How to Progress/Regress Your Deadlift
I’m sure you have certain things in your life that make you “tick”. Things that fire you up to work and get better.
For example, do you feel you are at your best when you are under pressure and needing to make a deadline?
Are you in the zone when you are able to collaborate with a team and reach a common goal?
Do you absolutely rock your to-do list listening to Miley Cyrus CDs?
Hey, to each his own!
I don’t know about you, but I do my best work when my life is completely organized. If you were to take a look at my home office (a.k.a the nook of our kitchen), sift through my computer documents, or open up my personal training client drawer, you would probably get creeped out with the sheer organization of it all. I’m probably organized to a fault.
Someone recently told me it’s my German blood that makes me so structured and efficient, and I’m sure that’s partly true, but I just don’t do well when things are haphazard. It’s also possible that it’s because I secretly wish to be reincarnated as a Terminator (a good one, of course) and that I’m just preparing myself for how that will feel.
When my apartment is clean and all my files are organized to a T, I seriously am like, “HECK YEAH, LET’S DO THIS!!!!” and I will dive into work relentlessly. Weird, I know.
At any rate, it’s de-motivating to me to work in an un-clean space or to pursue a task that doesn’t have clearly defined systems, such as writing training programs for my clients.
With programming, my OCD kicks in big-time. There are obviously so many routes you can take with writing programs, as it all depends on the individual you are training, but I get frustrated when I struggle to connect the dots on why Exercise X was done in the 1st mesocycle and not Exercise Y. What comes after Exercise X? Why? How does that fit into the grand scheme of the program? Oh wait, I just learned this new exercise that I think would be great for Billy Bob, where does that fit into his overall program?
Now that I have been writing programs for a few years, and asking myself these questions repeatedly, I have been slowly, but surely, working on a progression/regression continuum for all of the major movement patterns in what will be my never-ending quest to systematize my programming model. This is a powerful exercise, as it has allowed me to become much more efficient with developing programs, but also allow me to critically evaluate and ask the question;
“Why do I do what I do?”
In fitness, I’m learning that this question can never be asked enough! Plus, this practice keeps me organized, which fires me up to write amaze-balls programs.
I wanted to share with you what I have been able to complete with these continuums, starting with, of course, the hip hinge. This is my favorite movement pattern, so naturally, I felt most comfortable putting a continuum together for this pattern first. I’m pretty sure it has changed 10x over the past couple of years, and I’m sure it will change in the months (probably weeks) after this blog has posted, but that’s ok, as that means I’m gaining experience and it’s getting more polished. I actually wrote another post on this very pattern creatively titled, “The Deadlift“.
Before I get into the specific exercises, let me briefly explain my thought process behind the progression of the hinge.
Progression Rationale
My end-goal with pretty much anyone is to get them deadlifting respectable weight off the floor with a barbell. That’s my long-awaited “Point B” if someone is starting from scratch. As I have mentioned before on this blog, I use the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) as a baseline screening tool for my clients. If someone presents with symmetrical 1s or an asymmetry on the Active Straight-Leg Raise AND they aren’t able to touch their toes, then they aren’t cleared to deadlift. They need to clean up that pattern first, whether it’s through a mobility intervention (in the case of someone not getting at least a 2 AND not being able to touch their toes) or a stability intervention (in the case of someone not getting a 2 BUT being able to touch their toes no problemo). At a hip hinge workshop I attended in LA recently, Charlie Weingroff referred to the latter scenario as a “soft” 1, meaning, keep an eye on it and work on it, but they are probably ok to deadlift.
In the below continuum, I start at the most regressed, assuming someone is a 1 and can’t touch their toes, and work my way up from there. The beauty with continuums is you can set your parameters and figure out who you can slot where. This is where the art of program design comes into play, as over time, you develop a sense of where someone’s starting point will be and where you have the best opportunity to set them up for success, as not everything is always going to be clearly defined. Most of the time, you just have to make a very-educated guess.
In the continuum, I will list the movement and give a brief rationale for each progression, but this post would be 15,000 words if I went into every detail, so feel free to ask follow-up questions and challenge what I put together. I’m always going to be trying to make this thing better, so I would love to hear what works well for you, as I am just going off of my own study and what seems to be working at this point in time.
Hip Hinge Continuum
Assisted Hip Flexor Stretch
This is straight out of the FMS handbook. Passive stretching comes before active stretching.
Passive Leg Lower (one leg supported on wall or with band)
(video credit: Mike Robertson)
Leg lowering drills train hamstring length, in concert with core stability. It’s essentially a reverse patterning drill of the ASLR, so it allows you to re-write the motor program in the brain on a clean slate.
Active Leg Lower (unsupported, hands at sides or underneath lumbar)
Core-Engaged Active Straight-Leg Raise (using a Cook band or something similar)
If you weren’t feeling your core with active leg-lowering, this will kick things up a notch because the band provides external feedback.
