September 03, 2015 By BridgeAthletic

Building Blocks: The Deadlift Progression Day 4

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Day 4: DB Deadlift

Welcome to the fourth day of the BridgeAthletic Building Blocks Progression. Today we are introducing the Dumbbell Deadlift.

The Dumbbell Deadlift is one of our favorite exercises at BridgeAthletic. We encourage all athletes to perform this for at least 1 to 2 phases before attempting to use a Barbell or Hex Bar. Allow your body, especially your spine and joints to adjust to the load relative to the movement pattern. 

We encourage all athletes to perform this for at least 1 to 2 phases before attempting to use a Barbell or Hex Bar for this movement. Allow your body, especially spine and joints to adjust to the load relative to the movement pattern.

As a coach and athlete you can use this at almost all levels and training phases, and is an excellent rehab/return to play exercise. Select DBs that you could perform for 3 reps more than what is prescribed.

Exercise 4: DB Deadlift  

Tips:

Set up a box or a stack of plates with a starting point at mid-shin height. As you improve over time, lower the starting point to within a few inches of the ground. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes rotated out slightly. Keep your chest up and back flat throughout the movement. Remember, this is an up-down movement, so the pause/rest phase is at the starting point, not when you are at full extension. Keep your chest up and hips down, squat down and grab hold of the DBs. With a controlled movement, standup without locking out your knees. Slight pause. Return to start position. Pause for a 2-Hippopotamus count to emphasize control. Repeat in a controlled tempo for the prescribed reps, and without crashing the DBs in to the box/stack of plates.

More Building Blocks:

Miss any of the progression or want to review? Check out the other building blocks below.

Day 1: Frog Squat
Day 2: Monster Walks
Day 3: KB/DB Goblet Squat

Or download our e-book to receive an in-depth look at our full August Building Blocks!

Now it's your turn:

Thanks for joining us on the second stage of the pushup progression. Follow us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/BridgeAthletic, Twitter at https://twitter.com/BridgeAthletic or on Instagram using the handle BridgeAthletic in order to see the rest of the progression.
 
Want Feedback? We're here to help. We highly encourage you and your athletes to share videos and pictures performing the exercises. Use #BuildBetterAtheltes in order to receive feedback and guidance from one of our elite coaches on the BridgeAthletic Performance Team. 
 
Be sure to check back tomorrow for more Building Blocks!

About the Author

BridgeAthletic

At Bridge, we are all athletes and coaches first. As athletes, our team has experienced everything from riding the pine on JV, to winning NCAA championships, to competing in the Olympic Games. As coaches, we have helped countless athletes reach their full potential, winning everything from age group section championships to Olympic Gold Medals.

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