Use of Alternative Deadlift Training Can Be Effective At Improving Strength and Teaching the Olympic Deadlift in Novice Lifters DR. BENJAMIN SNYDER AND ELVIS FOLI

Outline I. Introduction To the Deadlift and The Purpose of our Study II. Deadlift Alternatives III. Methodology IV. Results and Practical Applications

Introduction to the Deadlift The Deadlift 1.Lower Body Strength and Power 2.Basis of Olympic Lifts

Lower back Injuries 23% of Olympic powerlifters (Calhoon and Fry, 1999) ◦74% were muscle strains 23.7% of injuries among 101 lifters in different age groups (Keogh et al. 2006) ◦11.9% of injuries were from the deadlift exercise Likely Cause ◦Improper from (Escamilla et al., 2001) backlower-back-muscles-pain-human-anatomy-anatomy-skeletal-system-7.jpg

Purpose of Our Study Results of Previous Research (Snyder 2013) ◦Walk in Machine deadlift results in upright posture ◦EMG analysis showed 25% less muscle activity when compared to ODL The Purpose of our Study 1. Determine deadlift alternatives are effective at teaching the ODL 2. Determine whether deadlift alternatives resulted in similar increases in strength

Deadlift Alternatives: Machine Deadlift

Deadlift Alternatives: Trap Bar Deadlift

Methodology Length of Study 7 weeks Subjects ◦16 subjects between the ages of 20 and 25 (10 males and 6 females) Testing ◦3 Repetition Max (3RM) tested (pre and post training)

Measurements Video and Software Used ◦Motion Capture Software (MaxTraq, Innovation ◦High speed camera (120 fps) Posture Measured By ◦Absolute Back angle (AbsBack) ◦Relative Knee Angle (RelKnee) Measurements were taken during week 1, week 5, and week 7

Methodology Training Groups ◦Group 1: Olympic Deadlift Only (OD) ◦Group 2: Alternative Deadlift Group (ProgOD) ◦2 weeks on machine deadlift ◦3 weeks on trap bar ◦2 weeks on ODL

Summary of Training Schedule Week Deadlift Training protocol (For both ODL and DL Alternative) Lower Body Exercise (2 exercises) 1-22 x 10 (75% of 1 RM)2 x x 6 (85% 1 RM)3 x x 4 (90% 1 RM)3 x 10 Note: 1 x 10 means 1 set of 1 repetitions 1 RM means of 1 repetition max Accessory Training Two lower body exercises (Days 1 and 2) Full body cross training (Day 3)

Results Statistical Tests Used ◦AbsBack and RelKnee- Repeated Measures ANOVA (p ≤ 0.05) ◦Change in ODL max- two tailed paired t-test (p ≤ 0.05)

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Pre-trainingMid-training

Summary of Results Strength increased in both groups After week five, Absolute Back angle was significantly higher and Relative Knee angle was significantly lower than the measurements were before training Upright posture was not maintained at the end of the 7 weeks Limitations of the Study ◦Small Group ◦Short Study ◦Lack of a rest period ODLProgDL %Change in Strength 28.6% ± 6.19 SSE 19.5% ± 3.32% SSE Table II: Increases in Strength (%) *SSE= Standard error of Measurement

Practical Applications Alternative exercises were effective at increasing strength Strength Coaches can use the alternative lifts to train novice lifters and move them on to the ODL as soon as it is safe For Future Studies:  Use of Trap Bar Only  Longer Study

References Baechle, T. R., Earle, R. W., & Wathen, D. (2008). Essentials of Strength & Conditioning (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Calhoon, G., & Fry, A. C. (1999). Injury rates and profiles of elite competitive weightlifters. Journal of Athletic Training, 34(3), Escamilla, R. F., Lowry, T. M., Osbahr, D. C., & Speer, K. P. (2001). Biomechanical analysis of the deadlift during the 1999 special Olympics world games. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(8), Keogh, J., Hume, P. A., & Pearson, S. (2006). Retrospective injury epidemiology of one hundred one competitive Oceania power lifters: The effects of age, body mass, competitive standard, and gender. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research / National Strength & Conditioning Association, 20(3), doi: /R