Strength is Never a Weakness: 2017

Thursday 21 December 2017

History of Doping Cases: Pre World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) 1999

Hello everyone

I hope you are all having a good Christmas

I will be doing a series of Doping/Anti - Doping, Gene Doping, Sports Law, Doping Timelines plus more over the next few months.

History of Doping Cases: Pre World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) 1999
History of Doping Cases: Post World Anti - Doping Agency (WADA) 1999 - 2017
Role of World Anti Doping Agency
Gene Doping
Doping and Sports Law
Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs: Characteristics and Functions
Society Opinions of Sports Doping
Social Views on Recreational Image and Performance Enhancing Drug (IPED) use

Image sourced from: http://taylorhooton.org/steroids-really-body/

If you are interested in reading other articles like this then see the list below which are already posted on my blog;

1/ Review of a all Androgenic Anabolic Steroid Meta Analysis Paper

http://strengthtrainingforyou.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/a-review-of-androgenic-anabolic-steroid.html

2/ Understanding the Doping Issue

http://strengthtrainingforyou.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/to-solve-problem-you-must-understand-it.html

3/ Psychological effects of using PED's:

http://strengthtrainingforyou.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/psychological-effects-of-peds-anabolic.html

4/ Physiological effects of using PED's:

http://strengthtrainingforyou.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-physiological-effect-of-using-peds.html

Some terminology needs to be explained before we go into this article;

1. Doping (Hackney, 2017) can be defined as the use of a banned chemical compounds (e.g., anabolic steroids) or techniques (e.g., blood doping) to improve sports performance. The substances and practices are called doping agents or just dope (Reardon and Creado, 2014)

2. Performance Enhancing Drugs (Hackney, 2017) or known as PEDs, are substances banned by Anti - Doping agencies such as the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and or National level bodies including UK Anti - Doping (UKAD) or United States Anti - Doping Agency (USADA). Some PEDs, such as the dietary supplement creatine, are not illegal or banned (depending on the country).

3. Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) (Lifeline, 2016) define IPEDs as substances used to alter or enhance a person's appearance or abilities. The most prominent are Androgenic Anabolic Steroids (AAS), "smart drugs", and skin enhancement drugs (like Botox and or Accutane).

4. Hormones (Hackney, 2017) are described as chemicals which are naturally produced I the body and serve functions which regulate essential processes such as digestion, metabolism, muscle growth, reproduction and mood control. When hormone levels are raised or lowered artificially to enhance performance this is doping.

5. Anti - Doping can be defined as opposing or prohibiting illegal doping (such as blood doping or the use of anabolic steroids or growth hormones) to improve athletic performance (Merriam-Webster. 2017).

Lets begin

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Doping first appeared in the English Dictionary in 1889. At the time it was described as "opium containing remedy which was used to dope horses, the word dope stemming from the Boer language in South Africa in which dope was an extract with stimulating effects (Mueller, 2010).

To combat doping in sport the World Anti Doping Agency was created in 1999 and its job is to ensure the following for its sports;

• CODE COMPLIANCE MONITORING

• EDUCATION

• SCIENCE AND MEDICINE

• ANTI-DOPING COORDINATION

• GLOBAL ANTI-DOPING DEVELOPMENT

• ATHLETE OUTREACH

• COOPERATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

• OTHER INITIATIVES

WADA Logo from their website

Strange tho...........

It took till 1999 to have a global international anti doping agency.

Think about that. Yet still with all the testing, education, rules, laws and deterrents people are still doping. Just this week Justin Gatlin is back in the news for a potential 3rd doping case, an NFL player (Jeremy Kerley) claims ghosts doped his supplements and Chris Froome under the scope surrounding his use of Asthma medication.

Main reason WADA was created was due to the events of the 1998 Tour De France which one headline described it as;

The 1998 Tour de France: Police raids, arrests, protests... and a bike race

Yet people have been doping (or attempting to doping many years prior to this event).

So the rest of this article will be looking at the timeline of doping and anti - doping pre the creation of WADA (1999). Then I will do another post to do all cases after 1999.

