In my coaching opinion, deficit deadlifts are one of the best deadlift variations for creating positive carryover to your traditional deadlift. I use variation often when I want to improve strength off of the floor.
One of the toughest ranges of motion to work through in the deadlift is the first 30%. It can be tough for some lifters to generate force when initiating their pull — and that’s where the deficit deadlift can be useful.
In this article, I’ll cover my four favorite benefits of performing deficit deadlifts. This way, you can assess if they’re a good variation for you to program based on your current training needs.
Why Perform Deficit Deadlifts?
- Great for improving strength off of the floor. The deficit deadlift can be useful for teaching lifters to leverage their quads better to initiate barbell momentum.
- Fantastic for building the posterior. The hamstrings, glutes, and erectors will get a lot of work with deficit deadlifts in addition to the quads.
- Useful for correcting eager hips. The deficit deadlift can be a natural tool for teaching lifters to avoid shooting the hips up when starting their deadlift reps.
- Awesome for working technique. Deficit deadlifts will train you to pull efficiently from disadvantaged positions which can have a positive carryover to the normal deadlift and real-world applications.
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Deficit Deadlift Benefits Expanded
Benefit 1: Boost Strength Off of the Floor
When you hear lifters and coaches say, “Break the floor”, this entails the range of motion in the deadlift when the barbell initially starts moving — AKA breaking its static position on the floor.
Once deadlift reps get moving they’re typically easier to complete because you’ll have momentum working at your side. You’ll have more muscles joining in to help you lock out reps as you lift the weight further off of the floor.
To start reps, you need tension and the quads and posterior to be working in unison. A deficit deadlift will require your quads to be hyperactive which is awesome for lifters who struggle to utilize them properly when pulling.
If you find yourself struggling to initiate your deadlift reps and if you feel like your quads aren’t helping with your initial range of motion, then this benefit will be most relevant for you.
The additional 2-4″ range of motion in the deficit deadlift will put your knees into greater flexion which will inevitably force you to use more quad when breaking the floor compared to traditional deadlifts.
How I’d Program for This
- Mesocycle Timeline: 4-6 weeks
- Sets: 3-4
- Reps: 6-8
- Intensity: Ascending load from 3-4 RIR to 1-2 RIR
- Tempo: Use a 2-3 second concentric lifting tempo to “feel” the quads more
I like to use a concentric tempo for this because if you’re struggling to feel the quads slowing down will typically help lifters be more conscious of what’s happening and what’s engaging when performing reps.
Benefit 2: Build the Glutes, Hamstrings, and Erectors
Outside of being great for biasing the quads, the deficit deadlift can also be a killer deadlift variation for building the hamstrings, glutes, and erectors — all muscles needed for big deadlifts.
Since we’re adding a range of motion to the deadlift with a deficit, these muscles will be working harder and longer than traditional deadlift reps.
To add context, when performing deficit deadlift reps, we’ll be in deeper hip flexion which will stretch the glute max more, the tension on the hamstrings will increase to the elevated platform, and the erectors will have to work longer to maintain rigidity.
Oftentimes, I’ll have clients complete sets of deficit deadlifts and look at me with both anger and happiness in their eyes because they’re gassed but they feel like their posterior muscles are getting an awesome workout.
If you find that you want to change up your deadlifts a little bit and put more stress on the glutes, hamstrings, and erectors then the deficit deadlift should find a place in your training program for a block or two.
Benefit 3: Helps Lifters Avoid Eager Hips
The hips shooting up are the Achille’s heel of any strong deadlift. More often than not, if you’re going for a big pull and you lose your hip position in the first half of the lift then you’re going to either miss that rep or grind it out in a not-so-productive way.
Hips shooting up is usually a product of two things. First, poor starting deadlift mechanics. If you’re sinking your hips too low to start your deadlift then you’ll often find the hips shoot up early in your reps.
Second, the load on the bar is exceeding the tension created. If your brace is too lax for the weight being lifted then you may also find that the hips are moving a lot and they’re not timed with the knees.
In a perfect world, the hips and knees would move in some degree of synchrony during deadlifts. For example, the hips and knees would often extend at a similar rate together during deadlift reps.
Now, why can the deficit deadlift be such a good tool for eager hips? When we stand on an elevated platform to deadlift we’re essentially putting ourselves into a disadvantaged position.
The hips and knees are going to be in greater flexion which means the hips are going to want to be more eager than in normal deadlift reps. If your hips are rising too quickly, you’ll usually feel this to a greater extent in deficit reps.
When this occurs, the body will naturally start to adapt and move in more productive ways. Our body wants to be efficient when navigating stressors from external stimuli. In this case, it’s the load on the bar.
How I’d Program Deficit Deadlifts for Eager Hips
- Mesocycle Timeline: 4 weeks
- Sets: 4-5
- Reps: 6-8
- Intensity: Ascending load from 3-4 RIR to 2-3 RIR
- Tempo: Use a 3-4 second concentric tempo
For eager hips, concentric tempos will be your best friend. Keep weight in the “moderate” range and try to slow down to build your awareness of your hips and knees during deadlift reps. There’s power in slowness with the deadlift.
Benefit 4: Great for Expanding Deadlift Mechanics
When we think deadlift our mind typically goes to a traditional deadlift with a barbell. While that’s the most popular way to deadlift, it’s not the only way we can pick up weight from the floor from a deadstop position.
I love the deficit deadlift because I find that it can be a useful variation for creating some harmonious real-world carryover. When we pick up things from the floor very rarely is it in the same position that we pick a barbell deadlift from.
By training our bodies to work through different setups and positions, we can build our ability to navigate different tasks and stressors. For example, if you have to pick up something lower to the ground then you may find the deficit deadlift has some real-world use.
In the deficit deadlift, we’ll train our body how to lift efficiently with a greater degree of knee and hip flexion and a rigid torso through a greater range of motion.
In short, train your body to be good at deadlifts through different ranges of motion. It’s similar to utilizing other squat variations to build your ability to squat in a wide range of scenarios — not just in a bilateral barbell squat.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q:Why are deficit deadlifts good?
Q:Should beginners perform deficit deadlifts?
Final Thoughts
If you’re debating on adding deficit deadlifts to your workout program, then I’d suggest asking yourself “why” you’re doing so. Deficit deadlifts can be fantastic for a wide range of reasons.
By narrowing down why you’re using deficit deadlifts, you can be more specific with programming them to tackle specific training goals. For example, do you have eager hips or do you simply want a greater stimulus for the posterior muscles?
If you have additional questions on using deficit deadlifts, drop a comment below or reach out to me via Instagram (@jake_boly or @that_fit_friend).
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