Even the best of the best display small form errors while doing the Dimel Deadlift. I have asked training coach Clint Darden what he sees his clients continually getting wrong, after repeatedly correcting them.
Now pushing the keyboard over to Clint, below are his Dimel Dead corrections you can use that will make a huge difference for your powerlifting performance — technique, bigger total, and muscle-mind connection.
One of the biggest mistakes that I continually see my clients get wrong is the way in which they do the Dimel Deadlift. Even though I have my very own YouTube video on how to do this MY WAY, it seems that they prefer to head over to the EliteFTS.com Training Video Archives and do them the way that Dave Tate says to do them. If you ask me, Dave does them completely wrong. Yes, I know that Dave trained with Matt Dimel for years but since then he has hit the nose torque enough times to kill off the active memory brain cells which can remember just those type of details.
How does Dave say to do them? I'll let you learn the wrong, less hard way by heading over and checking out HIS video.
How do I say to do them? Well, the exercise has to serve as many
purposes as possible! It needs to build strength AND technique to be effective and efficient and this is why if feel that my way is far more superior to Dave's (am I officially calling the Dimel Deadlift the Dave Tate Dimel Deadlift?!)
The exercises are basically the same. You start at lockout and sit down into a deadlift, stopping when the barbell is just below your knees. The difference starts here because I want you to pause and hold it there for a moment. How long? Depends. If your technique sucks at deadlifting, hold it there for a second or two. If you are freaking awesome but having some temporary mental issues, just a fraction of a second. Why hold it? Because you will use this time to go down your checklist of everything that should be in place and position for a proper deadlift.
- Are your shins vertical?
- Are your shoulders behind the barbell?
- Is your weight on your heels?
- Is your back flat?
- Are your abs pushing outwards?
- Do you feel the weight on your hamstrings instead of your back?
- Is your head up and not in some crazy "neutral spine" position?
- Are your holding in your air?
Once you have answered YES to all of these, pull like crazy! You should be pulling so hard that the plates clang against the barbell at the top. If the plates don't make a sound, you probably just pulled with your back. If the plates jumped at the top, you probably used your hamstrings like a good dead-lifter does.
And how much weight should you use? When I was deadlifting in the mid 800's every week I would do my Dimel Deadlifts with 135-225 pounds for several sets of 5-10 reps. I believe that the heaviest that I ever did these was with three plates per side.
Choosing how to do the Dimel Deadlift is obviously up to you. Clint and I hope you'll at least adopt one or all eight tips above to enhance your next pull.
