Tip Do THIS Before Deadlifting Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Do THIS Before Deadlifting If you prime your CNS before a big pull you' ll lift heavier and feel awesome Here' s how to do it by Dr John Rusin April 13, 2017April 14, 2022 Tags Deadlift, Powerlifting & Strength, Tips, Training Explosive exercises and plyometrics can unlock your strength potential in the big lifts because they "prime" the central nervous system. Here's a primer to do before deadlifting. Twitchy Jumping Jack Medball Slam Horizontal Jump A1. Twitchy jumping jack, 3-5 reps A2. Explosive overhead medball slam, 3-5 reps A3. Depth broad jump from box, 1 rep Do 2-3 total supersets with 30-45 seconds rest between bouts. Because the deadlift is a relatively "slow" movement to the naked eye, it's easy to forget that this lift needs to be explosive if you want to get stronger. But since the deadlift is notorious for being a backbreaker, people gravitate towards doing passive prehab work on their spine, hips, and shoulders to prepare for pulling, which is exactly what NOT to do when trying to train explosively with maximal torso stiffness. Instead, match the deadlift with a neural primer that helps create maximal stiffness at the core while generating an immense amount of force output and fiber activation. How to Do It The first movement in the giant set is the old school jumping jack that's performed with twitchy explosiveness in and out of a lat stretch in the overhead position. Why the jumping jack for deadlifts? Easy. The lats are some of the broadest muscles in the body with huge splaying attachment points throughout the back of the rib cage, lower back, and pelvis. You need them for deadlifting. By tapping into their activation you can help achieve better stiffness in the shoulders and torso during pulls. Stick with 3-5 fast reps, coordinating the feet with the arms up overhead. The deadlift is based on a hip extension movement pattern, so you'll also need to train it with CNS primer movements. The overhead slam is the perfect way to train triple extension (hips, knees, and ankles extending) in a coordinated fashion. The slam also requires you to be explosive in the overhead position, which places an emphasis on both the lats and torso. Focus on fully extending the ball up overhead with the entire body and coming into a powerful flexion to slam the ball as hard as you can into the ground for 3-5 reps with maximal velocity. The final step is to do a depth broad jump. This is a hip-dominant jump which complements the deadlift (a hip hinge dominant pattern). By starting your jump on a low box about 2-5 inches off the ground, you can create kinetic energy and accentuate the stretch reflex of the lower body to trigger a strong neural response. This depth drop will fool the body into being more explosive than it is naturally. You'll only need a single jump at the end of each of superset, so keep quality and effort high. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip The Easiest Hip Flexor Stretch Sit on your butt a lot? Have low back issues? You need this simple stretch. Mobility, Tips, Training Tessa Gurley September 17 Workouts How to Build 50 Pounds of Muscle in 12 Months DC training works. Never heard of it? Here’s what it is and how to do it. Bodybuilding, Training Nate Green May 4 Training Tip Vertical Pallof Press Think of this exercise as a kind of standing ab rollout. Great for overall core strength. Abs, Exercise Coaching, Tips Nick Tumminello December 26 Training Tip This Type of Workout Music is Best Music can power your workout to new heights, but the wrong kind can trash your nervous system. Bodybuilding, Motivation, Powerlifting & Strength, Tips, Training John Paul Catanzaro January 30