Conventional Deadlift Against Chains 101 Video Tutorial
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Overview
The Conventional Deadlift Against Chains is a powerful compound exercise primarily targeting the hamstrings, with secondary emphasis on the abs, adductors, calves, forearms, glutes, lats, lower back, quads, shoulders, traps, and upper back. This variation of the traditional deadlift involves the use of chains, which increase the resistance as the lifter rises, enhancing the intensity of the movement. The exercise requires a barbell and challenges multiple muscle groups through a full-body effort. It promotes strength, stability, and muscle growth while improving posture and grip strength.
How to Perform
Choose an appropriate weight and load it onto the barbell. After securing the weight, attach chains to the bar to provide additional resistance during the lift.
Position the barbell directly over your shoelaces and stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
Push your hips back and hinge at the hips, lowering your torso until it's nearly parallel to the floor.
Reach down to grip the bar with both hands using a shoulder-width, double overhand grip.
Take a deep breath and gently pull upward on the bar, letting your hips drop in a controlled manner. This movement is often referred to as "pulling the slack out of the bar," which sets the tension before the lift.
While dropping your hips, engage your lats by imagining you're trying to squeeze something like oranges in your armpits, ensuring your armpits are directly above the bar.
Focus on driving through the full foot and think about pushing the floor away to generate power.
Maintain a straight bar path as you extend your knees and hips, making sure the bar travels vertically without swaying.
Once your hips are fully extended, reverse the motion by pushing your hips back and hinging forward, controlling the descent.
Gently lower the bar back to the floor, reset your position, and prepare for the next repetition. Continue until you've completed the desired number of reps.
Tips
Begin by loading the barbell with your chosen weight. Attach chains to the bar, either draping them over or securing them with clips, ensuring they do not touch the plates when the bar is set down. This prevents any interference during the movement. Depending on the available equipment, you can also secure the chains at both ends of the bar with clamps.
The addition of chains provides variable resistance, meaning the weight increases as you lift, particularly during the top half of the movement. This allows you to challenge your lockout strength without having to manage the full weight from the floor.
To maintain a proper bar path, ensure the crease of your armpits stays directly above the bar and midfoot throughout the lift. This alignment is crucial for a straight bar trajectory.
Remember, the deadlift is a hinge movement, not a squat. Avoid lowering your hips too much, as this places you in a biomechanically inefficient position and limits your ability to lift heavy weights.
To keep the bar close to your body and maintain a vertical path, engage your lats by thinking of squeezing oranges under your armpits, or visualizing a straight-arm pulldown. This helps prevent the bar from drifting away during the lift.
Position your hips lower than your shoulders, ensuring that your chest is up. This is usually accomplished when your lats are properly engaged, so the "chest up" cue is often unnecessary if you understand how to activate your lats.
Neck position can vary depending on individual preference. If you have an athletic background and tend to extend your spine, a neutral neck position with the chin tucked may work best. However, if you tend to be more flexion-dominant in your upper back, looking slightly up can help with spinal extension. Test both options to see which feels most comfortable for your body.
Aim for a vertical shin angle, but be aware that this may depend on your limb length and spinal alignment. Adjust as necessary to maintain proper mechanics.
The angle of your toes should also be adjusted to your comfort, depending on your hip structure. Experiment with different angles (toes in, out, or neutral) to find the optimal position.
Avoid retracting your shoulder blades, as this can shorten the length of your arms and reduce the range of motion, making the lift less efficient.
Ensure your grip is secure by wrapping your thumbs around the bar and squeezing it tightly, as though you are leaving an imprint of your fingerprints. Avoid using a false grip.
While scraping your shins isn’t always necessary, the bar should travel vertically. As your knees extend, your shins will naturally move out of the way if your armpits remain properly positioned over the bar.
Focus on driving through the entire foot—big toe, little toe, and heel—to effectively recruit your quads at the start of the lift. Placing all your weight on your heels alone can slow you down.
Keep your elbows locked throughout the movement. Don’t actively flex your triceps, but ensure the elbows remain neutral to prevent injury, particularly a potential bicep tear under heavy loads.
Experienced lifters may not need to emphasize the “pull the slack out of the bar” cue as much, but for beginners, it’s an essential concept to understand in order to optimize your setup and power output.
