The Stiff-Legged Deadlift is an
exercise I'm sure you'll recognize.
If you don't recognize it, then
this is not really a good exercise for you to try because it's
going to thoroughly overload the top range of motion of it with
VERY heavy weight!
This is a really powerful technique
- it's your basic top-range partial movement but done using the
top range of the Stiff-Legged Deadlift (if you read the title,
you may have figured this out already...)
Set up in the rack with just a regular,
empty bar at first. You'll need to determine the height at which
to set the rails before you start.
You basically want to hit the top
6 to 10 inchest of the movement where you're slightly bent at
the waist, coming up to fully vertical. Setting the rails so the
bar is a few inches above the knee is perfect.
Once you get the bar height set,
load a bit of weight on there. Use less than you'd normally do
for SLDL's off the floor. Practice a few reps to see how it feels.
You want to keep your lower back
arched and tight, along with your core. The movement should come
from the hamstrings, lower back and hips - no quads. This isn't
a partial regular deadlift - it's an SLDL. The video shows this
quite well.
Here's the side view...
On EVERY rep, set the bar back down
on the rails and reset your back. This is critical once you start
using maximal weights (like below where I'm using 5 plates on
either side of the bar - 495 lbs).
You've got to reset the support
structures and spinal column and take a breath to prepare for
the next rep.
Because this such a huge load, hold
your breath until you're vertical. This is for spinal stability.
It's a short movement so holding your breath won't make you pass
out or anything but you'll need it so your core is solid for spinal
support.
As you can see, you can progress
to some pretty heavy weights with this one. At the time I did
this, my max off the floor was 415 lbs for the SLDL. This is 80
lbs heavier than that.
Remember to keep that bar close
to your thighs all the way up.
