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.
