From Blog
Positional tolerance
How Covid, a too-short t-bell and two plyoboxes led me to a deficit deadlift I've kept for five years — and the coaching lesson about individual tolerance you won't find in most books.
Published
by Adarsh Gopal
I was a fairly conventional trap bar deadlift chap until early 2020.
Then Covid happened, and we avoided using our space. So no trap bars, barbells, or anything else from the gym.
But I did have a t-bell at home, and 80–90 kg of plates. The t-bell was 19 inches tall, and the rack pull off it wasn’t fun — it was too easy. I also had two 18-inch plyoboxes. So I placed one on either side of the t-bell and started deadlifting by pulling the weight damn near off the floor. I started light, around 50–60 kg, expecting my lower back to get sore. But the soreness and aches never came.
A couple of points worth noting: I’m still driving very aggressively with my legs and hips as I power the weight up, and I’m bracing — focusing on being very stable in every position.
I’ve kept it as a staple in my lifting diet for the last five years. The weight ranges from 100–150 kg, and lately I’ve been testing out deficits that put the weight 2–3 inches below my toe level.
Now, this is a highly non-standard exercise that we do not regularly prescribe or use with all clients. I’ve discovered that my tolerance for it is reasonable. I don’t expect that to be the case for everyone. And this is one of those coaching lessons you don’t find in most books: individual tolerance for positions and exercises will vary dramatically from client to client.
I value this position because I like being resilient, and training to lift odd-shaped and everyday objects. The physics of lifting those things will never be as straightforward as a barbell or trap bar. You’ll have to reach lower, round more, rotate a bit, bend your knees — basically, messy lifting. And I enjoy it.
Takeaway
The general recommendations to use your legs, brace and maintain an extended spine exist for very, very good reasons. For 99 percent of humanity, those recommendations apply and work well.
The standard deadlift is 9 inches off the floor. That’s on account of the diameter of a standard metal or bumper plate being 18 inches. You might want to lift the weight from a higher height, or go lower. Both can work, based on your capacity and constraints.
There are many ways to deadlift. Barbells are the norm. Trap bars exist. So do t-bells and belt hinges. On some belt squat machines and Viking squats, the move resembles hinging more than squatting. If you feel uncomfortable with one implement, try another, build some confidence, and play around a bit.