The Deadlift BibleThe World’s Best Deadlift Manual for a

Stronger, Safer, & Explosive Deadlift

By

Jordan Syatt

World Record Powerlifter&

4x BW Deadlifter

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The Deadlift BibleTable of Contents

- Introduction………………………………….....3- The Kettlebell Deadlift…………........................5

Video Tutorial………………………………………………5 Pros/Cons……………………………………………………6 Coaching Cues/Progressions & Regressions………………7

- The Trap Bar Deadlift………….........................8 Video Tutorial……………………………………………….8 Pros/Cons…………………………………………………….9 Coaching Cues/Progressions & Regressions……………..10

- The Sumo Deadlift…………............................11 Video Tutorial……………………………………………...11 Pros/Cons…………………………………………………...12 Coaching Cues…………………………………………...…13 Progressions & Regressions…………………………….....14

- The Conventional Deadlift…............................15 Video Tutorial…………………………………………...…15 Pros/Cons…………………………………………………...16 Coaching Cues……………………………………………...17 Progressions & Regressions…………..………………...…18

BONUS MATERIAL!o How to Pull the Slack Out of the Bar……………….19o 3 Underrated Training Tools You Need In Your

Arsenal………………………………………………..20

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Want me to be your powerlifting coach?

You can apply for a spot in my online coaching program.

Hey there!

My name is Jordan Syatt and I’m excited to share with you the information that has helped me become a world class powerlifter, 4x bodyweight deadlifter, and internationally recognized strength coach.

You already know deadlifts are one of the best movements you can include within your training programs. Trained properly, they improve every performance-based

marker including strength, speed, power, rate of force development, muscular hypertrophy, fat loss and, candidly, they even make you better at sex.

Just kidding. But seriously.

As a world record powerlifter and 4x bodyweight deadlifter, I understand the deadlift from an elite perspective. But more

importantly…I’m really good at coaching it.

Progressions, modifications, programming considerations, and more, I’ve taught hundreds of individuals how to deadlift and I’m proud to say I’ve never had a client get injured because of

my simple, basic, & effective approach.

To help you produce the same type of incredible results, in this coaching guide I’m going to teach you how to progress,

perform, and coach 4 of the best deadlift variations.

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Progressing the Deadlift

Most of my clients are strength coaches, personal trainers, fitness consultants, and high level lifters.

My close friends have actually started calling me the “coach for the coaches.”

As you can imagine, I get a lot of questions specifically pertaining to the deadlift and how to coach and perform it effectively.

Three of the most common questions I hear on a daily basis are:

Q: What is the ideal deadlift technique?

Q: What is the best way to progress the deadlift?

Q: What are the best deadlifting coaching cues?Very insightful questions, these are some of the most common areas of confusion among both lifters and coaches alike.

And that’s why I wrote this book.

See, throughout my career I’ve developed a system.

A highly effective deadlifting system that works exceptionally well for lifters and coaches of all backgrounds.

So in the remainder of this book I’m going to share with you my deadlift coaching progression, why it works so well, and exactly how to use it.

Ready to get started?

Let’s deadlift.

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The Kettlebell Deadlift

The kettlebell deadlift is the simplest, easiest, and most effective variation to begin with when learning & coaching the deadlift.

Aside from the easiest set of technical demands, it will allow you to gain strength without straining under significant external load while simultaneously ingraining the right movement pattern.

That’s some serious bang for your buck.

Best of all, the KB deadlift is exceptionally versatile, has an endless amount of effective variations, and is arguably the single best drill for teaching and ingraining the hip hinge pattern.

So, yea…I like the KB deadlift a lot.

Watch my in-depth video tutorial for the KB Deadlift

Link The Kettlebell DeadliftPassword DBVar1

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Pros & Cons of the KB Deadlift

Pros: Exceptionally easy to both learn and teach, the KB deadlift is also the safest option with the lowest risk of injury when compared to all other deadlift variations. It’s also the perfect precursor to teaching the KB Swing which is another great tool when building an explosive deadlift.

