Q&A on Deadlifts

deadlift-GOOD

Q. At the start position of a deadlift should your elbows be locked?

A. Yes. A good cue is to think of your arms like ropes and your hands like hooks. The arms should stay locked and straight during the entire exercise. There is no point during the deadlift where the elbows will need to bend.

Q. What point should you explode?

A. In essence, the deadlift is considered a grind lift – which means slow, but this applies to weights near your 1 RM (repetition maximum). As you warm up to say a heavy set of 5, the lighter sets will move faster off the floor than the latter heavier sets – makes sense because the weight is lighter. You can still cue yourself to explode off the floor, but because of the heaviness of the weight, it will just move slow – but your intent is to move it fast off the floor. There is a Dynamic Effort method of doing deadlifts called Speed Deadlifts. Speed Deadlifts train the explosiveness off the floor. The weight used for speed deadlifts is approximately 60% of your 1RM.

Q. Do you recommend resetting or touch and go deadlifts?

A. It depends on the load. I recommend touch and go deadlifts (with FULL control) when the weight is light, but as it gets heavier, I recommend pause and go – this allows you to reset your position so you can be in the most optimal position to pick up the bar (safety is also increased). You will still get full benefit from the deadlift during the pause and go method.

Q. Floor or rack? And why?

A. Rack pulls or partial deadlifts shorten the range of motion. This will be helpful for people who have a difficult time finding the range of motion getting in the correct deadlift position when the bar is on the floor.

Rack pulls are great for beginners trying to learn the deadlift for the first time because there is less chance for performing it incorrectly. The hip hinge is the primary movement that happens in a deadlift. The rack pull will strengthen this movement in beginners and it will also strengthen it in advanced lifters. Advanced lifters can use the rack pull to improve their deadlift off the floor, when performed during different phases of their training. Because the range of motion is less, more weight can be added to the bar. If straps are not used, grip strength will also be strengthened.

I hope that clears things up.

-JK

Nizar Ladha

Personal Strength Training by Thomas King

I am the oldest client at JKC at 79 years, soon to be 80. I started training at JKC July 2021. I started at JKC because two of my three sons Justin and Michael and their partners Andrea and Keir and one of my doctors recommended JKC. They all train at JKC Now my wife Linda trains at JKC too. My third son Jonathan lives in Kingston. There is a congenial community atmosphere at JKC. People are introduced to each other. There is effective personal training at JKC.

Keir McIsaac

I recently turned 40, and I have been training at JKC since the summer of 2020. My partner Michael had already been training at JKC, so it came highly recommended. We had set up a home gym at the start of the pandemic, but needed to mix it up after the first lockdown. JKC differs from other gyms because of the personalized workouts. Jon, Thomas and Craig are great at challenging me to do more than I would on my own.

Chris Spurvey

Nutritional Coaching by Julia Howard

I heard somewhere that achieving your health goals is determined largely by what you do in the kitchen. I am grateful to have found Julia who brought direction and accountability to this most important piece for me. Having Julia in my corner has brought me confidence and certainty that I am on my way to achieving my goals. I highly recommend her if you are serious about making a change and feeling better about your health.

Lloyd Hussey

Personal Strength Training by Jon-Erik Kawamoto

I started at JKC in January of 2014 and I’m 67 years old. When I had my Initial Assessment, I knew – almost immediately – that Jon knew what he was doing and what he was talking about. I was overweight, out of shape, and in serious need of someone, like Jon, who could get me back on a fitness/conditioning routine that suited me, my age, my less than acceptable physical condition, my sometimes intermittent RA, and my need for a structured, consistent and yet flexible training and conditioning program that would work for me.

Fundamentally, if I made a choice at all with respect to JKC – it was to continue to come back each week. I have not been in a lot of gyms. To be honest, they used to intimidate me. What makes JKC different is their approach to each and every one of their clients. Jon and Thomas – and now Craig – tailor each training regime to the particular needs of each client. That ensures that the training regime will suit each client upon the start of training and changes as the client improves. It adjusts for any physical setbacks such as injuries and it adjusts for success. It is just that simple.

It is also the consistent encouragement that comes from Jon, Thomas and Craig. That voice that comes to you while you are in the middle of a particularly difficult set – rear-foot elevated split squats comes to mind immediately – that says “good job” or “keep it up” or “just a couple more reps.” To know, in that moment, that you are not alone and the trainer is paying attention to what you are doing. That is priceless for me.

Jodi Dodge

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