World Record Holder and US Open Champion Ben Pollack discusses some of his keys to deadlift training. Get stronger and build more muscle with the JuggernautAI App, try it 2 weeks FREE at www.juggernaut...
This is actually one of the most helpful talks about the deadlift for anyone to watch. Some of the more popular RU-vid personalities seem to be jumping on the bandwagon and relaying the same generic information. Ben Pollack is also has a great tone to his delivery. He is just talking about what works for him. It is almost wrong that he is giving out some of the information that has made him a record holder. I am really glad he incorporates both the sumo and conventional, and also explains his reasoning for using both. Great video.
Loved his comments about patience off the floor. I've always had that mentality about deadlifting, but everyone, EVERYWHERE, says "speed off the floor, speed off the floor, most important, blah blah".
Agreed! And the Max Aita video on squats is equally as good. His questions of leaning forward TOTALLY works and I've never seen or heard to do that on any other video I've seen.
I actually tried this lat activation today and it was a major help. I felt zero tension in my lower back on my traditional deadlift. Great information.
Watch arm wrestlers such as Devon Larat if you want to improve grip strength. Not sure if it’s very specific, but I would assume those forearm workouts would help with grip in the deadlift.
First off, this video is amazing. Thank you! 2nd: Hard to think that as an total amateur I could offer any advice, but if you need grip; axle bars or inverse movements with heavy kettlebells a la Pavel's hard style lock system (Strongfirst). Those have helped me immensely with my grip. Just my humble .02!
Chad, great video as always. Thanks for that. I'm in the process of incorporating sumo into my repertoire as well. In the video, Ben seems to start with his feet farther away from the bar than what I've seen by others teaching the sumo. Is this the effect of camera angle? If not, can you shed some insight on how far one should start from the bar when performing a sumo dl?
Trap bar deadlifts are really good for training the grip because you can overload it a little bit more and just hold at the top like you were talking about. Heavy rack pulls would work for the same reason Also farmers carry works great, I like to start short and heavy and then do a lighter longer carry
Thank you! Very helpful. That hand strength issue is a biggie. For me, working forearms and fingers is vital, too. Weaknesses in all three areas can hold me back.
Great information and instructions. Not trying to be rude or picky but Ben might think about recording hisself a few times before getting on camera. He says uhm so much that it starts distracting from the lesson. But other than that, freaking awesome
Okay I have some advice for the lifter here.. buy a 23 kg stiff bar with more thickness than what you're currently using. Don't use straps or hook grip when training, it will definitely improve your grip strength..
My left hand keeps giving out. Even when I do the different grip. Not sure how to improve it. I've been doing farmers walks etc. As soon as I get about 375. I usually do 3-8 reps. And my hand just won't make it. Any advice?
Seriously, this guy is the most polite sounding Wolverine I've ever seen. Dead Lifts were one of Huge Jackman's favorite lifts while he trained for wolverine the whole 14 years he played the character. Well said bub. I subscribed because of this video.
It's kinda interesting how different weightlifters and powerlifters look. Powerlifters have much more muscle mass in their upper bodies, whereas weightlifters typically don't look all that impressive...save for a few exceptions. Both are very good at deadlifts and squats, as both movements are a part of the Olympic lifts (snatch and clean & jerk). So... I suppose it comes down to the bench press (and the assistance exercises) and the fact that powerlifters use WAY more steroids.
even if his proportions due to muscular development may distort how I estimate the length of his limbs i think he has beastly long arms compared to his leg length; my back angle is nowhere near his back angle when gripping the bar for a deadlift