Timeline of Recorded Doping Cases: Pre 1999

1. 776 BC - 393 BC - Ancient Greeks Use Performance Enhancing Drugs

2. 100 AD - Roman Gladiators Use Stimulants and Hallucinogens to Prevent Fatigue and Injury

3. Late 19th Century - French Cyclists and Lacrosse Players Drink Wine and Coca Leaves to fight fatigue and hunger.

4. 1904-1920 - Performance Enhancing Drugs Used in the Modern Olympic Games. In 1904 Olympics marathon runner, Thomas Hicks, was using a mixture of brandy and strychnine [a stimulant that is fatal in high doses] and nearly died.

5. 1940-1945 - Nazis Test Steroids (not proven only speculation)

6. 1940-1950’s - Soldiers Use Amphetamines During and Post WWII

7. Aug. 26, 1960 - First Athlete to Die in Olympic Competition Due to Doping. Danish cyclist, Knut Jensen, dies on Aug. 26, 1960 at the Summer Olympics in Rome during the 100km team time trial race. His autopsy, however, reveals traces of an amphetamine called Ronicol.

8. July 13, 1967 - Cyclist on Amphetamines Is First Tour de France Doping Death. British cyclist Tommy Simpson, dies during the 13th stage of the Tour de France. The cyclist consumed excess amounts of amphetamines and brandy to combat the effects of an illness.

9. May 4, 1968 - First Horse Disqualified from Kentucky Derby for Banned Substance. Phenylbutazone, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), were found in his urine sample after the race (same drug made legal 4 years later).

10. Oct. 1968 - First Olympic Athlete Disqualified. Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall, a member of the Swedish modern pentathlon team, was stripped of his bronze medal when he tested positive for excessive alcohol.

11. July. 1972 - Munich Summer Olympic Games. 16 year old American Swimmer, Rick DeMont tested positive for Ephedrine which he was taking routinely for his asthma. After winning the 400m freestyle and poised to win the 1500m he was removed from the 1500m final and stripped of his gold medal from the 400m (this stage of doping and anti doping there was no exemption protocols in place to allow him to compete when using ephedrine).

12. Sep. 27, 1988 - Ben Johnson Stripped of Gold Medal after Positive Drug Test in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

13. Dec. 2, 1991 - Former East German Swimming Coaches Admit to Two Decades of Doping

14. May 14, 1992 - Former NFL Player Lyle Azado Dies of Brain Cancer after Using Steroids and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) for Two Decades (not proven by doctors that HGH or AAS caused his tumours).

15. Sep.-Oct. 1994 - Chinese Swimmers Fail Drug Tests Three Times More Than Any Other Nation

16. Dec. 15, 1994 - First British (Athletics) Female to Test Positive for PEDs Receives Four Year Ban (Diane Modah)

17. 1998 - Irish Swimmer (Michelle Smith) Suspended for Pouring Whiskey into Urine Sample to Mask Doping.

18. 1998 - Mark McGwire (Baseball Player) Admits to Using a Steroid Precursor

19. Feb. 1998 - Snowboarder Who Tests Positive for Marijuana Has Gold Medal Taken then Returned. Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati

The examples mentioned are just some of the more popular and well known documented cases of doping

Timeline of Recorded Anti - Doping

1. 1928 - First Rule Against Doping in Sports was recorded in the IAAF (athletics)

2. 1967 - International Olympic Commitee (IOC) Establishes Medical Commission to Fight Doping (partly in relation to Tommy Simpsons Death).

3. Feb. 1968 - First Drug Testing at Olympic Games

4. 1972 - First Full-Scale Drug Testing of Olympic Athletes for Narcotics and Stimulants

5. 1975 - Anabolic Steroids Added to IOC's Banned Substances List

6. 1976 - Steroid Testing Conducted for the First Time at the Montreal Olympics

7. 1983 - Surprise Drug Testing at Pan Am Games Leads Many Athletes to Withdraw from Competition

8. Nov. 18, 1988 - President Reagan Signs Act Outlawing Non-Medical Steroid Sales

9. Oct. 5, 1990 - Congress Passes Anabolic Steroids Control Act

10. June 7, 1991 - Major League Baseball Bans Steroids

11. Nov. 10, 1999 - World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Is Established

Both these timelines were made with the help of;

1. Hackney, A (2017). Doping, Performance - Enhancing Drugs, and Hormones in Sport. United States of America: Joseph Hayton. p XVI.

