Get A Stronger Posterior Chain With These 5 Deadlift Variations

Deadlifts strengthen the posterior chain muscles. Here are 5 different deadlifting variations. I am including multiple variations that do not involve starting from the floor.

Countless people have been led to believe that their deadlift doesn’t “count” unless the starting position is from the floor. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Unfortunately, people of all backgrounds, genders, and ages fall prey to this myth, and perform deadlift variations that might not be best suited to them. Not to sound like a broken record, unless you are competing in powerlifting there is no written rule that you must deadlift from the floor.⁣

Check out my article from last week where I shared 5 exercises for durable and resilient hamstrings. These are great accessory exercises for deadlifts.

#1) Kickstand RDL Reverse Lunge Combo

This is an awesome deadlift for strengthening and building your hamstrings and glutes!! This exercise combines a kickstand RDL and a reverse lunge.

Coaching Tips:

Start with your feet in a square stance. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

On the foot of the planted/working leg, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the ground for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the ground.

Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.

Now step backwards like you are going to do a reverse lunge, and simultaneously hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.

This ‘’lunging’’ side will serve as a “kickstand” and will provide minimal assistance.

When you are lunging/hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body back/down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.

When you reach your full range (a range where YOU can maintain form/feels good), engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position.

Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet. For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#2) Trap Bar Deadlifts

With this deadlifting variation, your body is inside a hex shaped bar, and the weight is on either side of the body. While this exercise is more of a hinge/squat hybrid, it is still a hinging movement. With trap bar deadlifts, the torso will be more upright, there will be more ankle dorsiflexion, and more quad involvement. ⁣⁣

Coaching Tips:

Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your feet, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your feet should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your feet to the floor.

To get into starting position, hinge/push your hips back, and bend your knees the rest of the way. Also, pull your body down to the bar, and take the slack out of the bar.

Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits. For the duration of the exercise, the bar and your arms should not travel ahead of your body.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now, press your body away from the floor and to the top position by engaging your posterior chain muscles and quads. Your body and bar should travel in a vertical path.

Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knees.⁣

Pause for a brief count in the top position. Perform the reverse movements and return to the starting position.

You may pause in the bottom position and do a “reset” and breathe in, or you may do a “reset” and inhale during the descending component.

Do not bounce the weights off the floor. Lower the weights to the floor with control.

⁣For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet. For the duration of the exercise, pretend you are trying to spread the floor apart with your feet. This cue can really help.

For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate. ⁣

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

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#3) Single Leg Rear Foot Elevated Deadlifts⁣

The band resistance, which is coming posteriorly, helps reinforce the hip hinging movement, and really forces you to use the posterior chain muscles during the lockout. If you lose focus for even a second the band will hold you accountable, and you’ll get pulled backwards.⁣

Coaching Tips:

Adopt a staggered stance, and place your back foot on a box/bench.⁣⁣ Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

⁣⁣⁣⁣On your front foot, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.

Be on the forefoot of your back foot.⁣ This side will serve as a “kickstand” and will provide minimal assistance.

⁣⁣⁣Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits. For the duration of the exercise, the weights should not travel ahead of your body.⁣

⁣Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

⁣Now hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.⁣

When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body back/down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.

⁣When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.⁣

⁣Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.⁣ ⁣

⁣For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.⁣

⁣For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate. ⁣

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#4) Negative Staggered Stance Deadlifts + Posterior Band Resistance⁣

Coaching Tips:

Fasten a resistance band around a secure surface, and loop the band around your hip crease. There should be a significant amount of resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise, and the resistance should be coming posteriorly.

Adopt a staggered stance. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.

⁣⁣⁣⁣On your front foot, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.

Be on the forefoot of your back foot.⁣ This side will serve as a “kickstand” and will provide minimal assistance.

⁣⁣Hold onto a barbell, and adopt your preferred hand width. Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.

For the duration of the exercise, the barbell should not travel ahead of your body.⁣ Pretend you are painting your legs with the barbell.

⁣Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

⁣Now hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.⁣

When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body back/down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.

⁣When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.⁣

Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.⁣

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.

⁣For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate. ⁣

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#5) Single Leg Slider RDL’s

This exercise is fantastic if doing single leg deadlifts is a goal of yours. Even if you have no desire to do single leg deadlifts, this exercise is a great posterior chain strengthener.

You can do this exercise using a slider, towel, or anything that slides.

Coaching Tips:

Adopt your preferred stance. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.

On the planted side, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.

On the supporting leg, rest your forefoot on a towel or slider. This side will serve as a “kickstand” and will provide minimal assistance.

Keep your knee fully extended, and close to the midline of your body. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise. Contract your glutes and quadriceps on this side.

Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits. For the duration of the exercise, your arms/weights should not travel ahead of your body. Your arm should slide down the side of your front/working leg, and the other arm should remain in line with this front leg. Pretend you are painting the side of your front leg with the weight. If you are using a single weight, the weight should slide down the front of your leg/shin.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).

Now hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall. As you are performing the hinge, simultaneously slide the foot of the supporting side backwards. Aim to use as little assistance from this leg as possible. Keep this leg close to the midline of your body.

When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body back/down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.

Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.

When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.

Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.

For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.