The deadlift will forever be considered one of the most effective exercises of all time. This compound movement activates several primary movers including the hamstrings, back, and quadriceps. It has the power to dramatically increase your strength and muscle mass when used in a safe and controlled manner. Inevitably, every deadlift enthusiast reaches the point where they become frustrated as they hit a plateau.

Whether you want more repetitions or more plates on each side of the barbell, there are some easy hacks you can utilize to boost your results. Let’s take a look at the 4 ways you can boost your deadlift.

4. Focus on Your Grip

Talk to anyone who has been deadlifting for years and they’ll tell you the first thing to give out during the exercise is rarely your back; it’s your grip. If you’re only focusing on adding weight plates without strengthening your grip outside of the deadlift exercise, you’ll never hit the rep count that you want. Make sure to incorporate grip strengthening exercises into your routine. Try these exercises at least twice per week:

• Farmer’s Walk
• Static Barbell Hold
• Hand Grippers / Squeezers

3. Change Your Foot Placement

Just like with the squat, many deadlift lovers stick to one way of placing their feet. More often than not, you’ll see guys and girls placing their feet at or just outside of shoulder-width. This may or may not include a slight turn out of the feet.

Try changing up the placement of your feet. For example, by performing a sumo squat, you are forced to pay close attention to your knees to ensure they do not buckle inward. In turn, this means you may need to work on your hip flexors, and by strengthening your hip flexors, your overall deadlift will improve. Just make sure that the foot placement is comfortable and not causing you to strain.

2. Give Your Body Time to Recover

If you want to watch as your numbers improve on the deadlift, you need to give your body time to recover. The deadlift is a tough exercise and one that places a great deal of stress on the body. Over training with the deadlift may put you at risk for injury as you watch your reps and weight decrease. You can train with the deadlift two or three times per week but make sure you’re giving yourself a day of rest in between. As always, eat a well-balanced diet, supplement with post-workout ingredients, and get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

1. Stay Consistent

The best way to see real results with your deadlift is to stay consistent with it. If you want to see your deadlift vastly improve then this should be the focus of your weekly workouts. You can’t skip a deadlift workout and expect to get better the following week. Being consistent also means focusing on the secondary muscles that will improve your deadlift. For example, strengthening your grip and hip flexors as I mentioned above. Stay true to the deadlift and you’ll see your gains skyrocket.

Tell Us What You Think!

Have you tried any of these methods?

What results did you notice?

Let us know in the comments below!