Most deadlifters know the frustration of pulling with all your might, only to have the bar stubbornly stay on the ground.
If this sounds familiar, there’s an exercise you should try: the deficit deadlift.
By increasing range of motion, the deficit deadlift helps you develop explosive power from the ground up, increasing your overall deadlift performance. Plus, it’s great for adding mass to your legs and back, reducing your risk of injury, and even improving athletic performance.
In this article, you’ll learn exactly how to do the deficit deadlift, understand why it’s so effective, explore the best alternatives, and more.
Key takeaways
- A deficit deadlift is a deadlift variation where you stand on an elevated surface to increase range of motion.
- The main benefits of the deficit deadlift are that it improves regular deadlift strength, increases athletic performance, and can protect against hamstring and ACL injuries.
- The deficit versions of the sumo, Romanian, and stiff-leg deadlifts are viable alternatives to the regular deficit deadlift if your flexibility allows you to perform them correctly.
- The deficit deadlift trains your entire lower body and back.
What is deficit deadlift?
A deficit deadlift is a variation of the conventional deadlift where you stand on an elevated surface, such as a weight plate or platform, to increase range of motion.
This is what it looks like:
You may also hear it called “high deadlift” or “high deadlift,” but these terms refer to the same exercise.
How to do the deficit deadlift
To learn how to do deficit deadlifts, divide the exercise into three parts: setup, pull-up, and lowering.
1. Configure
Before addressing the deficit deadlift, it is necessary to establish the appropriate deficit height. Finding the perfect deficit height for your proportions may require some experimentation.
As a general rule, a deficit of 2 inches is a good starting point, although if you are flexible or have long arms, a deficit of 3 inches might be more suitable.
To create the gap, you can use any sturdy surface raised 2 to 3 inches off the ground. While there are specialized deficit deadlift platforms and blocks for this purpose, most weightlifters settle for a weight plate or power step.
Assuming you’re using a weight plate, here’s what you do: Place the weight plate on the floor, stand on it with a hip-width stance, and point your toes slightly outward. Roll a loaded barbell over the middle of your foot, placing it about an inch from your shins.
Bend over and grab the bar with your palms facing you, just outside your shins. Breathe deeply to fill your abdomen with air and contract your abs as if you were about to be punched.
Push your hips up to flatten your back and get into a “half-squat” position. Pull your shoulder blades back and down and squeeze your upper arms out to your sides (imagine crushing oranges in your armpits).
2. Throw
Grip the bar as hard as you can and pull it up.
The hips and shoulders should be raised simultaneously; Don’t raise your hips and then use your back as leverage to lift your shoulders.
Once the bar passes your knees, push your hips toward the bar. At the top of the rep, push your chest up and shoulders down, but don’t lean back, hyperextend your lower back, or curl the weight.
3. descend
While keeping your back flat and core tight, reverse the movement to return the bar to its starting position on the floor.
Don’t try to lower the bar slowly or silently. The entire descent should take approximately one second. Take a moment to get into the proper starting position and then begin your next rep.
This is what it should look like when you put it all together:
Benefits of deficit deadlifts
Improved deadlift performance
Traction Lifting the bar off the floor is the most difficult part of the deadlift for most weightlifters. Performing deficit deadlifts forces your muscles to work harder through this weak range of motion, improving your performance when you return to conventional deadlifts.
Reduced risk of injury
Muscular imbalances between the quadriceps and hamstrings. are an important cause of injuries to the lower part of the body, especially the hamstrings and LCA. Deficit deadlifts strengthen the hamstrings, which many people neglect. This helps correct strength imbalances, potentially reducing your risk of injury.
Improved athletic performance
The deficit deadlift trains many important muscle groups throughout the body, especially the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and back. Strengthening these muscles allows them to generate more force, which increases your ability to perform athletic movements such as sprints and jumps.
Best Deficit Deadlift Variations
1. Deficit sumo deadlift
The sumo deficit deadlift works the same muscles as the normal deficit deadlift, but emphasize the quads plus and the lower back less. It is a great alternative if you have pre-existing back problems with the standard version. Just remember that it requires more hip mobility, so it may not be ideal if you have limited flexibility.
RELATED: The Ultimate Guide to the Sumo Deadlift
2. Deficit Romanian deadlift
The Romanian deficit deadlift stretches the hamstrings more than the normal version, which investigation Shows can help growth. That said, it also requires a lot more flexibility, so it may not be right for everyone.
RELATED: How to Do the Romanian Deadlift: Form, Benefits and Variations
3. Deficient deadlift with stiff legs
The stiff-legged deficit deadlift is almost the same as the Romanian deficit deadlift, except you keep your legs straighter and lower the bar to the floor at the end of each rep. Both exercises actually train your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, but the stiff-legged version is harder to learn and can be uncomfortable. That’s why I usually prefer and recommend the Romanian deficit deadlift.
RELATED: How to Deadlift Stiff Legs: Form, Muscles Worked, and More
FAQ #1: Are deficit deadlifts harder?
Yes, the deficit deadlift is harder than the regular deadlift because it has a greater range of motion. They also force your muscles to work harder at the bottom of each rep, which is usually the part of the movement where you are weakest.
FAQ #2: Are deficit deadlifts good for you?
Yes, deficit deadlifts are great for building muscle in your posterior chain (the muscles at the back of your body) and improve your deadlift strength. They also help repair weak points that can lead to injuries and improve athletic performance.
FAQ #3: How does deficit deadlift work?
The main muscles worked by the deficit deadlift are:
- Latissimus dorsi (dorsals)
- Trapeze (traps)
- rhomoid
- Spinal erectors (lower back)
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps (quadriceps)
- Center
Here’s what these upper body muscles (minus the core) look like:
And this is what the lower body muscles look like:
RELATED: What muscles do deadlifts work? An answer, according to science
Scientific references +
- K. Beckham, George et al. “Isometric strength of weightlifters in key positions of the conventional deadlift.” Journal of Trainology, vol. 1, no. 2, 2012, pp. 32–35, https://doi.org/10.17338/trainology.1.2_32. Accessed April 18, 2019.
- Kompf, Justin and Ognjen Arandjelović. “Understanding and overcoming the conflict point in resistance exercise.” Sports medicine, vol. 46, no. 6, January 12, 2016, pp. 751–762, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0460-2. Accessed December 6, 2019.
- Holcomb, William R., et al. “Effect of resistance training with hamstring emphasis on hamstrings:quadriceps strength ratios”. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. 21, no. 1, 2007, p. 41, https://doi.org/10.1519/r-18795.1.
- Begalle, Rebecca L., et al. “Coactivation of quadriceps and hamstrings during common therapeutic exercises”. Athletic Training Magazine, Vol. 47, no. 4, July 2012, pp. 396–405, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396299/, https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-47.4.01.
- Seitz, Laurent B., et al. “Increases in lower body strength positively transfer to sprint performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis.” Sports medicine, vol. 44, no. 12, July 25, 2014, pp. 1693-1702.
- Thompson, Brennan J, et al. “Barbell deadlift training increases the rate of torque development and vertical jump performance in beginners.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. 29, no. 1, 2015, pp. 1–10, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25226322, https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.00000000000000691.
- Boone, Tommy and others. Journal of Exercise Physiology JEP Online Editor-in-Chief Online electromyographic activity of lower body muscles during deadlifts and still-leg deadlifts. vol. 16, no. 3, 2013, www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineJUNE2013_Miranda.pdf.