2. ProCon.Org. (2013). History of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports. Available: https://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000017. Last accessed 28th November 2017.

It is clear to see the drug testers have always been behind the drug users. For the foreseeable future this will more than likely be the case. Yes modern day testing has caught more people in previous competitions thanks to improvements in their testing protocols yet the amount of people being caught hasn't reduced over time. This is probably down to the fact there are no real deterrents to put athletes off from cheating in sport.

As some of you may have noticed doping dose not just mean taking drugs. An ADRV or Anti - Doping Rule Violation can be under a doping case. There are ten ADRV's which an athlete may break in their career. They are as follows;

ADRV created by WADA from their online Anti - Doping File

Credit to World Anti - Doping Agency (2015) for making this pic really simple guide on the 10 rules for ADRVs.

Even with all the athletes caught or medals returned through better testing over the years (pre 1999 still) there still was controversy in sport. Best example was the 100m event in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games in South Korea. An event which was heavily political in nature as USA had invested a lot of money into it (so had a lot of sway over officials some may argue). It was another East v West, Communist V Capitalism and indirectly USA v USSR (now known as Russia).

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson won the race but had his medal stripped after testing positive for an anabolic steroid. The medal was given over to Carl Lewis from the USA. However, he wasn't meant to be at the games as he had tested positive for a stimulant which he shouldn't of been allowed to compete. Yet the USA Olympic Committee let him and covered up 5 other American athletes who tested positive at the games. Hearing for the 100m final was held in USA congress and Carl testified against Ben to secure his gold medal.

And people say politics is never in sport.

Ben admits he cheated but not with what they accused him of. Video from the film "Bigger Stronger Faster" has both athletes talk about the incident. Start video from 37:00 - 38:50 explains it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWpxRa3wRm8&t=2272s

Picture below shows since that infamous race nearly all competitors who took part have been done for some form of ADRV.

Imaged Credit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2182781/London-Olympics-2012-Recalling-100m-mens-final-Seoul--dirtiest-race-history.html

So by reading the above doping was very prevalent before WADA stepped in, in 1999. Next post will be looking to Doping post 1999 to end of 2017.
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Thank you for reading :)

Reference List

1. Hackney, A (2017). Doping, Performance - Enhancing Drugs, and Hormones in Sport. United States of America: Joseph Hayton. p XVI.

2. Lifeline Project (2016). Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) Literature Review. Available: http://www.lifeline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Lifeline-IPEDsReport-November2016.pdf. Last accessed 27th November 2017.

3. Reardon, C.L. and Creado, S., (2014). Drug abuse in athletes. Substance abuse and rehabilitation, 5, p.95.

4. Merriam - Webster . (2017). Definition of Anti Doping . Available: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-doping. Last accessed 27th November 2017.

5. Müller, R.K., 2010. History of doping and doping control. In Doping in Sports: Biochemical Principles, Effects and Analysis (pp. 1-23). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

6. World Anti Doping Agency . (2015). AT-A-GLANCE - ABOUT ANTI-DOPING. Available: https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/wada_anti-doping_aag_eng_web.pdf. Last accessed 27th November 2017.

Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog

I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University.

Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019.

I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.

My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.

My most recent publications:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X19300216

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1752928X19301076

My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning.

Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering.

I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness.

I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes.

I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships,

in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge.

Contact details below;

Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)

Facebook Page: @StrengthisNeveraWeakness

Twitter: @arichie17

Instagram: @arichiepowerlifting

Snapchat: @andypowerlifter

Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-b0039278

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Richardson7

Monday 10 July 2017

The Deadlift: can you Coach it to Everyone?

