consecutively, but it will be broken down into 5 mini sets of ten reps. Set up the  standing calf raise with a weight you ordinarily can get for twenty reps. Now,  perform 10 slow, strict reps followed by 10 bounce reps (literally bounce up and  down for ten reps), then 10 slow, strict reps, then 10 bounce reps, then finish  with 10 slow strict reps. Do not rest in between the strict and bounce reps. You  are doing 50 straight reps. If you do not feel like puking, then you did not go  hard enough. Your calves should be burning so bad that it feels like someone  stuck a knife in the back of them. Exercise #2 This time we are going to concentrate on one calf at a time. This  exercise may seem a little strange at first, but you will really like it. Have you  ever gone out for the day boating and the next day your calves are really sore.  This soreness is from using the stabilizing muscles for balance that you are not  used to working in the gym. To begin this exercise you will need a platform such  as the bent-over row platform and a dumbbell. Use a dumbbell that is about the  same weight that you usually start dumbbell curls with. Now, stand on the  platform with only your toes on the edge and hold the dumbbell in one hand.  Go up and down slowly with the dumbbell held by your side. You will probably  need to hold onto the side of the platform for balance. Once you have mastered  this motion, begin to move the dumbbell to the front of your body in a different  position each rep. The key to counting reps on this exercise is to only count the  reps that burn. Once you start feeling pain then start counting. After you have  completed one calf, switch the dumbbell to the other hand and work the other  calf. Perform three sets on each calf (remember only count the reps that burn).  Some people prefer to do this exercise at the beginning of their routine because  it really works the stabilizing muscles. I have had people tell me that their  calves still feel fresh after crushing them on this movement. Exercise #3  The final exercise in this calf routine is the donkey calf raise. Unfortunately  some gyms are not equipped with a donkey calf raise machine. If your gym does  not have a donkey machine you can do the same movement on a platform with  your training partner on your back.    If you have a donkey machine you will be doing three drop sets. Use a  relatively heavy weight for your first set. Without rest, pull the pin and switch  to a lighter weight. Once again go till failure. Without rest again, pull the pin  and go very light for a high rep set. This is referred to as a triple drop set. You  will have tears in your eyes when you are through.    If you do not have a donkey machine, simply have your partner sit on your  back while your toes are on a platform. You may use a weighted belt or have  your partner hold some plates. On your first set go until failure and then have  your partner drop the weight. Do another set until failure. For your final set  have your partner get off your back and do a high rep set. People in the gym may  look at you like you are crazy, but just wait until your calves begin to explode. Workout Two - The Gauntlet    I recommend training calves twice a week. Do not train calves as an  afterthought. Treat calves like they are biceps, triceps or chest. In other words  train them consistently and intensely. Speaking of intensity, workout two is  quick and painful. It consists of two giant supersets. Most gyms have their calf  equipment situated next to one another. You will need to occupy three different  pieces of equipment for this routine. You can use the donkey calf machine,  seated calf machine, standing calf raise machine, leg press calf raises or angled  calf raise machine. If your gym only has two of these machines then you can  always substitute one legged standing calf raises (described above).    This workout consists of doing the first exercise, then jumping on the next  piece of equipment, then jumping on a final piece of equipment. Each set will  be with a weight that you can handle for at least 10 reps, but always go until  failure. As soon as you are finished your first set immediately jump on the next  two machines and do the same thing. It is necessary to set up all three  machines prior to your giant set so that you do not rest while loading plates.  When you are finished  your first giant set your calves will burn so bad they will be numb.  That's what you want! F@#% YOU  MY CALVES ARE KILLING ME !!    There is no doubt that if you train your calves correctly with the necessary  intensity they will grow. You will be cursing me all the way to the water fountain and when trying to drive your stick shift car home, but it will be worth it. I believe that so  many people have mediocre calf development because of the extreme pain that  is required to build quality calves. Also, building huge calves takes time and  patience. Hopefully, after some grueling calf workouts of your own, you will be  able to laugh at the person who says they train their calves hard.    The payoff for the tears rolling down your face when you finish a set of 50 reps  is simple. First, you have built up the mental stamina to break through pain  barriers. Second, your calves will be immediately noticed and commented on  by people who see them. There is no mistaking who trains their calves hard and  who goes through the motions. I don't know of a more impressive sight in the  gym then a pair of stacked calves.

