Deadlift Like a Super Hero

Have you seen the movie The Avengers? If not you should check it out.

And you don't have to be a comic book geek and know the story line. Even if you haven't seen the Iron Man movies or Captain America you'll still enjoy this one. And while most girls usually don't care for these kinds of movies my wife liked it. Wonder if that had anything to do with the fact that every male in the show was ripped?

Anyways there was a scene during the movie that got me thinking about you.

Seriously.

And I wanted to make sure to let you know about this as soon as I could.

So what was it from The Avengers that made me think of you?

Well first of all you need to know a couple of the characters. The first one is Hulk. He's normally a likeable scientist named Dr. Bannister but when you make him mad he turns into a huge green monster that likes to smash things.

The other guy to tell you about is Thor. He has supernatural strength and is the only one who can wield his hammer. In fact no one else can even pick up his hammer, let alone use it as a weapon.

And this brings us to the battle scene between Thor and Hulk. Thor is using his hammer to beat on Hulk until he loses his grip on the hammer. Hulk goes to pick up the hammer but nothing happens.

Well that's not entirely true.

Hulk pulls so hard on the hammer that his feet break through the floor. But the hammer doesn't budge.

And that's exactly what you should be thinking of when you deadlift.

But let's back up and set the stage here so you understand exactly how to pull a deadlift like a super hero.

Step #1 - Stand tall and get your shins close to the bar There are 2 conditions for this step. It can't be stand tall or get your shins close to the bar. It's both.

Not sure what I mean?

Well next time you're in the gym place a bar on the floor and bend your knees slightly so that bar touches your shins.

Now stand up tall.

Did you see what happens?

When you stood up tall and straightened your knees a gap formed between your shins and the bar. This creates a longer lever for the lumbar spine.

Translation = more stress on the low back and you won't be as strong

Step #2 - Push your heels through the floor If you've seen The Avengers you'll know the scene where Hulk pulls so hard on the hammer that his feet start crushing the floor.

This is what you need to visualize when you pull the bar.

Except for one difference.

Instead of pushing the balls of your feet and toes through the floor you need to push your heels through the floor. Imagine the floor will crumble, as it does in the movie, when you do this.

Quick tip...you should feel a weight shift to your feels. This is normal and allows for the mechanical advantage needed to deadlift.

Step #3 - Get your chest as high as possible Picture Hulk as he changes from Dr. Bannisters into the monster.

What happens everytime?

His shirt rips apart because he grows so much.

You need to picture yourself in a similar way.

Imagine pushing your chest as big and as tall as possible. Don't confuse this with shrugging your shoulders towards your ears.

Instead, with straight elbows and hands strongly gripping the bar, try and get your chest as big and tall as possible.

Summary I know some of you won't be able to make it to The Avengers. But hopefully I've recreated the scene well enough to allow you to safely pull new records on the gym floor.

Just remember to get as close to the bar as you can, push your heels through the floor and get your chest as tall as possible. Once you have these three pieces in place you're on your way to super-hero like lifts.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          okanaganpeakperformance.com