(video credit: Viking Strength Systems)
Half-Kneeling
I hadn’t really played with just hanging out in half-kneeling until that hip hinge workshop and going to FMS Level 2. Man, was that humbling! This can function as both a mobility and stability corrective, depending on where you place the front foot. If you bring it in closer to the mid-line, your stability is going to be challenged far more than if you keep it in the 90/90 “railroad” tracks position. I used to think of this as just a half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, but this is a great opportunity to get a sense of pelvic positioning in a more upright posture, as well.
Half-Kneeling with Torso Rotation
Open up the hip flexor and challenge your stability even more by adding in a rotation. Keep the head straight ahead and ribs down.
Half-Kneeling with Kettlebell Halo
My ASLR cold is a 1,2. I know, I know, I deadlift all the freakin time, but I can basically palm the floor with my hands. I’m working on bringing up the asymmetry (it’s THIS close typically to being a 2 on my left) and this drill, NO JOKE, got me to a 3,3 almost instantly at the FMS Level 2. I clearly had more of a stability issue, and this drill basically cemented my pelvis in a more neutral position (I’m pretty anteriorly tilted). It felt like magic! It’s not easy though, so that’s why it’s important to be very solid in half-kneeling first.
(video credit: Viking Strength Systems)
Half-Kneel Chop
Chops are all about reflexive core stability. I consider this a step above the halos because the load is moving through a larger range-of-motion outside of your base of support.
(video credit: Sean Skahan)
Half-Kneel Lift
The lift is considered to be a progression of the chop, and they definitely feel more difficult and tend to be a more awkward movement to teach. Again, reflexive core stability is the name of the game.
(video credit: Mike Robertson)
Leg-Lock Bridge
If you dominated the movements above, you should be able to access a pretty full hip extension with these. I like the self-limiting nature of having one knee pulled in, so that it becomes more of a posterior tilt of the pelvis, rather than just snapping the hips up and down.
(video credit: Custom Strength)
Intermission #1:
Ok, so after all of those, you should be able to knock out a symmetrical ASLR and touch the floor like a boss. Moving on to some bilateral fun, but we will return to unilateral work later.
Glute Bridge
I know this seems like a fairly regressed pattern, but very few movements are too easy when they are actually done properly. This is where I would start you if you were symmetrical in your ASLR, but don’t quite have the motor control to perform a hinge. Give yourself a chance to work in a non-threatening position (supine) with gravity and work from there.
Hip Thrust
I really like the hip thrust, not just for developing the glutes, but as an entry-point for patterning a great hip hinge. Again, you are working with gravity here, but the thrust puts you in a more horizontal plane than the standard bridge, demanding quite a bit more in terms of core stability and glute activation. I don’t typically load someone on these as they are learning the hinge, instead turning back to this later on as a supplemental exercise to improve their deadlift. Or, if you have the ability to deadlift, but can’t for whatever reason due to an injury (usually flexion-based back pain), this could serve as a fantastic way to maintain the pattern without forcing you to go into flexion. Heck, you can even use it to give yourself a break from full-on deadlifting without taking a break altogether.
Tall-Kneeling Hinge
This is what we would use as an entry-point for the athletes when I was an assistant strength coach at the University of Evansville. I love it, as it allows you to disassociate the hips from the low-back in a relatively stable position. It also teaches proper positioning of the chest, as it has to stay up, in order for you to really hinge, and not just sit backward. Just as it sounds, get down on both knees, hands on hips, push those hips back, and keep the chest up. Explode up to the start, engaging the glutes.
Half-Kneeling Hinge
This is one that I picked up from one of my mentors here in LA, and it’s a progression from tall-kneeling because it demands more stability. It’s also harder to maintain a “neutral” spine.
Hinge with Horizontal Dowel
Once you are good hinging away on the floor, it’s time to stand up and get after it.
I love this progression, as it does a phenomenal job of teaching someone what a proper hinge feels like in a standing posture. Going from tall and half-kneeling to standing can be a big jump for some, so give yourself some assistance in the early-going. The dowel opens up the chest and prevents the number-one error that I see with the hinge, which is rounding at the lower back.
Hinge to Wall
To the wall!!!
Sorry.
The wall serves as a good reference point to push back to, because if you tell someone to hinge, and they aren’t that familiar with it yet, it probably won’t look pretty. Like I mentioned earlier, you always want to be setting someone up for success, as no one wants to perform poorly. I would rather start someone too regressed than too progressed and have to shift backward.
Standing Hinge
You can go arms out in front or hands on the hips, I haven’t found there to be a huge difference.
