Handbook For The Recently Deceased

The last article ended somewhat abruptly, due to the nature of my priorities, or perhaps the priorities of my nature. In either case, I regret nothing. Though I sought to make the tables as simple as possible, I'm sure I failed. The only thing more certain than the accuracy of my writing is its incomprehensibility. That being said, any ambiguities which may exist are explained in the notes below. I know it reads like stereo instructions, but give it a try, anyway. 

• "Wide" stance means as wide as can be maintained with hips below knees and neutral foot position. This is not very wide for most people.
• "Jump" stance is slightly inside the hips with quadriceps loaded. The same stance that would be taken with a hang clean. 
• Hip Angle is a measure of the position of the hip in relation to the knee, where 0 degrees is vertical alignment with hip above knee, and 180 degrees is vertical alignment with knee above hip.
• Leverage is an approximation of the lifter's mechanical advantage given their position in relation to the bar. A more advantageous lever requires less applied force to break inertia. 
• As mechanical advantage increases, a successful lift is increasingly determined by [external] force distribution.
• As mechanical advantage decreases, a successful lift is increasingly determined by [intramuscular] force generation. 
• Rep range is my suggestion based on the applicability of each exercise towards certain ends.
• A properly executed Sumo Deadlift requires torque from lateral rotation and abduction, which means stance must be reset after every rep. 
• Intensity is expressed as a percentage of Conventional 1RM. You can't lift 105% of your 1RM, and you shouldn't attempt a 1RM with a Stiff-Legged Deadlift. 

• The Primary Joint Actions are the mechanical processes by which the majority of work is done.
• The Secondary Joint Actions are the mechanical processes by which a comparatively smaller, but uniquely relevant amount of work is done.
• Initiation reflects the muscle group which exerts the greatest amount of force on the bar from the starting position. 
• Sticking Point is, for various reasons, the most likely place where the war against gravity will be lost.
• Limiting Variable is the most common impediment to proper execution. 

The Physics of Necromancy

There's a bar on the ground loaded with 225. It's collared and chalked and there's no one nearby. You want to ignore it. You hope that someone will appear to lift it, but it doesn't happen. You are relieved to see a gym employee walking the floor, as they will surely dismantle equipment not in use. You watch in horror as they calmly walk by it, completely oblivious to the siren's call. You can't resist the urge any longer. You know that the only way to get relief is to pick it up and put it back exactly where you found it. But how? How does one properly manipulate weighted belles against gravity to accomplish this "dead-lift"?

Training to Strengths

There is no universal formula to gauge perfect leverage on a Deadlift. If such a thing could exist, I would have invented it by now. We vary both in absolute and proportional dimensions; that is, even if two people had the same height, weight, mobility, and training experience, their ideal starting positions may be entirely different. One person may have excessively long arms and legs, and narrow shoulders. Another may have a long torso, short arms, and broad shoulders. Finding the position of greatest mechanical advantage is a perpetual game of trial and error.

In a perfect world, that would be the end of my article.

Finding this elusive angle should be done under the guidance of a professional, as we very often confuse what feels right for what is actually right. Deadlifts are uncomfortable, particularly those variants which require a prolonged state of tetanus for the proper distribution of forces. Most people you will meet have anterior tilt to some degree, usually severe. There are muscle imbalances which may be pronounced in athletes training in anterior dominant (boxing) or posterior dominant (sprinting) sports. Finding an ideal position should not be a product of deficiencies. No one has an ideal angle of 20 degrees; they simply lack the ability to hinge. With proper mobility and flexibility, we can employ all (or none, do what you like) styles of Deadlift in our training.  

Addressing Weaknesses

Other than those who learned from Segugio, I've never seen a Sumo Deadlift executed correctly. Poor hip mobility is a fact of life for most people, and seems "normal", but in fact it's a debilitating problem which is denying an already depressed population the sublime pleasures of hinging and thrusting. The Deadlift consists of five sequential preparatory cues followed by one execution cue:

1. Placement of feet as close to bar as possible without interfering with the line of pull against gravity.
2. Placement of hands in a mechanically advantageous position.
3. Retract and depress scapula by locking the lats (creates initial pull)
4. Extend the elbow by locking the triceps (prevents interference in line of pull by smaller muscles)

Your knees should still be fully extended! Start over!

5. Drop the hips while keeping your upper body entirely rigid, creating a lever and ensuring that the downward force of your body exerts upward force on the bar.

If it's not extremely uncomfortable, you're wrong! Start over!

6. Drive through the heels, extending the knees, hips, and trunk simultaneously.

*My skilled hands are busy. I'll get back to this article later. Maybe. Tables below.