The deadlift is without question,
one of THE very best exercises you can do. There are a ton
of different variations of the deadlift a person can do.
I've got a good one for you to try out!
This version of the deadlift
turns everything 90 degrees. Literally!
Note that you should be comfortable
with the standard deadlift before trying this one. And definitely
start LIGHT when you try it for the first time. You're going
to be doing a deadlift in an awkward position and we don't
want any injuries.
But the nice thing is, BECAUSE
you're doing the deadlift in a strange position like this,
it's going to really build up your core to deal with exerting
tension in awkward positions such as this. GREAT for injury
prevention!
Instead of lining up with
the bar in front of your legs, you will instead straddle
the bar (one leg on either side of it). Because of this
change in your position, your grip on the bar will be a
bit different...you'll be gripping one hand in front of
you and one hand behind you.
Note: You may also know
this exercise as the Jefferson Lift. Bob Hoffman made them
quite popular in his Health and Fitness magazine a number
of years ago (thanks to Danny O'Dell for passing that info
along to me!)
Here's what it looks like
- standing on either side of the bar and gripping in front.
In this case, my left is gripping the bar with a palms-forward
grip.
You'll notice (when you watch
the video especially) how the bar is at an angle and not
completely perpendicular to my foot placement. This happens
naturally because of your body position during the lift.
You can start with the bar perpendicular and it'll naturally
rotate.
I'll be gripping the OTHER
hand with a palms-backward grip (like the mixed grip on
a regular deadlift). When you grip the bar, you'll be able
to feel how it's more natural this way. Grip just outside
the smooth center section of the bar.
So squat down and grab the
bar behind you with the reverse grip.
Keep your lower back tight
and arched and squat down low. Keep your core TIGHT! Start
deadlifting the bar up from there.
Come all the way up until
you're fully standing. It looks uncomfortable but as long
as you don't stand up too fast, you'll be just fine :)
Once you've done your reps
on one side, angle the bar the other and change which hand
is at the front. In this case, I'm switching to gripping
with my right hand at the front.
That's the view from the other
direction! I'm going to also include a bunch more views
in the section below so you get the best idea of how the
exercise is done. It is a VERY different position to be
doing the deadlift in and we want to be sure you don't get
any injuries.