STRENGTH TRAINING

                   STRENGTH TRAINING

Strength training is the most effective way to turn your body into a fat burning  machine and stay in great shape! It is the most productive form of exercise  there is! In order to be successful with strength training there are some basic  principles that must be followed if you want to receive the many benefits which  strength training has to offer! The three most critical factors are progressive  overload, intensity, and recovery.   Progressive Overload simply means that you must force your muscles to work  harder each time. That means you can't use the same weight every workout,  regardless of how many sets or reps you do. The best way to dothis is by  attempting to increase the resistance / weight used and, or increase the number  of repetitions performed at each workout.   Intensity is also very important. You must force your body to increase its  strength. For example, if you typically do 3 sets of 10 reps on the leg press at  115 pounds, and your legs are capable of doing 16 reps, why is your body going  to make any improvements? Your body will only add muscle if you force it to  work at a higher level than it is used to. The most effective way to overload your  muscles is to perform one or two sets per exercise, and continue each set to  muscular failure. That means continuing each set until no more repetitions are  possible. Challenge yourself!   Once you have overloaded the target muscle group you must then allow for  proper recovery and over compensation. This means you must rest long enough  to allow for recovery of the targeted muscle group, the nervous system, refill  glycogen stores (Energy stored within your muscles), and also allow enough  time for the muscles to make improvements or increases. This process takes  time. Generally, it takes between 2-7 days to recover from a strength workout!  The harder you work the longer it takes your body to repair. Don't short-circuit  your progress by strength training too often! Basic Guidelines for Successful Strength Training Strength train no more than three times per week! Perform 1-2 sets per exercise! Choose 1-2 exercises for small muscle groups and 2-3 for large muscle  groups. (ex. 2-3 exercises for legs, back, chest, and 1-2 for arms, shoulders,  etc.) Choose no more than 8-10 exercises and work hard on them! Always keep  a record of all workouts! Take each set to failure or fatigue! Perform each exercise SLOWLY! Force the muscle to do the work -- NOT  momentum! As soon as you see a slow down in progress it's time to make a change to  your program!   Below are some sample workouts and frequently asked questions regarding  strength training. Full-body Workout 1-2 times per week (approx. 30-40 mins.) Lat Pull-Down 2 Sets Chest Press 2 Sets Leg Press 2 Sets Lateral Raise 1 Set Bicep Curl 1 Set Triceps Pushdown 1 Set Leg Curl 1 Set Leg Extension 1 Set Upper/Lower Split 2-3 times per week (approx. 25-40 mins.) Upper Seated Row 2 Sets Shoulder Press 2 Sets Lat Pull-Down 1 Set Pectoral Fly 1 Set Lateral Raise 1 Set Bicep Curl 1 Set Tricep Pushdown 1 Set Lower Leg Curl 2 Sets Glute Machine 1 Set Leg Press 2 Sets Leg Extension 1 Set Frequently Asked Questions Question. How do I lose the flab on the back of my arm or my spare tire? Answer. It is physically impossible to only lose fat in one area. What you can do  is decrease body fat by burning more calories than you consume. Increase  muscle tissue with strength training and burn more calories all day long, even  while you are sleeping! Question. How often should I strength train if my goal is to burn fat? Answer. 2-3 times per week would be great! You will build muscle tissue, which burns calories 24 hours a day, and you will decrease the chance for excess  calories to be stored as fat! Question. What if I don't want to bulk up? I just want to tone. Answer. If it were that easy to bulk or get big nearly every guy in the gym would  be huge] Women generally don't have the genetic potential to build large  muscles due to hormonal differences. Plus, don't forget that adding muscle  tissue to your body is a good thing! It makes everything you do much easier,  reduces the chance for injury, and increases your metabolism! Question. How many sets and repetitions should I do? Answer. This will vary depending upon your goal. If you are training to increase  strength, due fewer sets but higher intensity (1-2 sets to failure per exercise). If  training for muscle size, perform multiple sets (2-4 sets, but only 1 to failure).  The number of repetitions will vary also depending upon the speed at which you  move the weight and your goals. In general, shoot for 8-12 reps. Question. What are the benefits of strength training? Answer. Strength training, if done correctly, can make some major changes to  your body and mind! Here are just a few: Increased Metabolism Increased Strength and Flexibility Increased Muscle Tone Reduced Stress Levels

Powerful Bodyweight Exercises for Strength and Speed

                         LET'S GET EXPLOSIVE

Slightly Flammable

1. Reverse Lunge Knee-Up: Begin by standing on one foot (think Karate Kid), then step the opposite foot backwards into a reverse lunge.Powerfully push through the front foot and bring the opposite knee towards the chest. Quickly step back into a reverse lunge and repeat!

