Raising deadlifts to make up for shit anthropometry

[PressesPeople]

Anyone do this? I raised mine recently because I was making zero progress in the deadlift for the longest time, and I eventually realized it was because I have to bend over my back for a normal-height DL, which is both unhealthy and targets the smaller muscles in my posterior chain. Either that, or I have to REALLY lower my hips, which then makes it mechanically terrible.

The raised DLs finally feel like what I think a DL should feel like, and it makes my set-up from the side look like that of someone who has normal anthropometry. I'm actually SORE from DLs for once, because I finally was able to use enough weight to get a damn stimulus!

Raised it about 3-4 inches.

[OCG]

No.

[Eric K]

Um. What? You have trouble with the first few inches of a deadlift so you just took the first few inches of ROM out of the lift? What do you do to fill that gap in your training?

[PressesPeople]

There is no gap, just as there is no "gap in the training" of someone who only squats to just below parallel as opposed to ATG.

I do it because for my anthropometry, it's the greatest ROM I can complete and still have some mechanical advantage in the lift.

If anything, I'm filling a gap in my training simply because I can now actually do heavy deadlifts without completely fucking my back.

[Tom Narvaez]

You have the right idea, but the wrong approach, in my opinion. In cases like these, it is usually recommended that you switch to sumo. I have a friend with similarly shitty anthropometry. He has shortish arms and quite a long torso. He literally cannot set-up with a flat back without his shoulders being below his ass. Rip mentioned a case like this when I attended one of the seminars. They also had the lifter switch to sumo.

[Eric K]

There is no gap, just as there is no "gap in the training" of someone who only squats to just below parallel as opposed to ATG.

You have the wrong idea about this. The "ATG" issue is that the hamstrings slack beyond the just below parallel part. By raising the deadlift, you are not doing the movement more correctly, you're doing less work and not training the ROM that is useful: specifically off the floor. Tom might be onto a better idea with Sumo, but I've heard a lot of sumo deadlifters train the regular deadlift and compete with the sumo, because the regular deadlift is a better training tool, unless, in the extreme case, your shoulders are actually below your hips.

[Tom Narvaez]

I've heard a lot of sumo deadlifters train the regular deadlift and compete with the sumo

In my experience, this isn't really true, but I've heard Rip say the same thing about old school lifters who pulled sumo. I think a lot more people use sumo technique now. Particularly geared lifters. Those guys do a lot of sumo work throughout the year.

Conventional deadlifts are usually the better general strength tool specifically because they work the lower back harder than sumo pulls. You can basically simulate the effect with a narrow sumo stance. For someone with shit anthropometry, the angles end up being very similar to a normal person trying to pull conventionally. You have to see it first person, but there are literally some people that just can't pull with a flat back using a conventional stance with anything but a ridiculous back angle.

[PressesPeople]

My hips ARE above my shoulders when I do regular height DLs.....

But sumo doesn't hit my back at all. The raised DLs are my way of meeting in the middle. I think it's important for people to realize that for my body, these raised DLs are simply bringing me to what a NORMAL deadlift should look like.

[Tom Narvaez]

But sumo doesn't hit my back at all.

Narrow your stance. Sumo only shifts the focus a bit. It doesn't cut out all lower back work. This is similar to moving your stance in or out during squats.

Your solution is probably not going to be met openly because it violates a lot of important traditions. If you don't care about competing or being able to compare your deadlift #s to other people, it doesn't really matter, though.

[AdamW]

I've always thought it was sort of strange for the height of a deadlift to be the same for a 4'10" woman and a 7'2" guy... No one gives short people with long arms a hard time about cutting ROM off of their deadlift compared to the tall dude with short arms.