The Deadlift: Can you Coach it to Everyone?

By Andrew Richardson (BSc Honors), Owner of Richardson’s Strength and Conditioning, Head Coach of the Teesside Barbarians and Level 2 IPF Powerlifting Coach and current MSc Sport and Exercise Student.

It may seem like an obvious answer however, most trainers, coaches and PT’s struggle to coach the deadlift (and variations of the deadlift). They just see it as another exercise, not a complex movement. In turn which has so many factors, play a key role ensuring it is performed correctly and safely for any individual. A lot of the times the information they have read leads trainers to be misinformed. From this article I will help to eliminate any misinformation and doubt. Then to help those through some deadlifting tips. As a forewarning, this is how I was taught and how I have learned to teach the deadlift (in all its variations). By all means please try them out but be open to other coach’s interpretations and methods of teaching.

The article was made based off my lecture noes to Undergraduates at Teesside University (2017). Lectured notes tailored to students whom are new to coaching and fitness.

Let’s get into it!

Deadlift? What is it?

The deadlift is one of the best exercises in building posterior strength and helps most day to day activities. It has been used by most sports teams as a means to building hamstring, quad, glute, hip, core and back strength (also, hypertrophy and endurance components). As a well known compound exercise (as it uses nearly all the muscles in the body at any given time), this recruitment of muscles and tendons covers the hip, knee and ankle joints. The deadlift, as some of you may know plays a key role in the triple extension development (and coaching of it). The deadlift can also be used in a rehabilitation setting, it can be scaled down to Romanian deadlifts (RDL's) to increase hamstring flexibility and or protect the anterior cruciate ligament during its rehabilitation pathway by putting less weight on the knee/ligament.

Before we get into the types of deadlifting lets look at hand position and grip for the deadlift;

Gripping the Bar

There are a few variations to grip the bar, these include;

Double Overhand
Hook Grip
Under Over Grip (mixed grip)

Hook grip is commonly used by weightlifters for the snatch and the clean and jerk. Double overhand is used more for a training one's grip when compared to the other two. Mixed grip is the preferred method for most gym goers as it prevents the bar rolling in one's hands helping an individual lift the most weight.

However with incorrect form and poor prehab training, one's bicep can tear. To prevent a bicep tear the best protocol is;

Eccentric work for the bicep
Upper back and shoulder work (to place less workload on the bicep). As likely when someone does tear the bicep its not the biceps fault for tearing its somewhere else not doing its job (a dysfunction of a specific area due to an imbalance).
Stronger grip
Don't overload the bicep too often with heavy work
If using mixed grip train it from light weight and work up don't just do it for heavy sets
Don't try and pull the bar with your arms when deadlifting. Just grip the bar (think of your hands as hooks and arms as fishing lines).

Imaged Credit: NerdFitness. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-the-deadlift/

To help with grip one can;

Use Chalk
Use Straps
Or do specific grip training

For those training for a bodybuilding or an aesthetic purpose, I would suggest using a double overhand grip to keep symmetry for the biceps and more so for the traps. This would remove any chance of one side becoming imbalanced down the line.

Conventional and Sumo Deadlift

There are many variations of deadlifts (some I have just touched upon) one can do for different results. The most common two people will see are;

1. Conventional Deadlift (or known as the traditional deadlift).

Conventional Deadlift

2. Sumo Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift performed by Ed Coan. Image Credit: http://www.ishof.net/bio-edward

Comparison between the Two

Both have two different stances and grip positions as shown below by Johnny Candito of Candito HQ;

Conventional on the left and Sumo deadlift on the right. Both using a mixed grip. Image Credit: http://www.forum.body-test.cz/cs/tema/1226-sumo-deadlift-ci-conventional-deadlift/

From the side this is what they would look like;

Image showing Conventional start position on the left, then Sumo start position on the right. Image credit goes to Powerlifting to Win website. http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/powerlifting-technique-deadlift-form/

Note: this is an example of how a start position should look like, yes there will be some variation around this for some lifters so don't get too bogged down if a client cannot maintain this "perfect/preferred" start position. They may not be able to maintain the above example start positions due to injury, mobility or leg/arm/torso length.

