|
How to double over hand thick bar Deadlift record-breaking numbers
By Steve ‘Mobster’ Gardener
Many of you will be familiar with the so-called Ironmind Apollon’s axle ®. It is little more than a heavy-duty tube with inner welded collars. In fact here’s the technical part of Ironmind’s own description:
Non-revolving, polished steel, our Axle weighs about 33 lb. (15 kg) and has a natural finish. Two-inch diameter bar between the inside collars, it takes Olympic plates and is the same length (7 ft.) as an official weightlifting or powerlifting bar.
As they say it became quite popular and thus a great variety of thick bars came onto the market. From plain 2” thick steel, no knurl, nothing to painted, knurled and even bars with revolving ends. It is used in one of two ways for record-breaking lifts. Either put overhead via the full gamut of methods or deadlifted from the floor. It’s this second method, which is our focus today.
Hollow or solid?
The Ironmind bar is a hollow affair and I am certain that pulling tubular bars is, all things considered, easier. 500lbs is still 500lbs but the weight distribution differs. The weaker handed brethren among us will have to fight bar rotation before making any heavy pulls when using a solid bar.
My effort
Recently, Saturday 31st July 2010, I was fortunate enough to break Janne Virtanen’s European record of 215-kilos at the 2009 Finnish Grip Championships with a 216.45-kilos / 477.18lbs effort. So, as they say, the bar has been raised. I have no doubt that it will go up some more as we have already seen over 500lbs pulled on an Ironmind bar at a gathering of Sorinex’s ‘family’. Chris James has a video online of his apparent 500lb effort but it was a gym lift and not an all-round 5-lift competition effort.
The lift described
Taken from David Horne’s site: Normal Deadlift rules apply, except the barbell is 2" thick, and both hands have to grasp the bar in an overhand grip (knuckles facing forward). Hook gripping is not permitted. Heels and toes may rise. The lift ends with the referee's signal, and then you must lower the weight under control.
‘Tricks’ in training
1. Flexing of the wrists. One of my tricks, such as it is, is a tilt of the wrist. I’ll add a photo as and when and I emphasize this ‘trick’ in all of m y warm up sets. Thus I effectively double up on the movement by not only saving my thumb to a degree from full strain but I also get some working of the wrist. When I get over a certain weight, currently 160-180-kilos, the wrist – no matter what – will straighten out and thus the thumb becomes worked hard.
2. Remove weak points. As I mention elsewhere my back is, relative to my hand strength, a weak point. Thus using the Sumo style of deadlifting enables me to be better able to work the hands hard and, as much as I can, take my weak point out. Of course one might also suggest working weak points hard enough to resolve those issues. So…
3. Identify issues. Be it a sumo thick bar double overhand Deadlift or whatever you need to identify where you are short, as it were, and where you are long/strong. My hands are definitely strong enough right now for a 227.5kg / 500lbs or better lift but the rest of me is not. Ergo I need the rest to be worked until it’s caught up.
4. Speed. As a late to the game fan of the monster deadlifter that is Andy Bolton (in my case these past few years) one only has to watch him and perhaps Benedikt Magnússon to see just how fast they pull these monster weight deadlifts. Quite simply, especially when warming up, the speed they pull 400+ kilos off of the floor is stunning. As per training advice of mine on benching and to a lesser degree with grippers, the faster you can move from the ground and drive the hips through the more power you’ll develop. Merely trying to move fast, even if those watching do not see the speed, will maximize use of as many muscle fibers in the groups being worked, this all equals….bigger lifts! It also has the effect of allowing (esp if you put the bar down quickly) the hands to be strained only briefly. Quick up and just as quick down. If in competition allow for a referee’s signal (‘lift when ready’ and ‘down’)
5. Frequency of training. I have found that some exercises can be worked hard and or more frequently than others. Those that can include grippers and, if other hand exercises are kept low, pinch. The bigger movements such as deadlifts, benching and leg work cannot compare. Over a 7-10 day training period many hand and grip exercises can be done 2x to every 1x the big core and compound exercises can. So thick bar deadlifts, with their emphasis on thumb strength could not be worked too close to the standard width 2 hand pinch. Funnily enough, if I had time, I could do a thick pinch workout as part of the same session and occasionally did if I wasn’t too fatigued.
6. Rep count. As per an e-book of mine (www.gripperbook.com ) I have found working to around 90-95% of my 1RM (1 rep max) and then hitting it with multiple singles (as many as 7) works well for me. Starting at a low of 3, but usually 4-5 singles I’d work to 6 or 7 singles with the maximum working weight for that session before calling it quits. If there was only 2-3 weeks before a heavy competition then I’d not be trying to increase weight loaded at that point. Instead I know that I can get a little more with the buzz of competition pushing me outside of my comfort zone. With this most recent effort I was pulling multiple singles with 200-kilos (funnily enough I was pulling 205 before the Might Mitts event). I then decided to test myself the last session before the European championships and pulled a single max of 210-kilos and bombed twice with a too, too heavy 220-kilos. So the decision to pull Janne’s lift plus a little more was relatively sensible as it turned out just a week later.
‘Tricks’ in competition.
Food and water. As elsewhere (my protein company forum has an article) I’ve written on all the things I do in competition and naturally I use these sparingly outside of the actual event. I noticed I probably drunk more fluid of any kind during the day than anyone else. Yet it was 30-degrees and very humid where we were lifting. I had three of the local Spanish supermarkets version of Red Bull type drinks. I snacked (a Spanish biscuit type product and some white chocolate) and so on. I didn’t see many of the other athletes copying my example. One who did one aspect was Stew Killick (the other English Team member) who I saw using an old trick of mine which was to snack on small boxes of raisins. Dehydration will weaken you as will a lack of glycogen/carbs. Big meals and large snacks will make you sluggish.
Music
While not always possible, I didn’t take any with me this time; previous outings have included a MP3 player of some sort and the music that gets the juices going preloaded. Thus one sets the mood and is ‘on fire’ or in the zone in the moments before stomping out to the platform ready to kick ass.
Isolation
By isolation I mean walking away and getting a moment in which to gather ones thoughts and set the scene. While the headphones of the MP3 player isolate you somewhat a literal standing in a corner or just outside the venue can do the same. It may only take a few seconds for some and a minute or three for others. It may even be as simple as closing your eyes but you need that moment.
Motivation
Ah, I had plenty to choose from last weekend. From lodgers doing a bunk owing me money, to issues with the hotel, via my desire to be champion (how much??) through to the god-awful wait I had to look forward to at Amsterdam (close to 11 hours). It was take your pick. So on each of the events I had something in which to work myself up with.
Stance: Sumo or conventional?
I personally favor the sumo stance due to various back issues and a lack of flexibility. If, and there are many, any one wishes to argue that conventional is harder or better I’d agree. Sumo shortens the distance pulled thus a conventional stance lengthens the same and thus greater kudos may be given. Of course this only applies if you lift more weight!!
All these factors were used, in one form or another, on that Saturday and Stew told me after that I held the 477lbs+, in his opinion, a moment longer than he would have liked as he was muttering ‘put it down, don’t drop it now’ so that I didn’t fail in my moment of glory. But I felt, for a few seconds at least, as though I had plenty of time and held it enough to allow it to etch a permanent memory into my brain. Ah, so sweet.
Fin
Some of the advice here, indeed much of it, can be used to help you succeed with other lifts. I hope these few words prove of some use.
If you like this check out www.gripperbook.com and purchase my e-book. |
