deadlift question

[terence]

Alright I've been doing deadlifts with smaller weight plates just so I can go deeper but I always never touch the ground with the plates and I found this to somehow work my lower back more.

Today I've restarted DC again after my exams and I started doing deadlifts another way.I basically use larger plates and each rep I touch the floor with the plates.This made it harder but this morning I woke up with a gigantic sore on my upper back (mainly because it's my first DC training after a month layoff).

Do you guys usually touch the floor with your plates or not? I found that I can lift a lot more if I don't touch the ground...I mean duh...but does it really help much?I remember vaguely though that Ronnie touches the ground with the plates.

[USMuscle9403]

Some people like going through a continuous motion with deads, where they may not even touch the ground or they may just touch and go. I prefer to let the weights touch, pause just a second and then go for another rep and so on. That's just me, though.

[terence]

But my idea is that if you allow the plates to touch the floor,it makes the deadlift so much harder because it's like doing the first rep over and over again.The first rep is always the hardest one.If I do not let it touch the ground like in the past,then I can lift a lot more.So I'm at a dilemma.I think I'm guilty of overanalysing though.

[Shawn "Future" Bellon]

I am experienced enough that I cant stop an inch shy of the floor. It's tough to stop and reset doing deads and my own theory is I dont think its good for your back. I would just do the reps all the way through while stopping shy of the floor.

[terence]

Future I was just thinking the same thing...that since I do my reps in front of a mirror I could just stop maybe like an inch or less of the floor and go back up...maybe even lightly brushing the floor a bit but not resting the plate on the floor.Thanks a lot Future and Allen.

[LostProphet]

Like this for me

http://www.bsu.edu/webapps/strengthlab/images/convdead.mpg

[terence]

LP.that's a sweet video but what's up with those shoes? LOL Oh by the way you have a sweet gym but it looks real empty,the way I like it.

Anyway that was what i was talking about doing the 1st rep over and over again.It is definitely much harder than doing it straight through and the weights a lot lesser too.Have you tried doing it all the way through?

[Shawn "Future" Bellon]

I dont think that was him. It was a link to Ball State University.

[Egill]

Do you guys usually touch the floor with your plates or not? I found that I can lift a lot more if I don't touch the ground...I mean duh...but does it really help much?I remember vaguely though that Ronnie touches the ground with the plates.

I alway's reset after each rep,..... I couldn't imagine just touching and going up again, it doesn't feel as natural for me and much more dangerous. I also think that the movement often changes to much into a stiff leg deadlift when you don't reset. Reseting takes any momentum from the lift which in my opinion is much safer,... hence, you say it's harder, don't you think that it would be safer then because you can't handle quite as much weight.

[USMuscle9403]

Egill I feel the same way, but then again that's just me. I may try lightening the load and trying that for a while though, see how it feels. I mean Future IS an experienced powerlifter and all...I'm sure he's not just talking out his ass.

[terence]

So is the guy in the link that LostProphet gave doing a good version of the deadlift?

What I did yesterday was that it's almost like a reset after each rep.Basically I just lift it off the ground,go up,come down.Rest the bar on the floor for about 1/8 of a second,then go back up.It also could be harder because after all its my first deadlift after a month layoff and a lower back sprain.I'll see how it goes.

Another thing,I really really LOVE doing deadlifts.Mainly because it's my strongest exercise but how often can I do them and keep progressing? I don't know if my lower back sprain about 2 months ago was due to me doing them too often but what I did was a little crazy during that time.Basically the 3 back thickness exercises were all deadlifts.Not rack,all the regular full deep deadlift.I found that I really love the exercise and I was progressing like 5-10 lbs every workout so I was obsessed with it.This time round,I'm thinking of either rotating it just once every 2 week cycle or maybe once a week,meaning my 1st and 3rd exercise would be deadlifts,or simply doing what I had wrote down.Deadlifts,Rack deadlifts and Rows.I really hope DC or IH can chime in here.

[USMuscle9403]

I've tried it before, was too taxing on my CNS and that seems to be the general consensus on that from what I've heard. But I really hope like you said that some more experienced guys can chime in...

[terence]

tried what before?

[Lifter]

I've done them both ways--continuous and paused--and I found paused is by far the harder of the two and IMO the most productive. As you re-set yourself between reps you can use more weight for more reps, which has to lead to better overall gains based on the logic of it all. Once I adopted a pause style I was able to exceed 400# in a short time.

[ntrllftr]

My 2 cents, I Usually do dumbell straight leg deads after I Kill them
from leg presses, squats, leg extensions and leg curls. I like to NOT touch the floor
since it keeps a constant tension on the legs at all times through the set.