E.g. One of the pictures below show a wider stance conventional with infamous strongman Brian Shaw demonstrating

Image Credit BarBend. https://barbend.com/brian-shaw-world-deadlift-championships/

The other shows a wider stance sumo being compared to a semi sumo stance. The pic of Ed Coan deadlifting (back up the page) is what is known as a Semi Sumo (halfway between sumo and conventional).

Image Credit Powerlifitng To Win. http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/powerlifting-technique-how-to-deadlift/

Again, wider does not mean better even if it means a shorter range of motion (ROM).

Muscle Activation Comparison between Conventional and Sumo Deadlift

As we already know the deadlift (in either conventional or sumo) will be using the same muscles (some more than others). Looking at the images below provided by Strength Training Anatomy Book which shows the muscles used during the deadlift;

Conventional Deadlift Anatomy

Imaged Credit: https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/7437/what-muscles-are-deadlifts-meant-to-target

Rear view of the Conventional Deadlift Anatomy

Image Credit: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/26529085283215320/

Rear View of a Romanian Deadlift (RDL) Anatomy

Image Credit: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/337558934550307860/

A Study in 2002 by Escamilla, Franciso, Kayes, Speer and Moorman investigated "An Electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts". The reasearchers mentioned used electromyograhy (EMG), to record the muscles fire rate (across 16 different sites). Data showed the following;

Data Image, credit to https://barbend.com/sumo-versus-conventional-deadlift/ for putting it together.

From this we can show the 4 areas that had significant differences in EMG muscle activity. Vastus Medialis (part of the quadriceps used for extending the knee) and lateralis (is the largest and most powerful muscle within the quadriceps. Its role is extending the knee joint and move forward). These are activated higher in the sumo deadlift. As this makes sense as the sumo recruits more legs (especially quadriceps).

Looking at the next data sets, the Tibial anterior (acts to dorsi flex and is located 2/3 of the outside of the tibia/shin) and gastrocenemius (calf muscle) are different between each deadlift. The Conventional deadlift having to use more hamstrings would recruit the gastrocenemius more than the sumo as the hamstring muscles feed into the calf. Regarding the tibial anterior this would depend on the stance of each of the sumo/conventional pullers. If they had a wider stance or closer stance variation of the sumo or conventional this will affect this particular area more. In turn will affect all the other muscle sites more.

Simple example, feet pointed straight when performing any leg most of the power is going to come from the quadriceps. However, if the toes are pointed out slightly (imagine a clock face standing facing at 12, left foot points at 11 and right foot points at 1). This will recruit more hamstring, glute and hip muscles into the movement.

*Note* this does not mean if you don't have your feet turned out your hamstrings/glutes/hips wont be used in deadlifts. Not all at, what I mean is they will be taking more of the load that originally.
As a simple rule wide stance in anything will use more glutes, hips and hamstrings compared to a narrow stance. Narrow stance will use more quadriceps. Now, I am aware there are some studies out there that would disagree but this is wide and narrow stance based on an individuals biomechanics. My wide stance maybe someones narrow stance and vice versa.

Now to quickly look at some variations of the sumo and conventional deadlift before we go into assessing a client and getting them to deadlift with appropriate coaching cues.

Other Deadlift Variations

Trap Bar Deadlifts: Great for all sports requiring leg drive without loading the spine and a fantastic exercise to introduce someone to deadlifting. Below is the trap bar deadlift being performed with some chains attached to it for added resistance.

Image Credit: http://www.stackhealthy.com/dont-let-the-deadlift-trap-you/

Block Deadlift (or block pulls): These can be done with most deadlift variations. Idea is one can overload a portion of the movement (strength curve). Shown below is a conventional and sumo block pull.

Image Credit: https://ericcressey.com/block-pulls-improve-your-deadlift

Image Credit: http://deansomerset.com/re-thinking-the-deadlift-from-the-floor/

Rack Pull (or partial deadlift): This is the smallest range of motion one can train the deadlift and is specifically for lower and upper back strength. Rack pulls are great if you have a weak back and bonus of this movement is. one can really go heavy on it.

