Starting Strength

much of the value of doing them is lost.
    The energy expended in resetting the spine into extension and holding it there through the first part of the pull is a major part of the energy expended during the deadlift. It has been suggested that if the bar is traveling through the complete ROM of the deadlift, then all of the work of the deadlift is being done since the work is being done on the barbell. The work – defined as force times distance – done against gravity consists of the vertical distance the bar moves. But the total energy expended in a deadlift cannot be expressed by merely calculating the work done on the barbell. The deadlift occurs within the lifter/barbell system, and force must be produced isometrically to control the positions of the skeletal components that transfer the force to the bar. The isometric effort of keeping the vertebral column rigid for efficient force transfer is obviously significant; you can miss a heavy deadlift if your low back gets round and your hips extend before the bar is high enough up your thighs, thus sabotaging your ability to transfer force to the bar for the top of the pull. It may be harder to calculate than the simpler force-times-vertical-distance equation used for the work done on the bar itself, but no one – or at least no one capable of a truly heavy deadlift – would argue that the ATP expended in isometric control of the back is an insignificant contribution to the movement. A set of “deadlifts” in which the first rep is pulled from a dead stop and the last reps are bounced is, in reality, one deadlift and a set of RDLs ( about which more, later ). Training this way, you will never develop the strength needed to hold the lumbar position for heavy weights, because for 80% of your set you are relying on plate rebound and the elastic energy stored in the elongating muscles and fascia, instead of on dead-stop pulling strength. So don’t trade the ability to develop long-term strength for the immediate gratification provided by cheating your deadlifts.

    Figure 4-42. The work of the deadlift is understood to include the force necessary to maintain the correct intervertebral relationships in lumbar extension, so that the pulling force all gets to the bar. If you substitute plate-to-platform rebound for the work you should be doing with your back, you are a pussy.

    Another problem with bouncing your reps is that any back position problems that develop during the set cannot be addressed as effectively. If your back begins to round during the set, it tends to stay round or get worse unless you reset it, which you must do at the bottom, when the bar is sitting on the floor and your back can move into the correct position unloaded.
    There are a couple of ways you can think about setting the back before starting the pull. Positional awareness has already been discussed, and for some people it is sufficient to think about arching the lower back. This is, after all, most of what setting the back is about. But really and truly, you set the entire torso before you pull, and you may find it helpful to think about it in this way – squeezing your low back and abs and chest all at the same time on a big breath, not as separate muscle groups but taken as a whole unit. This approach increases the effectiveness of the Valsalva and causes all the muscles participating in it to contract harder and provide more stability.
     
    Looking in the right direction
     
    Eyeball position is also often overlooked when you assume the starting position. If you look straight down at the floor when you pull, the bar will usually swing out away from your legs. It is easier to keep your chest up and your upper back tight if your eyes are focused on a point that places your neck in an anatomically neutral position; this point can be on the floor (if you’re in a big room) or on the wall facing the platform. If the floor is your gaze point, look about 12–15 feet in front of you. Looking up is not any better for the deadlift than it is for the squat, as we discussed at length in that chapter. Actually, looking straight down is not terribly detrimental to the squat, but it will make the deadlift harder most of the time. The functions of correct eye gaze direction are to keep the neck in a safe, useful position during the movement, to aid in placing the back at the correct angle for the mechanics of the lift, and to provide a visual reference for balance purposes. Looking up never works