Cons: Past the beginning stages of training, the KB deadlift is more or less useless outside of a conditioning/rehabilitation setting as intermediate and advanced lifters will need significantly more weight to achieve a training effect.

Technique- Stance: Feet shoulder width apart and slightly externally rotated with the

KB in-line with your heels.

- First movement: Keep your chest up and send your hips back to the wall behind you while letting your arms hang straight down in front of you.

- Second movement: Grab the handle, take a big breath, brace your abs, press through your heels and stand up tall while squeezing your glutes. Do NOT hyperextend the lower back.

- Third movement: Return the KB back to the starting position using the exact same motion in reverse.

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2 of My Favorite Coaching CuesInstead of saying… “hips back!”

You can say… “try to touch the wall behind you with your butt.”

Instead of saying… “chest up!”

You can say… “show me the letters on your t-shirt!”

Regressions & Progressions

First Regression : The Elevated Kettlebell Deadlift

If you don’t have the adequate mobility to KB deadlift safely from the floor, slightly elevate the KB so the range of motion (ROM) is reduced. In doing so you will still ingrain the right movement pattern while gaining strength but it will be accomplished in a safer ROM until you have the requisite mobility to KB deadlift from the floor.

First Progression : The Double Kettlebell Deadlift

Slightly more advanced, notably in that it will allow you to handle significantly more weight, the double kettlebell deadlift is essentially the exact same movement except, as the name implies, you lift two kettlebells (one per hand) instead of one.

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The Trap Bar Deadlift

The 2nd progression in my deadlift coaching series, the trap bar deadlift is a phenomenal variation for lifters of all backgrounds.

Specifically, I prefer coaching the trap bar deadlift early on because it allows you to handle significantly heavier weight than the KB deadlift and also tends to be much safer when compared to other barbell variations.

Worth noting, as a competitive powerlifter I am not a fan of the Trap Bar Deadlift within my own training program. I may use it every once in a while (once every 6-months or so) for a change of pace but, by and large, for powerlifting-specific programs the trap bar deadlift is a waste of time.

However, for pretty much everyone else (general population, body composition focused, and most athletic performance based clients) the trap bar deadlift is a truly phenomenal variation and I use it regularly within nearly all of my client programs.

Watch my in-depth video tutorial for the Trap Bar Deadlift:

Link The Trap Bar Deadlift

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Only available to 4 new lifters each month, my online coaching program is individualized for your specific needs and goals.

If you’d like to apply for the opportunity to work with me online, shoot me an e-mail to jordan@syattfitness.com with “Online Coaching Query” in the subject line and I’ll get back to you within 48-hours or less.

-J

WANT ME TO COACH YOU ONLINE?

Password DBVar2

Pros & Cons of the Trap Bar Deadlift

Pros: Very easy to both learn and teach, the trap bar deadlift is generally a very safe option as the bar is horizontally closer to your center of gravity compared to conventional and sumo deadlift variations. Additionally, the trap bar deadlift is far less stressful on the hips as it requires a relatively significant knee dominant contribution and usually a smaller range of motion (ROM). Finally, there’s a great deal of room for improvement as you can continue to load the trap bar with maximal weight, something you cannot accomplish with the KB deadlift.

Cons: Many lifters, myself included, find the trap bar deadlift exceptionally uncomfortable as it forces you to grip the bar significantly wider than you would in sumo or conventional variations. As a result, it can be challenging to recruit your lats and/or stay upright throughout the drill. Also worth noting, the trap bar deadlift is not a great variation for competitive powerlifters as their time would be far better spent performing and practicing the competition lifts (sumo and conventional deadlifts).

Technique- Stance: Feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and a bit externally

rotated while standing in the center of the Trap Bar.- First movement: Keep your chest up and send your hips back to the wall

behind you while letting your arms hang straight down to your sides.- Second movement: Grab each handle, take a big breath, brace your abs,

pull the tension out, press through your heels, and stand up tall while squeezing your glutes. Do NOT hyperextend the lower back.