Image Credit: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/randy51.htm

Deficit Deadlift: This is increasing the ROM of the movement to help with leg drive and moblity issues. Examples below show conventional and sumo deficit deadlifts.

Image Credit: https://www.t-nation.com/training/squat-deadlift-variations

Image Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Byj2dJxNI

Romanian Deadlift (RDL): Or known as the hip hinge. This is a great teaching tool and hip/hamstring/glute developer. Has great application for both weightlifting and powerlifting. Also excellent for hamstring rehab.

Image Credit: http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/how-to-rdl/

Snatch Grip Deadlift: Used by weightlifters to help increase total back strength for the snatch movement. Powerlifters use this as well as a variation of the deadlift to strengthen the upper baclk especially.

Image Credit: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/snatch-grip-deadlift

Clean Deadlift: Used by weightlifters as the style of deadlift is different than normal gym goers/powerlifters. Shoulders over the bar weight on forefoot which is the opposite of the normal deadlift. This can only be performed in a conventional deadlift style not sumo.

Image Credit: https://www.t-nation.com/training/fine-tuning-the-clean

Banded Deadlifts: Can be used for sumo or conventional (as shown), this is a great tool for teaching those who struggle to maintain lat tightness.

Image Credit: https://www.dellanave.com/four-ways-band-deadlift/

Chain Deadlifts: This is just doing deadlifts with chains added to them. Form of accommodated resistance training. Can be done with any deadlift variation

Image Credit: https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/deadlift-with-chains

Band Resisted Deadlifts: These are another form of accommodated resistance training. Can be set up using a platform, squat rack or dumbbells. Great for overloading the top part of the deadlift.

Image Credit: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=152682923

Reverse Banded Deadlifts: Known as the Future Method to some as it allows people to lift more than they actually can so it prepares them for "the future" to lift these kinds of weights. Nice way to really overload the CNS and gain some confidence lifting really heavy weights.

Image Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfChZhxDI8Y

Hover Deadlifts: This where someone starts the deadlift and just pulls the bar off the floor and holds it (so they are basically hovering) for a period of time. Then they complete the pull after that.

Image Credit: http://newsfeed.techknowd.com/2016/04/great-deadlift-variation-from-repost.html

Paused Deadlifts: This used to help improve a sticking point, so a lifter finds they slow down towards the lockout they would do pauses just before it (at the knee or above the knee). This is to increase speed and strength through this point so the lockout becomes easier. Not always a sticking point requires doing a lot of pause work sometimes upping the speed at a point before it will break this sticking point.

Image Credit: http://www.powerrackstrength.com/paused-deadlifts/

Suitcase Deadlifts: Or known as single arm deadlifts.. Great way to build up strength for the core and help remove any imbalances.

Image Credit: https://abdallaalhosany.com/2015/06/21/deadlifts-variations/

Axel Deadlifts : This is just doing deadlifts with a thicker bar. If you don't have a deadlift axel bar one can use fat grips instead.

Image Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdw8CXrE_3E

Single Leg Deadlift (Known as Single leg RDL): Last but not least is the SLDL or single leg deadlift. Great for removing imbalances and developing single leg strength for the hamstrings and hips/glutes. Also good for rehab from hamstring injury and pelvic control for stability.

The SLDL is a hip extensor exercise. Below is a table created by Stuart Yule from the UKSCA. This is showing the muscles used in the SLDL and what the muscles actions are.

MUSCLES	ACTION
Erector spinae	Keeps spine locked in a neutral position throughout exercise
Gluteus maximus	Extends hip
Hamstrings (bicep femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus	Extends hip

Abdominal muscles will be activated during the SLDL, to aid in the stabilisation of the spinal

column

Image Credit: https://www.johnsonfit.com/blog/single-leg-romanian-dead-lift-right-way

These are a few examples of deadlifts but one can do a few combinations of the above to make progress. Now how to assess someone for deadlifting.

