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Baby's Got Back - Improving Through Longer Range Dead-Lifts

Charles' latest findings on long-range movements for back development

I have always been a believer of long-range movements to derive maximal benefits in the training room.

Terry Hadlow first exposed me to the concept. In the eighties, he was the only non-communist-bloc weightlifter ranked in the top eight in the World. In those days, it would have been the equivalent of having a Guatemalan team competing in the Super Bowl.

Terry was brutally strong, particularly in the lower back. He credited the coach he had in his teenage years who had him do deadlifts using only 25-lb metal plates to force a greater range than the standard 45 plates.

Of course, a more simple approach is to stand on a platform with the same dimensions as a case of soda. In this context, you can still use 45-lb plates, but you don’t need as many plates.

Gustavo Badell & Free Range Movements

One of the biggest proponents of full range movements in the bodybuilding world is Gustavo Badell. Many observers say that Gustavo is the man most likely to dethrone Ronnie Coleman from the Mr. Olympia title.

Gustavo credits his tremendous back, glute and hamstrings development to doing deadlifts on a platform. In his own view, he does not care that the load he uses is 150-200 lbs lighter than regular deadlifts. Rather, he strongly feels that the added range is what has contributed to his enormous posterior chain development.

Interestingly enough, newer evidence from lab research indicates that exercises that overload the stretch position that contribute to hyperplasia, more than hypertrophy.

Widen Your Grip, Too

Another simple way to increase range is, of course, to widen your grip in addition to standing on a platform. Many Olympic throwers, sprinters, and bobsledders have seen a dramatic improvement in their sporting results after adding this exercise to their physical preparation schemes.

Whether you are interested in greater hypertrophy or in functional strength for sporting movement, longer-range dead-lifts are a short cut to achieving your goals.