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- Third movement: Return the Trap Bar back to the starting position using the exact same motion in reverse.

2 of My Favorite Coaching CuesInstead of saying… “pull the slack out!”

You can say… “pull the tension out of the bar.”

Instead of saying… “squeeze your glutes at the top!”

You can say… “stand all the way up, just like you normally would, without leaning back at the top.”

Regressions & Progressions

First Regression : The High-Handle Trap Bar Deadlift

If you don’t have sufficient mobility to trap bar deadlift safely from the low-handle position, your first regression is to switch to the high-handle position. If that still isn’t enough, slightly elevate the trap bar so the ROM is reduced even further. From that point onward you can slowly and progressively lower the elevation until you’re trap bar deadlifting from the floor and eventually using the low-handle option.

First Progression : The Sumo Deadlift

Slightly more advanced in that it requires significantly more hip mobility and generally better kinesthetic awareness, the Sumo Deadlift is my personal favorite deadlift variation and, in my opinion, is

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drastically underutilized. See the next section for all coaching instructions.

The Sumo Deadlift

The 3rd progression in my deadlift coaching series, the sumo deadlift is clinically proven to increase your sex appeal by 742%.

Kidding aside (but seriously it does…), the sumo deadlift is my personal favorite deadlift variation as it has tremendous carryover to a variety of components for both athletic performance and body composition-focused goals.

Arguably the single best movement for developing the posterior chain, the sumo deadlift is a highly misunderstood exercise and consequently most lifters and coaches completely butcher both the technique and programming.

In the remainder of this chapter I’m going to leave no stones unturned to ensure that you know how to flawlessly coach and perform the sumo deadlift.

Watch my in-depth video tutorial for the Sumo Deadlift:

Link The Sumo Deadlift

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Only available to 4 new lifters each month, my online coaching program is individualized for your specific needs and goals.

If you’d like to apply for the opportunity to work with me online, shoot me an e-mail to jordan@syattfitness.com with “Online Coaching Query” in the subject line and I’ll get back to you within 48-hours or less.

-J

WANT ME TO COACH YOU ONLINE?

Password DBVar3

Pros & Cons of the Sumo Deadlift

Pros: The sumo deadlift is my favorite variation for a number of reasons, not least of which being it’s safer for the lower back compared to the conventional deadlift as sheer forces on the spine are reduced by up to 10%. Additionally, and of the utmost importance, the sumo deadlift simultaneously improves frontal plane hip mobility and overall hip stability which is some serious bang for your buck for a single exercise. Finally, it’s a phenomenal progression to the conventional deadlift as it requires far less ankle and thoracic mobility to get in the right starting position.

Cons: The wider stance-width makes the sumo deadlift significantly more stressful on the hips which, when programmed incorrectly, can lead to pain/injury which is often a symptom of what is known as anterior femoral glide syndrome. Additionally, lifters with insufficient hip mobility are likely better off using different variations (trap bar, conventional, etc) until their mobility is sufficient to the point where they can assume a wider stance easily and without pain or discomfort.

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Technique- Stance: Start narrow(er) and progress wider over time. Initially, start with

your feet slightly outside of shoulder width (several inches wider than your trap bar deadlift stance) and maintain your weight from the outside of your heels through your mid-foot.

- First movement: Keep your chest up and send your hips back to the wall behind you while letting your arms hang straight down in front of you.

- Second movement: Grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and arms fully outstretched. Make sure someone standing in front of you could read the letters on your shirt, take a big breath, brace your abs, pull the tension out of the bar, drive through your heels, stand all the way up and finish by squeezing your glutes. Do NOT hyperextend the lower back.

- Third movement: Make sure your arms are long, completely straight and your shoulders are not shrugging towards your ears. Also check to make sure you aren’t hyperextending the lower back and leaning backwards – you should be tall and upright. Now return the bar to the starting position using the exact same motion in reverse.