2. Plyo Push-Up: Begin in a standard push-up position with elbows bent at 90 degrees and tucked close to the body. Now push it with enough force to jump the hands off the ground and quickly clap together before landing. This one might be best to practice from the knees and with the goal of working towards doing them from the toes.

3. Box Drill: Fire up the calves by jumping ’round an imaginary box. Begin by balancing on the right foot with a slightly bent knee. Swing both arms forward and hop to the left (don't miss the landing!). Staying on the same leg, hop forward, then hop to the right, and finally in reverse back to the starting point. Switch legs and reverse the direction. 

4. Standing Long Jump: Flashback to elementary school track meets! For this explosive lower body move, stand with feet hip-width apart, and crouch into a squatting position with the arms back. Next, spring forward with both feet remaining together and land on the balls of the feet with the knees bent. Go the hang of things? Spring right back into action for the next jump (with no rest in between).  

5. Frog Squat Jump: Begin in a wide stance, feet a bit wider than shoulder-width apart, with toes turned slightly out. Keeping the chest up, drop into a deep squat position, hands reaching to the floor. Now explode upwards into a jump (yes, this is the frog-looking part!). Land softly and quickly repeat with an emphasis on the height of each jump.

6. Lateral Lunge: Slightly easier than doing overhead splits, a lateral lunge is still awesome for improving flexibility. (Being flexible is super-important since muscles generate more power when they contract through a full range of motion. Flexibility = explosiveness!) To complete the move, stand with feet together and then lunge to the right. Make sure the toes of both feet face forward and weight goes back into the heels. Reach the arms forward if you need extra help balancing.

Definitely Combustible

7. Plyometric Deadlift: Stand on the left leg and bend forward at the hips (become a drinking bird) until the right leg and chest are about parallel to the floor (yes, the left hamstrings are supposed to feel the burn!). In one quick movement swing the arms forward, raise the chest, and jump up off the floor. Softly land on the left leg again and slowly lower back into the starting position.

8. Lateral Triple Jump: This move teaches the body to change directions quickly and powerfully. Stand on the right foot, bend the knee slightly and hop sideways as far as possible, landing on the right foot again. Immediately leap forward to land on the left foot. Finish the move by jumping forward one more time to land on both feet. Sound confusing? It's just ahop, skip, and a jump!

9. Alternating Lunge Jumps: Remember the running man? Begin in a lunge and jump up as high as possible while simultaneously switching the lunge stance in mid-air. Land with the opposite foot forward and then jump again. Think height, not speed. This one is all about generating vertical power.

10. Tuck Jumps: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, crouch down just a bit, and then spring up into the highest jump possible. Quickly tuck the knees to the chest and then extend them down to land softly on the toes. Immediately jump back up — there's no time to rest during this one!

11. Side Plank Star: Every major body movement originates from the body's core. (Not sure? Try running without flexing the glutes, abs, or lower back!) To get explosive to the core, start in a side plank position with the planted elbow directly beneath the shoulder and both legs stacked. Now, keeping the core muscles tight, raise the top leg as high as possible to form a star position. Return the leg back down and repeat on the same side.

 That's Explosive!

12. Full-Body Plyometric Push-Up:Who said people weren't meant to fly? Lower into a push-up position with elbows wide and at a 90-degree angle. Explosively push through the hands and keep an extremely tight core so that the entire body momentarily floats off the floor. Keep that core tight upon landing so that the hips don't drop towards the floor. Move right into the next rep!

13. Kneeling Squat Jump: Ready to kick things up a notch? Begin this (seriously) advanced move kneeling on the ground with the legs spread a littler wider than the hips. Draw the arms back and then forcefully swing them forward to generate enough momentum to jump up into a squatting position. Step back down into a kneeling position and repeat.

