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Barbell Double bodyweight deadlift

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FinlayB

Level 5 Valued Member
Hello

Trawling on YouTube or other forums it seems that everyone and their brother can do a raw 2xbw deadlift

Since this is a trusted forum I would like to ask how common is this particular feat.

I realise that it is a SFL requirement so there maybe more people here than the average. But from experience of your training.
 
Do not get hooked by internet warriors. On the internet, everybody can close a CoC 3 while deadlifting 400 kg and benching 200kg for reps. I wonder why I do not see those people at the gym?

That said, a double BW deadlift is not a great feat of strength for a man. It is reachable by anyone who put the time and consistency in any proven program. PTTP will get you there in a few weeks/months.
 
I coached my friend, an average middle aged man with zero strength training experience before, to a double bodyweight deadlift in about a couple of months, it not a week or two more. I think he made good progress, but nothing special.

Even if I don't think it's a feat or anything, it is true that relatively few of the average gym goers can do it. Few people strength train, and even fewer do deadlifts with any kind of ambition. So I'd say it's rare among the average folk, but an early stepping stone for a strength trainee who's not overweight.
 
Trawling on YouTube or other forums it seems that everyone and their brother can do a raw 2xbw deadlift ... I realise that it is a SFL requirement so there maybe more people here than the average. But from experience of your training.
To paraphrase Pavel Tsatsouline when discussing the SFL standards at the first US SFL - meeting the SFL "strength" requirements doesn't mean you're strong, just that you're not weak.

A double bw deadlift is not something most people can achieve without training for it. There are exceptions, almost always people who have achieved a high level at another sport that also requires strength (e.g., gymnastics).

The SFL deadlift standard is a very worthy goal for any healthy adult, who will learn a great deal in the course of his/her journey. The female standard is 1.5 x bodyweight. Get cleared for this first by your doctor, of course.

-S-
 
I'm just over 6' 1" tall, weigh between 225-230 lbs and consider my strength to be average.
I added deadlifts to my work-outs about 2 years ago and my PR is 300 lbs, about 1 -1/3 body weight.
I would be thrilled to lift 337 (1.5 body weight), I find it hard to believe that 2X body weight is achievable for the average guy.
 
@bigwood177, welcome to StrongFirst - we often see dramatic improvements, including new PR's, at our courses and certifications. Get yourself some in-person instruction from one of our teachers. At the very least, post a video of your DL here (by posting it somewhere public and posting a link here) and we can try to offer helpful comments to you.

-S-
 
I'm just over 6' 1" tall, weigh between 225-230 lbs and consider my strength to be average.
I added deadlifts to my work-outs about 2 years ago and my PR is 300 lbs, about 1 -1/3 body weight.
I would be thrilled to lift 337 (1.5 body weight), I find it hard to believe that 2X body weight is achievable for the average guy.
I'm 6' 175 & 2.4*bw (425) with general strength training. As time went on, the higher weights tended to take a toll on my body (42yo). Now, 2*bw is strong enough for my life & should not be an unreasonable goal for anyone willing to follow a program and give it time. 460 is no small number for a tall lifter.
 
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Thanks for the welcome!
I don't doubt that the average StrongFirst forum member can get to a double body weight deadlift.
I am skeptical that if I walked out my front door and gathered up all the men in a 2 square block area that more than half would be able to train to a double body weight DL.
Not trying to stir up any controversy and don't have anything to back up my opinion other than my own progress.
Just like the OP, it's something I've wondered about.

Here's a video of my record lift...
 
Just to throw the obvious out there... I'm about 230 lbs myself, and I'm carrying at least 20 lbs worth of junk that ain't making me stronger. I think I can get to a 460 DL eventually, but it would probably faster/better to drive my dang body weight down. There's 2 sides to this equation.
 
I am skeptical that if I walked out my front door and gathered up all the men in a 2 square block area that more than half would be able to train to a double body weight DL.
No disagreement from me. That it's uncommon doesn't mean it should be uncommon, however.
Here's a video of my record lift...
You are letting the bar stay too far in front of you. When you figure out how to wedge yourself between the bar and the ground, your DL will go up. Try using your lats to make sure you're dragging the bar up your shins.

-S-
 
Thanks for the welcome!
I don't doubt that the average StrongFirst forum member can get to a double body weight deadlift.
I am skeptical that if I walked out my front door and gathered up all the men in a 2 square block area that more than half would be able to train to a double body weight DL.
Not trying to stir up any controversy and don't have anything to back up my opinion other than my own progress.
Just like the OP, it's something I've wondered about.

Here's a video of my record lift...


Hi mate! Your back looks good to me. You look strong.
But I think your "center of gravity" is off. Try to keep the bar closer to your body.
What if you connect the bar to your shins the way up?
Thats why the trap-bar deadlift is easier - youre in the center.
 
