Is your goal to increase the power of your deadlift? If so, you may find that improving your technique and following a few simple steps can help you achieve this goal.
But how can you improve deadlift strength? What exercises can help when aiming to increase your deadlift weight?
In this guide – and in our Youtube video – we’ll walk you through the key accessory work you need to do to keep progressing in your deadlift, including 4 key exercises to help improve deadlift strength.
Key Factors That Impact Deadlift Strength
As it’s one of the big 5 lifts, improving your deadlift strength is often a common goal amongst lifters. There are several factors that impact your deadlift strength. As you work to improve your deadlift, you must take all of these factors into account:
Mobility & Stability
The primary muscle groups used during the deadlift are the quads, glutes, hamstrings, lats, and lower back. However, other muscle groups play a role in your mobility and stability during the exercise.
This means that if you have tightness or poor range of motion in any muscle group, it can limit your ability to perform the deadlift with proper form and prevent you from achieving your full strength potential and boosting your muscle mass.
To improve your mobility, focus on stretches and foam rolling, as well as accessory exercises that target problem areas and other muscle groups that may be tight. To improve your stability, focus on core-strengthening exercises.
Deadlift Technique
Your deadlift technique plays a major role in your strength potential. If you are not performing the exercise with proper form, you will not be able to lift as much weight as you are capable of.
Make sure you are using a neutral spine position, and that your shoulders are over the bar throughout the movement. You should also focus on driving through your heels and keeping your arms long.
Remember to keep the bar close to your body, and avoid rounding your lower back at the top of the movement. If you are not sure whether your form is correct, seek out a Powerlifting coach or personal trainer who can help you.
Grip Strength
From the bench press to the traditional deadlift, most weight exercises will require good grip strength. Your grip strength is also a key factor in your deadlift strength. If your deadlift grip fails, your lift won’t be successful.
There are two primary grip options for the deadlift: overhand and mixed. The overhand grip is when your palms are facing towards you, and the mixed grip is when one palm is facing towards you and the other is facing away. As the mixed grip can prevent the bar rolling in your hands, it can be stronger when compared with the double-overhand grip. However, one risk of the mixed grip deadlift is that it can cause muscular imbalances.
Either way, make sure you are adding in a bit of time to work on your grip strength. This can be done by performing exercises such as farmer’s walks, which are great for improving grip strength while also helping to build muscle strength for the deadlifts.
How Can I Improve My Deadlift Strength?
Now that we’ve discussed the key factors that impact deadlift strength, let’s take a look at how you can improve your strength.
- Focus on technique: As we mentioned, your technique plays a major role in your strength potential. Make sure you are using proper form and focus on driving through your heels and keeping your torso braced throughout the movement.
- Work with a personal trainer or coach: Working with a coach or personal trainer in a gym can help you with your technique and teach you the proper way to perform the deadlift. They can also design a training program that includes accessory work to help you improve your strength.
- Incorporate accessory work: Another way to improve your deadlift strength is by incorporating accessory work into your training program. Accessory exercises are exercises that target the muscles used in the deadlift but are not the deadlift itself.
4 Accessory Exercises To Improve Deadlift Strength
Below we will outline four key accessory exercises that can help you strengthen your deadlift, including:
- Dumbbell Bent-Over Rows
- Romanian Deadlifts
- Deficit Deadlifts
- Pallof Presses
Each of these movements targets a different aspect of the deadlift and together they will make your deadlift stronger. For a closer look, watch our video guide below, or keep reading for more top tips on each of the exercises.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mny9YGot3xs
- Dumbbell Bent Over Row
This exercise targets the lats and helps you keep the bar close to the body, maintaining the most efficient bar path. By incorporating this exercise into your workout, you can increase the strength in your lats, which will help you pull the weight off the floor and keep it close to your body.
How to do it:
- Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips and lower your torso until it is almost parallel to the floor.
- Keeping your back straight, row the dumbbells up towards your chest, maintaining a neutral spine position.
- Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat for 10-12 reps.
Our tip: Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top!
2. Romanian Deadlift
This deadlift variation targets the hamstrings and the lower back to strengthen the top half of the deadlift movement.
Sometimes people can fail deadlifts at the top because their hamstrings and lower back give way. This hamstring exercise will help you build strength in those key areas so that you can complete the full range of motion.
How to do it:
- Start by holding a barbell with an overhand grip at hip level.
- Push your hips back and lower the barbell down towards your knees.
- Once you reach the bottom of the movement, reverse the motion and drive your hips forward to return to the starting position. Repeat for 10-12 reps.
Our tip: Keep your back flat!
3. Deficit Deadlift
Another of the accessory deadlift variations, this exercise requires you to stand on a 1-2 inch platform when performing reps. This targets the lower back and trains the bottom half of the movement which can be a sticking point for many lifters.
This exercise will help you develop the strength to pull the weight off the floor and get into a good position to drive through the lift.
How to do it:
- Start by placing a 1-2 inch platform under your feet.
- Hinge at the hips and lower your torso until it is almost parallel to the floor.
- Keeping your back straight, lift the barbell up off the floor and drive through your heels to stand up tall.
- Lower the barbell back to the starting position and repeat for 10-12 reps.
Our tip: Lock your shoulder blades back to maintain upper body tension.
4. Pallof Press
The Pallof Press is an exercise that targets the core by resisting rotational force. This will help you to pull evenly and avoid the body twisting when the weight gets heavier.
By incorporating this exercise into your workout, you will increase your overall stability and core strength, which will help you to perform the classic deadlift with better form.
How to do it:
- Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart, holding your cable at chest height in the centre of your body.
- Extend your arms out from your chest, keeping the cable taut.
- Slowly pull the cable back towards you, maintaining the tension.
- Repeat for 10-12 reps.
Our tip: Keep the shoulders square and pointing forward.
Deadlift Strength FAQs
How many sets and reps should I do to improve my deadlift strength?
We recommend that you use these exercises as accessory exercises after your deadlift workout and aim for 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps to build muscle and strength. However, if you are a beginner, start with 1-2 sets of 10 reps at the same weight then gradually increase the workout intensity by adding more weight.
If your goal is to build strength, then you should focus on lifting heavy weights for low reps – around 1-5 reps per set. This will help you to increase your one rep max and build strength. Remember to warm up properly before training sessions and build optimal technique if you want to increase your deadlift max.
There is no set answer for how many sets and reps you should do to improve your deadlift strength. It depends on factors such as your current strength levels, training experience and goals. However, using the guidelines above will help you to structure your workouts in a way that is most effective for achieving your goals and performing reps correctly.
How can I build deadlift strength fast?
It’s important to remember that to really drive your strength it will take time, and form is more important than weight. If you want to build strength faster, you may also want to up your training volume or rep range and consider working with a personal trainer to tailor a workout schedule right for you.
To use your time slightly more efficiently, you can superset exercises 1 & 2 and exercises 3 & 4. This means you will alternate between exercises, with no rest in between.
For example, you would do 1 set of exercise 1, then 1 set of exercise 2, then after those exercises do 1 set of exercise 3, then 1 set of exercise 4. Rest for 2 minutes in between sets and repeat for your desired amount of reps.
Looking For a Lifting Coach To Help You Build Deadlift Strength?
I hope you found this helpful! If you are looking for a lifting coach in London to help you build strength and improve your deadlift and other lifts, we’re here to help!
At Strength Ambassadors, our London gym and experienced Powerlifting coaches can help you to reach your strength goals. We offer both personal training, group training and strength classes, so please get in touch to find out more.