Initial Assessment

When a client or athlete wants to be coached how to perform a deadlift you should be already making some form of a mental assessment as you are talking to them. This is looking at the following;

Look at the individuals arm length
Look at the individuals leg length

Reason for this so you can work out what style of deadlift would be best suited to them for training, strength development, mobility and sporting demands. Depending on the client this will change the variation of deadlift you will choose. Here are some examples that will hopefully cover all scenarios;

From the paper "Hales, M., 2010. Improving the deadlift: Understanding biomechanical constraints and physiological adaptations to resistance exercise." This was a nice paper which looked at accommodating different lifters leverages based on their builds. Table below illustrates this;

Lifting Strategies Determinants
Segment Combinations	Conventional	Sumo
Elongated torso/short arms		X
Elongated torso/elongated arms	X
Short torso/short arms		X
Short torso/elongated arms	X
Average torso/short arms		X
Average torso/elongated arms	X
Short torso/average arms	X	X
Elongated torso/average arms	X	X

On a related note, if I had a client and I was trying to teach the deadlift to them but they got into their heads they deadlifts are bad this is what I would do;

Renamed all deadlift known exercises this was so his client wouldn’t be put off doing them
Started the client doing dumbbell squats then progressed to using a trap bar (same movement pattern but getting closer to the deadlift.
Introduced rack pulls and single leg Romanian deadlifts (getting even closer to the deadlift movement pattern).
At this stage the client had no idea that he was doing these variation of the exercise he feared so much.
After these exercises the client was subjected to block deadlifts (or as they called them block pulls). Heavy kettle bell swing where also implemented into this training programme too.
Then gradually the block height was reduced until one day they did these "block pulls" form the floor (off a couple of mats).

His fear was just an illusion, he became ridiculously strong and when his coach told him what he was really doing, initially he was annoyed but saw the reasoning behind it and is still doing

deadlifts to this day. Don’t let yourself or anyone you know or even coach become afraid of an

exercise. Conquer your fears and you become an even better athlete.

(cant recall where I learned about this but, was back in 2013 when I was first told about coaching deadlifts to other people).

Deadlift Coaching Cues

Main coaching points for the deadlift (a lot of these cues can be applied to variations of the deadift);

Feet at bar (1-2 inch gap)
Lats tight (put your hands into coat pocket or imagine you are crushing a packet of crisps with your arms)
Brace abs (not hold your breath)
Chest through (not chest up and arching your back)
Back straight (neutral spine)
1…2..Push through the heels and Pull through the hips
Reset every rep and repeat.

If someone cannot do a deadlift off the floor (for whatever reason) then these are suitable substitutes (in no particular order);

High Block Deadlifts
Trap Bar Deadlifts
Rack Pulls
Kettlebell Swings
Banded RDLs
Glute Bridges (both legs)
Hamstring Curls
RDL with dumbbells

Once mastered the deadlift off the floor, then the following exercises are suitable to use as progressions (in no particular order);

Snatch Grip Deadlifts
Glute Bridges (single leg/weighted with both)
Power Cleans
Power Snatches
Romanian Deadlifts barbell
Deficit Deadlifts
High pulls
Single leg RDL
Suitcase Deadlifts
Good mornings

Faults when performing the Deadlift (or variation)

These are things you may see clients do which will affect their technical proficiency in this exercise;

Not locking out the knees
Rounded upper back (looking like a scared cat)
No lat engagement
Lower back rounded
Hitching the weight up
Using one’s arms to lift the weight
Knees too far forward over the bar
Shoulders over the bar not behind them

Final Considerations regarding Deadlifts

Try and view the deadlift as a crane as demonstrated by the graph below. To some this will make the whole process easier to understand and apply.

Image Credit: http://startingstrength.com/training/why-you-should-use-your-back-as-a-crane

Now go out and pull some deadlift PB's and make progress with the information laid out above.

Image Credit: http://smartlifting.org/2014/08/stacco-da-terra-e-squilibri-posturali/

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Kind regards

Andrew