Starting Strength

the production of force from a dead stop, thus the name. Deadlifts differ from squats in more than just depth at the bottom: the deadlift starts with a concentric contraction and ends with an eccentric contraction. The squat begins eccentrically, as the bar is lowered from lockout, and then returns to lockout with the concentric contraction, as in the bench press. To review, an eccentric contraction occurs when the muscle lengthens under tension, and a concentric contraction occurs when the muscle shortens during tension. (Muscles don’t “flex”; they contract. Joints flex and extend.) Sometimes referred to as the “negative,” the eccentric phase usually lowers a weight, whereas the concentric phase raises it. The stretch reflex occurs at the transition between lowering and raising, and many studies have shown that a muscle contracts harder concentrically when this contraction is preceded by a stretch, which is the very thing provided by an eccentric contraction. Demonstrate this to yourself by trying to do a vertical jump without dipping down to start the jump. Or try applying this principle to barbell curls by starting them from the top instead of from the bottom. The down phase, if used skillfully, makes the up phase much easier. But a deadlift is not preceded by any loaded stretch reflex, no matter how much drama and hip movement the lifter engages in before the pull. Much of the effect provided by the eccentric/concentric transition comes from the viscoelastic energy stored in the muscles and tendons that are elongating under a loaded trip to the bottom of the range of motion; if there is no loaded trip, there is no energy to store. The deadlift starts at the mechanically hardest part of the movement and requires the lifter to generate the entire explosion necessary to break the bar off of the floor and get it moving up, without any help from a negative or anything else.
    Grip strength is crucial to the deadlift, and the deadlift works grip strength better than any other major exercise. It is the limiting factor for many lifters with smaller hands or short fingers, or for lifters who rely too much on their straps when training. The lift is famous for its alternate grip to the extent that many people use it just because they are deadlifting and they think that’s just what you do when you deadlift. Using the double-overhand grip as much as possible makes for stronger hands, though, and keeps the stress on the shoulders symmetrical. The alternate grip prevents the bar from rolling in the hands, since it is always rolling up into one hand as much as it’s rolling down out of the other. In contrast, the straight double-overhand grip makes you squeeze the bar. So if all the warm-ups possible are done with a double-overhand grip, and the alternate grip is reserved for the really heavy sets, grip strength develops quickly. Novices are often able to pull their heaviest sets with a double-overhand grip because their hands can be stronger than their backs. More advanced lifters find that they need to flip a hand over to an alternate grip when the weight gets very heavy. (Most lifters prefer the non-dexterous hand for the supine, or underhand, side of the alternate grip.)

    Figure 4-4. The alternate grip. Most people prefer to supinate the non-dexterous hand.

    For those not intending to deadlift at a meet, straps may be a logical choice for the heavy sets, since using one supine hand and one prone hand produces asymmetrical stress on the shoulders, can cause or aggravate biceps tendon problems on the supine side in some people, and has a tendency to push the bar forward of the mid-foot on the supine side due to bicep tension. Your decision to strap the heavy sets will be based on personal preference, flexibility, and training goals. If you do your warm-ups without straps and go as heavy as you can that way, your grip will still get most of the benefit of the exercise, but without the supine-side shoulder problems that sometimes accompany the alternate grip.

    Figure 4-5. When properly used as training aids, straps can remove grip strength as a limitation. Used inappropriately, they can prevent the development of improved grip strength.

    Anybody who has trained the deadlift for a few months has had the experience of pulling on a weight that seemed too heavy even to break off the ground when tried with a double-overhand grip, only to find that it goes up surprisingly easily when the grip is alternated. The back