14. Horizontal Jump to Tuck Jump: Here's another power-producing leg exercise that teaches the body to change directions very quickly. Stand with both feet together. Bend the knees slightly and jump as far as possible to one side. Upon landing, immediately perform a tuck jump. That’s one! Repeat in the opposite direction with no pausing between reps.

15. Plyometric Push-Up to Squat: Combine upper and lower body explosiveness into one awesome (and super-advanced!) move. Start in traditional push-up position, and then quickly push through the hands as hard as possible to generate some momentum. As the body rises, tuck the knees to the chest and simultaneously bring the feet to land under the body. The landing position is a deep squat. Hold it for a second and then jump back into a push-up position to repeat.

16. Single-Leg Jump Squat: Balance on one leg, grounding your weight in the heel, and lower into a single-leg squat. Extend the arms forward for balance. Hold momentarily at the bottom of the squat, then throw the arms downwards to generate momentum and jump up off the standing leg. Softly land on the same leg and then head straight into the next rep.

17. Concentric Box Jump: This is one of the best exercises to build powerful legs and an amazing vertical leaping ability. Grab a seat on a step or bench and set another higher step or box (use something solid!) about a foot in front of the first bench. From a seated position, push through the heels, throw the arms forward, and jump up onto the box landing with two feet. Step down, grab a seat, and do it again.

While there is no "one best way" to exercise, explosive bodyweight training can be a great addition for athletes and non-athletes alike. For those trying these moves for the first time, be sure grab an experienced friend or personal trainer before getting explosive. Remember, the goal is always quality over quantity once things start heating up!

DEADLIFTS - THE ULTIMATE MASSGAINING EXERCISE

The many deadlift benefits had made it one of the most advantageous workout regimens not only for those who are weightlifters but for bodybuilders as well. Deadlifting can give you overall strength as this requires the use of all your muscle groups to help you perform your daily physical activities.

Very rarely do you ever see people deadlifting. Those that do are usually powerlifters or someone who is actually performing a variation of a deadlift. Often missing, the deadlift is an integral component of a strength building program. That's not to say that everyone should be performing this movement or one of its variations, but the benefits of the deadlift for a power or strength building program are innumerable.
   Though it is one of the three lifts in powerlifting competition, it is not given the respect that the squat and bench press are. You never hear people bragging about how much they can pull. In fact, the deadlift may be a better
measure of total body strength than the other two lifts by nature of the sheer number of muscles that are needed to perform the deadlift. The deadlift is a compound exercise targeting several muscle groups in the lower and upper body including the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, erector spinae, gluteals, hamstrings, quadriceps, and psoas (hip flexors). Your forearm muscles, which are involved in gripping the bar, are strongly involved, as are muscles involved in trunk stabilization such as your obliques and abdominals. In all, nearly three quarters of your total muscle mass is involved in performing this compound movement.
   The deadlift also has many benefits. As a compound exercise, the movement involves action at almost all of your body is joints, including ankles, knees, hips, the vertebrae, shoulders and fingers.² When compared to isolation exercises, compound movements that involve larger muscle groups elicit a hormonal training response that result in greater strength gains.¹ The dynamics of the lift itself may also lead to greater gains in hypertrophy.¹ In laymen¹s terms, you will get stronger and bigger muscles!
   The deadlift also has possible rehabilitation benefits. It has been hypothesized that the moderate to high hamstring activity elicited during the deadlift may help to protect the Anterior Cruciate Ligament during rehab.² The movement of the deadlift translates well into real life as it mimics bending and lifting. Anyone who has a toddler is quite familiar with the motion of the lift already.
   There are two basic styles of deadlifting; sumo and conventional. The key difference between the two styles is the placement of the feet and the width of the grip. In the sumo style, you assume a very wide stance and your arms hang down between your legs as you grip the bar. In the conventional style, your stance is relatively narrow, and your arms hang outside your legs as you grip the bar.
   The sumo style has gained a reputation as decreasing the stress placed on the lumbar vertebrae by as much as 10% when compared to the conventional deadlift.² It also seems to be favored among those who are leaner and have longer than average torsos. Since the sumo style requires less hip flexion and a more upright trunk position in the starting position of the lift, this may benefit lifters with a relatively longer torso by reducing the shear forces on the lumbar vertebrae. We also know that the sumo style deadlift requires much larger knee and ankle moments- these joints are at a more acute angle at the start of the lift then when compared to the conventional style.² This implies that the quadriceps may be more active in the sumo style than in the conventional style. Because of the wide stance utilized in the sumo style, this method requires less mechanical work than the conventional.² The bar actually moves less distance.
   In comparison, a conventional grip will place less stress on the knee and ankle joints and more stress on the lower lumbar. The increased angle of hip flexion at the start of the lift will also require hamstring and gluteal movement to overcome the angle. Though you may have to move the bar farther, the amount of distance would not really be that much greater for a shorter person. Furthermore, the combined strength of your gluteals and hamstrings may allow you to lift more weight than if the majority of force output was from your quadriceps. It is important to note that world records in powerlifting have been established using both styles.
Performing the Lifts
Beginning position