2 of My Favorite Coaching CuesInstead of… “drive through the heels.”

You can say… “spread the floor apart.”

Instead of… “don’t shrug your shoulders or bend your arms.”

You can say… “make your arms as long as possible!”

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Regressions & Progressions

First Regression : The Elevated Sumo Deadlift

If you don’t have sufficient mobility or stability to sumo deadlift safely from the floor, your first regression is to elevate the bar onto blocks or in a power rack. Elevate the bar as much as necessary to ensure perfect form but don’t raise it any higher. From that point onward you can slowly and progressively lower the elevation until you’re sumo deadlifting from the floor.

First Progression : The Deficit Sumo Deadlift

Slightly more advanced in that it demands a larger range of motion and significantly more hip mobility, the deficit sumo deadlift is a brutal variation. To perform it effectively, stand on sturdy raised blocks (.5inch – 2inches in height at most) and perform your deadlifts from this raised surface. Your technique should stay exactly the same. To get a better idea of what this looks like you can watch this video of me.

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The Conventional Deadlift

The 4th progression in my deadlift coaching series, the conventional deadlift is the industry standard for advanced deadlifting performance.

While, generally speaking, I prefer sumo over conventional, the conventional deadlift is an invaluable training tool with remarkable carryover to strength, speed, power, muscular hypertrophy, and overall athletic performance.

In the remainder of this chapter I’m going to outline everything you need to know so by the end you fully understand how to perform and coach the conventional deadlift.

Watch my in-depth video tutorial for the Conventional Deadlift

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Only available to 4 new lifters each month, my online coaching program is individualized for your specific needs and goals.

If you’d like to apply for the opportunity to work with me online, shoot me an e-mail to jordan@syattfitness.com with “Online Coaching Query” in the subject line and I’ll get back to you within 48-hours or less.

-J

WANT ME TO COACH YOU ONLINE?

Link The Conventional DeadliftPassword DBVar4

Pros & Cons of the Conventional Deadlift

Pros: The conventional deadlift has a relatively large ROM, especially compared to the sumo deadlift, which is important for hypertrophy-focused lifters to understand as a larger ROM and the subsequent increased muscle fiber recruitment is a primary goal. Also worth noting, the conventional deadlift places a very high demand on the lower back and erectors. While this can be seen as a “con” for individuals with lower back pain, it’s a “pro” for lifters specifically targeting the low-back musculature. Finally, conventional deadlifts are likely more specific to performance-based movements such as jumping seeing as the foot position and general movement pattern require similar joint and muscle actions.

Cons: As previously discussed, the conventional deadlift places far greater demands on the lower back relative to other variations (i.e. sumo) and is a poor choice for lifters with previous and/or current back pain. Also worth mentioning, while the larger ROM may be advantageous for hypertrophy-focused lifters, strength athletes tend to prefer shorter ROM’s as they often facilitate greater leverages and more total weight lifted. That being the case,

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the bigger ROM in the conventional deadlift may be a disadvantage for some strength athletes.

Technique- Stance: Start with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart and toes slightly

externally rotated.- First movement: Keep your chest up and send your hips back to the wall

behind you while letting your arms hang straight down in front of you.- Second movement: Grab the bar with your hands roughly shoulder-width

apart (slightly outside of your shins) and arms fully outstretched. Make sure someone standing in front of you could read the letters on your shirt, take a big breath, brace your abs, pull the tension out of the bar, drive through your heels, stand all the way up and finish by squeezing your glutes. Do NOT hyperextend the lower back.

- Third movement: Make sure your arms are long, completely straight and your shoulders are not shrugging towards your ears. Also check to make sure you aren’t hyperextending the lower back and leaning backwards – you should be tall and upright. Now return the bar to the starting position using the exact same motion in reverse.

2 of My Favorite Coaching Cues

Instead of… “push through the heels.”

You can say… “drive the floor away from you!”

