Most deadlifters know the frustration of pulling with all their strength, only to have the bar stubbornly stay on the floor.
If this sounds familiar, there is an exercise you should try.
By increasing range of motion, the deficit deadlift helps you generate explosive power off the ground, increasing your overall deadlift performance. Plus, it’s fantastic for adding bulk to your legs and back, reducing your risk of injury, and even improving athletic performance.
In this article, you’ll learn exactly how to do the deficit deadlift, understand why it’s so effective, discover the best alternatives, and more.
Key Takeaways:
- A deficit deadlift is a variation where you stand on an elevated surface to increase range of motion.
- The main benefits of the deadlift in a deficit are that it enhances regular deadlift strength, increases athletic performance, and can protect against hamstring and ACL injuries.
- Sumo deficit variations, Romanians, and stiff leg deadlifts are viable alternatives to the regular deficit deadlift if your flexibility allows them to be performed correctly.
- The deficit deadlift works your entire lower body and back.
What is a deficit deadlift?
Deficit deadlift is the opposite conventional deadlift where you stand on an elevated surface, such as a weight plate or platform, to increase range of motion.
This is how it looks.
You may also hear it called the “elevated deadlift” or “elevated deadlift,” but these terms refer to the same exercise.
How to do the deficit deadlift
To learn how to deficit deadlift, break the exercise into three parts: set up, pull up, and drop down.
1. Create
Before tackling the deficit deadlift, you need to determine the correct deadlift height. Finding the perfect deficit height for your proportions may take some experimentation.
As a general rule, a 2-inch deficit is a good place to start, although if you’re flexible or have long arms, a 3-inch deficit may be more suitable.
You can use any solid surface raised 2 to 3 inches off the floor to create a deficit. Although there are specific deficit platforms and blocks for this purpose, most weightlifters are satisfied with a deadlift or a strong step.
Assuming you’re using a weight plate, here’s what you need to do: place the weight plate on the floor, stand on it in a hip-width position, and point your toes slightly outward. Roll the loaded barbell onto your midfoot, placing it about an inch from your shins.
Bend over and grab the bar with your palms facing you, just outside your shins. Take a deep breath to fill your belly with air and tighten your abs as you are about to kick.
Push your hips up to flatten your back and wedge into a “semi-revolution” position. Pull your shoulder blades back and down and press your upper arms to your sides (imagine squeezing oranges under your armpits).
2. Drag
Squeeze the bar as hard as you can and pull it straight up.
Your hips and shoulders should rise at the same time. don’t shoot your hips up and then use your back like leverage to lift your shoulders.
As the bar passes through your knees, push your hips into the bar. At the top of the chest, push your chest up and your shoulders down, but don’t lean back, arch your lower back, or pull the weight.
3. Get off
Keeping your back flat and core tight, reverse the movement to return the bar to its original position on the floor.
Don’t try to lower the bar slowly or calmly. The entire descent should take about a second. Take a moment to get into the correct starting position, then begin your next rep.
Here’s what it should look like when you put it all together:
The benefits of a deadlift deficit
Enhanced Deadlift Performance
Pulling For most weightlifters, the bar off the floor is the most difficult part of weightlifting. Performing deficit deadlifts forces your muscles to work harder in this weak range of motion. improving your performance when you return to normal execution.
Reduced risk of injury
Muscle imbalance between quadriceps and hamstrings are the main reason lower body injuries, esp pigs and ACL. Deficiency deadlifts strengthen the hamstrings, which many people overlook. This potentially helps correct power imbalances reducing your risk of injury.
Improved athletic performance
The deficit deadlift works many major muscle groups throughout the body, especially the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and back. Strengthening these muscles enables them to generate more force, which is stimulating your ability to perform athletic movements such as sprints and jumps.
Best Deficit Deadlift Variations
1. Sumo Deficiency Deadlift
The sumo deadlift works the same muscles as the regular deadlift, but emphasizes the quads more and lower back less. It’s a great alternative if the standard version is bothering you with a pre-existing back problem. Just remember that it requires more hip mobility, so it may not be ideal if you have limited flexibility.
CONNECTED. The Ultimate Guide to the Sumo Deadlift
2. Deficit Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deficit stretches your muscles more than the regular version, which research demonstrations can contribute to growth. That said, it also requires significantly more flexibility, so it may not be suitable for everyone.
CONNECTED. How to do the Romanian deadlift? form, advantages and variations
3. Deficit Stiff-Leg Deadlift
The stiff leg deficit is almost the same as the Romanian deficit, except you keep your legs straighter and lower the bar to the floor at the end of each rep. Both exercises are effective train your glutes, hamstrings and lower back, but the stiff leg option is harder to learn and can be uncomfortable. That’s why I usually prefer and recommend the Romanian deficit.
CONNECTED. How to do stiff leg deadlifts? shape, muscle and more
FAQ #1. Are deficit deadlifts harder?
Yes, deficit deadlifts are harder than regular deadlifts because they have a greater range of motion. They also force your muscles to work harder at the bottom of each rep, which is usually the part of the movement where you’re weakest.
FAQ #2. Are deficit deadlifts any good?
Yes, deficit deadlifts are great for building muscle back chain (muscles in the back of your body) and improving your deadlift strength. They also help correct weak points that can lead to injury and increase athletic performance.
FAQ #3: What does the deficit deadlift do?
The main muscles that work through deadlifts are:
- Latissimus dorsi (lat)
- Trapezius (traps)
- Rhomoids
- Spinal erectors (lower back)
- Glutens
- Hamstring
- Four-headed (four-headed)
- Basic:
Here’s how these upper body muscles (besides the core):
And this is what the muscles of the lower body look like.
CONNECTED. What muscles do deadlifts work? Answer: According to Science
Scientific references +:
- K. Beckham, George, et al. “Isometric Strength of Powerlifters in Basic Deadlift Positions”. Journal of Trinology, vol. 1, no. 2, 2012, pp. 32–35, https://doi.org/10.17338/trainology.1.2_32. Accessed on April 18, 2019.
- Kompf, Justin, and Ognjen Aranjelovic. “Understanding and Overcoming the Resistance Exercise Sticking Point.” Sports medicine, Vol. 46, No. 6, 12 January 2016, pp. 751–762, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0460-2. Accessed on December 6, 2019.
- Holcomb, William R. and others. “Effects of Stressed Resistance Training on Hamstring Hamstrings.” on quadriceps strength ratios”. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 21, No. 1, 2007, p. 41, https://doi.org/10.1519/r-18795.1.
- Begal, Rebecca L. etc. “Coactivation of quadriceps and hamstrings during general therapeutic exercise.” Journal of Athletic Training, vol. 47, No. 4, July 2012, pp. 396–405, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396299/, https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-47.4.01.
- Seitz, Laurent B., et al. “Positive effects of lower body force transmission on sprint performance. A systematic review with meta-analysis”. Sports medicine, Vol. 44, No. 12, 25 July 2014, pp. 1693–1702.
- Thompson, Brennan J et al. “Barbell Deadlift Training Increases Torque Rate and Vertical Jump Performance in Novices.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 29, No. 1, 2015, pp. 1–10, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25226322, https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000691.
- Boone, Tommy, et al. Journal of Exercise Physiologyonline Editor-in-Chief JEP Lower Body Muscle Electronic Electromyographic Activity During the Deadlift and Still-Legged Deadlift. Vol. 16, No. 3, 2013, www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineJUNE2013_Miranda.pdf.