• Feet should be flat on the floor about shoulder width apart in the conventional style and slightly farther apart in the sumo style.
• Grip bar with a closed, alternate grip (one palm facing you the other away from you).
• Knees should be flexed as in a full squat position.
• Bar should be as close to the shins as possible.
• Back should be flat.
• Head should be up or in a neutral position.

Upward movement

• Begin pull by extending at the hips and knees, such that the hips and shoulders move at the same rate, keeping the back flat, with the shoulders above or slightly in front of bar.
• As the bar passes your knees, thrust hips forwards and your shoulders back.
• The hips and knees should be fully extended, and your shoulders back (as opposed to rounded forward).

Downward Movement

• In the downward phase, release the tension in your muscles so that gravity alone allows the bar to descend to the floor.
• Rules in powerlifting competition require that you maintain a grip on the bar so as to control its descent.
• Do not attempt to lower the bar at an extremely slow rate, as the eccentric stress is taxing and causes undue micro trauma and vertebral stress.
• The lift ends when the bar is motionless on the floor in front of you.

Points to Remember

• Your back should be flat throughout the movement.
• At no portion of the lift should your back or shoulders be rounded o keep the bar as close to the shins as possible during the initial pull, and as close to your thighs as possible after the bar passes your knees.
• Feet should always be flat on the floor, with your center of gravity over the back half of your feet.
• Exhale through the sticking point of the pull (some lifters find it advantageous to exhale forcefully as in screaming).
• Do not jerk the bar off the floor. The pull should be a smooth, max effort from the beginning.
• Pay attention to good form. If your technique begins to break down from the sheer weight on the bar, you predispose yourself to injury. Rounding of your back, knees buckling inward and initiating the pull with your back instead of legs and hips are examples of common technique errors that are potentially damaging.
• Because of the many muscles involved in the lift, you may require more rest between sets than normal.

   The deadlift itself has many variations. You can use barbells for lighter weights or use a limited range of motion if the situation calls for it. For instance, I recently had an ankle injury that limited my range of motion in that joint. Instead of doing reps from the floor, I only lowered the bar halfway. There are also specialized bars that some people find more comfortable such as the Combo Bar, "U" bar or Trap Bar.

   Keystone deadlifts are a great exercise that can help you increase your deadlift totals. They are done in a power rack and the weight is only lifted from your knees. There is an exaggerated pelvic tilt such that you go into mild hyper flexion of the lumbar spine. This forward pelvic tilt pre-stretches the hamstring and allowing you to overload them more effectively.

   Stiff-legged deadlifts, also called Romanian deadlifts, target your hamstrings and erector muscles (the muscles in your lower back). To perform this exercise, place your feet about 8 inches apart and place your hands on the barbell shoulder width apart. Keeping your legs and back straight, lower the bar to mid-shin level and bring the bar back up. Though your legs are straight, your knees should not be locked. The positioning of your body and movement plane of the bar is similar to a deadlift.

   As in all exercises, the deadlift is not for everyone. If you have lower lumbar injuries or any other joint injuries, it is important to get your doctor's or chiropractor's release before adding this lift to your regime.
   Because of the wide range of muscles the deadlift targets, some people use it as a warm-up lift before their workout. In whatever form you use, the deadlift should play an important role in your training program.