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Instead of… “Squeeze your glutes”

You can say… “hump the bar.” (Seriously. It works).

Regressions & Progressions

First Regression : The Elevated Conventional Deadlift

If you don’t have sufficient mobility or stability to conventional deadlift safely from the floor, your first regression is to elevate the bar onto blocks or in a power rack. Elevate the bar as much as necessary to ensure perfect form but don’t raise it any higher. From that point onward you can slowly and progressively lower the elevation until you’re conventional deadlifting from the floor.

First Progression : The Deficit Conventional Deadlift

Slightly more advanced in that it demands a larger range of motion and significantly more ankle, hip, and thoracic mobility, the deficit conventional deadlift is a phenomenal variation for increasing speed and strength off the floor. To perform it effectively, stand on a sturdy raised block (.5inch – 2inches in height at most) and perform your deadlifts from this raised surface. Your technique should stay exactly the same.

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BONUS PROGRESSION: The Paused Conventional Deadlift

Similar to the standard conventional deadlift, the paused variation requires far more control of the movement especially at the initiation of the lift. To perform it correctly, set-up exactly as you would for the standard conventional deadlift. Initiate the pull as usual but pause roughly 2inches beneath the knees for 2-4 seconds. After the pause, re-initiate the lift as quickly as possible and explode through lockout.

How Do You Pull the Slack Out of the Bar?The concept known as “pulling the slack out of the bar” prior to Deadlifting is one of the most important, albeit commonly misunderstood, techniques in the world of strength training.

And while most lifters and coaches either don’t know how to do it and/or teach it correctly, I’ve developed an extremely simple method that will teach you exactly how to pull the slack out of the bar in less than 5-minutes.

This is actually the exact system I provided in my book and 90-day peaking program, Raw Strength for Powerlifting.

The only 12-week program specifically designed for raw powerlifting performance, this program has helped some of my lifters increase their squat, bench press, and deadlift total by over 200lbs in 90-days.

And since you’re now a VIP member of the Syatt Fitness community, you can use your private discount code below to grab your copy at 10% off.

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Grab your copy here Raw Strength for Powerlifting

Use Your Discount Code DeadliftBible365

Back to deadlifting…

Below I’ve provided you with the link to access my video tutorial teaching you exactly how to pull the slack out of the bar.

Link How to Pull the Slack Out of the Bar

Password RSPLslack

3 Underrated Tools You Need in Your Training Arsenal

The fitness industry is rife with lies, marketing scams, and remarkably ineffective products.

See, along with the advent of the internet came the ability for anyone and everyone to become a self-proclaimed “expert” and market anything they want, regardless of whether or not it truly works.

And with every “expert” claiming to be right, it’s almost impossible to decipher whose telling the truth and whose just trying to make a quick buck off of your hard earned pay check.

The sad reality?Most products, supplements, and training gear are scams.

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Granted, some of them are highly effective and definitely worth the $$$ - more on those in just a second - but 99% of the advertisements you see for products and supplements are absolutely worthless.

Fortunately, among the cesspool that is the market of fitness gear and supplements, there are some truly effective products that my clients and I use on a regular basis.

To help you weed out the bad and invest in the good, in the remainder of this bonus chapter I’ve outlined the top 3 underrated tools that you need in your training arsenal.

-J

Fat Gripz

Fat Gripz are one of the few pieces of training equipment I’ve never regretted spending a couple bucks on.

And trust me, I regret spending money on a lot of training products.

Unquestionably one of my favorite training tools for both myself and my clients, I’m a major proponent of Fat Gripz for several reasons:

1) The increased diameter of the bar/handle places significantly less stress on the wrist and elbow joints. So if you (or your clients) have any wrist or elbow pain, often times Fat Gripz will eliminate the discomfort and allow you to train safely around the injury.

2) Of course, the increased diameter also raises the demands of your grip strength. So if you find your grip strength to be a limiting factor (having trouble holding onto the bar while deadlifting?), Fat Gripz are a highly effective tool to rapidly improve your grip strength.