HAT (Hinge Assessment Tool)
This one is from Dan John. I like to go single-leg here, because it begins getting you prepped for single-leg deadlifts with some support from the wall. Mainly though, it’s just a wicked way to open up the entire backside of the lower body. Single-leg deadlifts can be one of the toughest movements to coach someone to do well, even if they are physically prepared, so if you aren’t, you know it’s going to be a mess. This also helps further ingrain the hinge mechanics you have learned up to this point.
Goat-Bag Swing
Another one from Coach John. I had no idea what these were before I read his book, “Intervention”, but I have used them quite successfully in the continuum. Because the weight is held tight to the body throughout, the upper back becomes much more involved. A lack of upper back “tightness” is a big issue that I see early on when learning the deadlift. Goat-bags provide a fairly user-friendly way to tap into the upper back and teach the necessary tension.
As a quick aside, the ability to get tight in the upper back (locking down the scapula and lats) is crucial for nearly any big lift!!
Kettlebell Deadlift
Time to start deadlifting off the floor!
For the basic deadlift progressions, the progressions are mainly built around the weight in relation to one’s center of gravity. I start with the bell because it’s the least stressful on the lower back in this sense. It sits right within one’s base of support. It also has limited loading potential, so it’s good to use as you build up strength. I will say though, deadlifting 2 48kg bells are no joke! If you are being careful with your lower back and need to put the barbell away, don’t fear, as the bells can still give you a challenge.
If you need more however, look no further than our next progression;
Trap-Bar Deadlift
I have mixed feelings on the trap-bar. I have seen some clients do great with it and others just don’t ever really jive with the positioning. I personally don’t play with it that often, but it does have use as a building block to the barbell deadlift. It puts far less shear stress on the spine than the barbell, since you are pulling the weight just outside of your base of support, plus with how the bar is raised, it takes you through a lesser range-of-motion.
Outside of the loading potential, the trap-bar is a progression because, unlike the kettlebell, it doesn’t “stop” you at the top. You have to lock the core down to prevent over-extending at the low-back.
Romanian Deadlift
Also known as the stiff-legged deadlift, this gets a bar in your hands, but limits how far you have to lower it, going only just below the knees. It is a true loaded hinge, as it has very minimal knee movement. This is where the upper back tightness education comes in handy, as I don’t know about you, but I tend to feel way more upper back and core than hamstrings and glutes, which is perfectly acceptable, as these guys tend to be an afterthought in conventional deadlifting.
Sumo Deadlift
I love me some sumo deadlifts. It shortens up the range-of-motion slightly versus a conventional deadlift and because of the wide, open-toed stance, allows for more hip internal rotation. Not only is this a great progression to a true deadlift, but it’s also a great variation to incorporate for 4-6 weeks at a time, instead of conventional deads.
Conventional Deadlift
The big kahuna.
I become very happy when I get someone doing these well and with a significant load because I know all the good it is doing for them. It’s the reward of being able to smoke all of the progressions prior to this.
Suitcase Deadlift
I put asymmetrical work within a hinge pattern after deadlifts because I use it more as an anti-lateral flexion exercise than anything. It just adds another component for someone who is great at hinging and replicates how most of us pick things up during the day; off to one side!
(video credit: Tony Gentilcore)
Kettlebell Swing
After strength is achieved (however you end up defining it, for me it’s just being able to own a deadlift with bodyweight), power needs to be given some love. I get people swinging as quick as I can, because the metabolic effects are outrageous. It only takes one set to make someone aware of their power (literally).
That being said, there is nothing that makes me cringe more than watching someone swing who isn’t ready to do so. Please, please, please get your deadlift on lock before doing them.
Single-Leg Deadlift
This is where people will probably disagree with me the most. As I mentioned earlier, this exercise can be one of the toughest to coach, as there are so many nuances complicated by the fact that you are on one leg. In my experience, I just haven’t seen someone do these well AND not be able to do a proper bilateral deadlift first.
As you saw, I have no problem patterning it (e.g. HAT) on the road to deadlift-glory, and I know there are lots of ways to regress it and make it more user-friendly, but at this point, I’m just not sold.
Wrap-Up
If you are able to do a single-leg deadlift well with a decent unilateral load on BOTH sides, then kudos, as I consider it to the most difficult representation of a hinge. However, it’s not necessarily more important to achieve than a barbell deadlift and that’s not the point of this post.
With this continuum, I based everything purely on level of complexity. It’s not a list of what is more important than something else. You will have a different entry-point into the continuum than the guy next to you, and how you progress through it is all relative based on your goals and current/past injury status.
You may use different exercises and order things differently than I do, and that’s great, as long as you have a justification for why you do what you do. I would love to hear where you agree/disagree and what you have found to be effective for you in your experience below in the comments.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m sure this list will be changing at some point soon, as I am always tinkering and being blown away by the work of really smart and innovative coaches.
To a great, repeatable hinge!!
Take the Leap,
Kasey, CSCS
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