“One weird trick.” If there were a magic bullet for anything, I hope its fired out of a gun that shoots sideways spinning flaming baseball bats wrapped in barbwire.

There is no easy way.

If you are currently weak, progressively and systematically lift more weights for as long a period of time required until you are not weak.

That’s the one weird trick. To nurture and develop the self control and patience of a stalking serial killer.

With all that said, I always try to be as analytic as I can when watching others lift. I’ve noticed a couple little dumb things people do that really hinder the number of plates on the bar. One thing that may INSTANTLY help your deadlift (particularly the lockout) is this:

Fix your hip extension load error during your set-up. What the hell does this mean? Pay very close attention to your deadlift set-up. More specifically, before you drop down to put your hands on the bar. That moment when you are standing above the bar making the last couple adjusts of your feet and mentally combing through your own little tuggin check list. Let’s just refer to this aspect of the lift the “pre-lift.” Most lifters fall into one of two categories regarding their pre-lifts:

They put absolutely zero thought into this portion. They have an incredibly tedious approach/ritual leading up to the lift itself.

There is nothing wrong with either scenario. But, a lot of people neglect a tiny little aspect of the pre-lift that could be causing some lockout issues with heavier pulls. At some point during the pre-lift, global extension must occur before you drop down to the bar.

This essentially makes certain that you begin the initiation of the lift from a “closed kinetic” position. Globally extending is basically reinforcing the position you want to end up in at the end range of the pull itself.

In other words, a deliberate and forceful extension of the ankles, knees, hips, and the entire aspect of your posterior chain ensures a couple things:

You aren’t beginning the lift with an unnecessary load error. This will make it harder to achieve maximum tension in your starting position. Not being tight enough decreases your stability and force transfer. You are now building a more consistent/repeatable technique. Starting from an “open kinetic” position allows for a great deal of chaotic deviations. There is no way to make it repeatable because you won’t be able to replicate the same open position for every pull. The “closed chain” position allows for the initial set-up to be 100% identical for every lift. This is a huge aspect of training that a lot of people seem to mess up. Consistency in all aspects of the lift being practiced is key.

I like to tell people to imagine you’re trying to punch your butt over top of the bar. Then, drop down to get set for the pull.

Short little article. Hope it helps.

Sprint. Kill. Eat. Butt Punch.