3) Training with a wider grip is substantially harder than using a standard bar or grip-width. That being the case, if you use Fat Gripz for a whole training cycle (4-8

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weeks) and then go back to the normal bar, more often than not you’ll find your strength has drastically increased.

4) Fat Gripz are exceptionally versatile and can be used with any number of exercises including all variations of bench press, chin-ups, rows, and even lower body exercises like lunges and deadlifts. In other words, you can use Fat Gripz to change the stress and demands of any exercise you want.

Want a pair of Fat Gripz? You can grab yours here:

Fat Gripz Store Athletic Greens

I’ve never been a big supplement guy.

Growing up I was fortunate enough to have a mom who loved cooking for me and made sure I was constantly well fed.

Sometimes too well fed.

Anyway, because of my upbringing, I never thought I would need nutritional supplements. I figured I would always have the time to cook and prepare big, nutritious meals for myself.

In a perfect world I would cook every single meal using freshly picked produce and only the highest quality ingredients.

I’m sure you would, too.

But, unfortunately, neither of us live in a perfect world.

Like you, my schedule gets increasingly hectic every day.

So for some added nutritional insurance, I’ve started using Athletic Greens.

One of the only nutritional supplements I’d even consider taking on a regular basis, I like Athletic Greens for a couple big reasons:

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1) It’s a whole foods based product made with extremely high quality ingredients.2) It’s my personal “nutrition insurance policy” when life gets so damn busy I just don’t

have the time to eat as many vegetables as I know I should.3) It’s my preferred replacement for a daily multi-vitamin as I get all the same benefits and

more, notably from the added digestive enzymes and probiotics.

Of course, it’s important to remember that no supplement can ever take the place of a generally healthy diet and well-designed training program. That being said, if you’re busy like me and consistently training hard…adding Athletic Greens to your nutrition regimen will help to cover your nutritional bases.

Want to order Athletic Greens? You can grab yours here:

Athletic Greens Store Raw Strength for Powerlifting

Most people think just because I’m a record holding powerlifter and have deadlifted 4x my bodyweight (530lbs at a bodyweight of 132lbs) that I’ve always been strong and am genetically predisposed to be a high level lifter.

Not the case.

The only athlete in my entire family, growing up I was remarkably weak for my age and only succeeded as a wrestler because my conditioning was better than pretty much everyone else in my division.

As I got older and became more interested in strength training, I quickly realized I had a lot of work ahead of me and it was going to be a long time before I could lift anything even remotely heavy.

Finally, after years of working, researching, studying, training, coaching, and learning at Westside Barbell and Cressey Performance I finally found my groove.

I started to get strong.

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But I still had a long way to go and it was around that same time that I began to develop my program, Raw Strength for Powerlifting.

Now, years later and having spent a great deal of time competing as an Elite ranked powerlifter and coaching hundreds of individuals, I’m proud to say I’ve built Raw Strength for Powerlifting into the single best peaking program available for raw lifters.

And as this is the very program that took me from a 3xBW to 4xBW deadlift…I know you’re going to love it.

As mentioned earlier, since you’re now a VIP member of the Syatt Fitness community, I’m excited to give you a 10% discount using the private code below:

Grab Your Discounted Copy BelowLink Raw Strength for Powerlifting

Your Discount Code DeadliftBible365

Thank You!I sincerely hope you enjoyed the book and that it’s helped you better understand the deadlift and how to train it properly.

When in doubt, always refer back to the video technique tutorials as those are some of the most in-depth and informative videos you’ll find available in the industry.

Again, thank you for becoming a VIP member of the Syatt Fitness community, I’m extremely excited to get to know you better, and if you ever have any questions you can always contact me directly via e-mail (jordan@syattfitness.com) and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

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Want me to be your powerlifting coach?

You can apply for a spot in my online coaching program.

Never Minimal. Never Maximal. Always Optimal.

-J

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