For single reps, dropping the bar from the lockout position is easier and less taxing on your spinal erectors. However, for multiple reps, aim to lower the bar in a controlled manner to avoid excessive fatigue in your back muscles.
Your knees should align with your feet. Avoid setting your feet too wide, as this could lead to inward knee movement or require a wider grip, both of which decrease efficiency and increase range of motion.
If you struggle with lockout strength, consider incorporating rack pulls, Romanian deadlifts (RDLs), or pulls against chains or bands into your training. Conversely, if you have difficulty lifting from the floor, try paused or deficit deadlifts to strengthen the initial phase of the lift. Additionally, supplementary work for your upper back and glutes will further enhance your deadlift performance.
How Not to Perform
Avoid Setting Hips Too Low: Don’t squat down like in a squat exercise. The deadlift is a hinge movement, so if you set your hips too low, you’ll be in a biomechanically disadvantageous position. This will increase the risk of injury and reduce the efficiency of the lift.
Don’t Allow the Bar to Drift Away: Do not let the bar move away from your body. This can place unnecessary strain on your lower back and reduce your ability to generate power. Keep your lats engaged and focus on keeping the bar as close to your body as possible.
Avoid Hyperextending Your Back: Don’t overarch your back, especially your lower back, at the top of the lift. This can lead to spinal compression and injury. Keep your core tight and your back neutral, with a slight natural curve, rather than overextending.
Don’t Use a False Grip: Never use a false grip (where your thumb is not wrapped around the bar). This can increase the risk of the bar slipping from your hands, especially under heavy loads. Always grip the bar securely with your thumbs wrapped around it.
Avoid Rounding Your Back: Do not let your back round, especially your lower back, when pulling the bar off the floor. This can lead to severe back injuries. Keep your chest up and your spine in a neutral position by engaging your lats and maintaining good posture.
Don’t Let Your Knees Collapse Inward: Avoid letting your knees collapse inward during the lift. This can cause strain on your knees and disrupt your body’s alignment. Ensure your knees track over your toes and stay in line with your feet.
Don’t Overload the Weight Too Quickly: Don’t add too much weight before mastering proper form. Overloading too soon can compromise your technique and increase the risk of injury. Start with a manageable weight to ensure you’re performing the lift with correct form before increasing the load.
Avoid Using Momentum: Don’t jerk or use momentum to lift the weight. This wastes energy and places unnecessary strain on your muscles and joints. Focus on a controlled, steady movement where you generate power through your legs, glutes, and back.
Don’t Forget to Breathe: Don’t hold your breath throughout the lift. Proper breathing is essential to maintaining core stability and generating power. Inhale before the lift, brace your core, and exhale as you complete the movement.
Don’t Ignore the Hip Drive: Avoid lifting with your back or arms. The primary focus should be on driving the hips forward while extending your knees and hips simultaneously. Using your back or arms to lift the bar instead of your legs and hips can lead to inefficient energy use and potential injury.
Don’t Allow the Chains to Touch the Floor Prematurely: Ensure the chains are positioned correctly so they don’t drag on the floor before the lift. If the chains are hitting the ground early, it could disrupt your lift and cause imbalance or incorrect resistance application.
Avoid Shrugging Shoulders: Don’t shrug your shoulders as you lift. This places unnecessary tension on your traps and reduces the focus on your primary muscle groups, like the hamstrings and glutes. Keep your shoulders relaxed and engaged but avoid lifting them towards your ears.
Don’t Let the Bar Move Off a Straight Line: Ensure the bar moves in a vertical line. Avoid letting the bar swing forward or backward as you lift, as this can waste energy and create an imbalance that may lead to injury.
Don’t Neglect the Reset: After each rep, do not skip the reset. Allow yourself a moment to re-engage your muscles and ensure proper alignment before initiating the next repetition. This prevents form breakdown and helps maintain focus on the target muscles.
Variations
Variations of fitness exercises refer to different ways of performing a specific exercise or movement to target various muscle groups, intensities, or goals. These variations aim to challenge the body differently, prevent plateaus, and cater to individuals with varying fitness levels.
Alternatives
Alternative exercises in fitness refer to different movements or activities that target similar muscle groups or serve the same training purpose as the primary exercise. These alternative exercises can be used as substitutes when the original exercise is unavailable or challenging to perform due to various reasons such as equipment limitations, injuries, or personal preferences.