Learning to wedge instead of lift helpful for me. Don't lift the weight up, just wedge your hips between your shoulders & feet. And don't let your back bend while doing it...
 
Few things

@bigwood177 fair few more pounds there with some improved positioning.

Personally I think an average person (under 200lbs) should be able to get a 2x bodyweight should they focus on it.
 
I deadlifted for about 18 months and got to around 1.5xBW by reading Pavel and paying attention on here. Having stalled I went and got some one-on-one coaching (lifted my PB by 20kg after one session, that's the power of having the coach there with you correcting your form step by step) and now six months later I'm at 2.2xBW, with 2.5x the goal by 30 June. I can't emphasise form enough - getting my feet right and Steve's advice to lean back just before pulling the weight off the ground were worth at least 20kg, I reckon. You're almost certainly stronger than you realise but just can't put it all together yet. Coaching is the key
 
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@Steve Freides So you agree that less than 50% of men have the trainng potential to reach a 2x bodyweight deadlift? I guess an important point is that there are no bounds set on the demographic, so if those 2 blocks are in a retirement community that may be true, but barring contraindicative injuries, I would think a much higher percentage of men could attain a double bodyweight deadlift with training.
However, I imagine we’re actually in agreement based on your “shouldnt be uncommon” reply. The original contention is about how many men have the potential for 2x dl, not who could do one right now.
@bigwood177 I like think with the right programming and mindset, you will be pleasantly surprised. Mindset matters a lot. When a 2x bw deadlift sounds like an impossible feat, it will surely be harder to make progress on it. What program have you been using?
 
@Steve Freides So you agree that less than 50% of men have the trainng potential to reach a 2x bodyweight deadlift?
No, I don't agree. I guess I didn't read the original closely enough. I think a double bodyweight DL is within just about everyone's reach. There are many factors complicating the statistics, e.g., if you weigh 300 lbs. but you're 100 lbs. overweight ... There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. :)

Any male who takes decent care of themselves can learn to deadlift double bodyweight. It's just not all that difficult if you put your mind to accomplishing it. My 2x bw DL is just under 300 lbs. and I'm pulling 340 once or twice a week in training this cycle, pulled 365 last June, and hoping for 370 at a meet next month and more in June. I'll be content when I pull 405 lbs., maybe. And I'm about to turn 63, and I had a severe lumbar spine injury, and have a long-standing t-spine injury, and I'm bow-legged and have near zero cartilage in my knees, I've got arthritis in at least one ankle and the other hip, and both shoulders, and I guess I'll stop there, but you get the idea. It's like what Pavel said that I quoted earlier - a double bw DL is not strong, it's just not weak, and everyone is capable of being not weak. I think we can lower the standards once people hit age 85 or so.

-S-
 
No, I don't agree. I guess I didn't read the original closely enough. I think a double bodyweight DL is within just about everyone's reach. There are many factors complicating the statistics, e.g., if you weigh 300 lbs. but you're 100 lbs. overweight ... There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. :)

Any male who takes decent care of themselves can learn to deadlift double bodyweight. It's just not all that difficult if you put your mind to accomplishing it. My 2x bw DL is just under 300 lbs. and I'm pulling 340 once or twice a week in training this cycle, pulled 365 last June, and hoping for 370 at a meet next month and more in June. I'll be content when I pull 405 lbs., maybe. And I'm about to turn 63, and I had a severe lumbar spine injury, and have a long-standing t-spine injury, and I'm bow-legged and have near zero cartilage in my knees, I've got arthritis in at least one ankle and the other hip, and both shoulders, and I guess I'll stop there, but you get the idea. It's like what Pavel said that I quoted earlier - a double bw DL is not strong, it's just not weak, and everyone is capable of being not weak. I think we can lower the standards once people hit age 85 or so.

-S-
Dang.
 
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I've been on cruise control for the last year or so, I'll improve my technique and see where that takes me over the next 3 or 4 months.

Great forum!

Wood
 
Allow me to explain how strength transforms pain, and injury in my particular case.

My right knee sometimes bothers me during my deadlifts and at other times, too - it's the worse knee. The solution to my knee pain isn't to stop doing deadlifts, but to focus on being sure I am keeping all three contact points of my foot firmly into the ground, and screwing my feet towards the outside, and really pushing hard into the ground as I break the bar off the floor. When I do those things, my knee stops hurting _and_ my deadlift gets stronger. That's a win/win if ever there was one.

That's but one example of the kind of thing we talk about when we discuss improving strength by improving technical skill at a lift. This kind of finding ways to use your strength is also the secret to greater flexibility once you understand that your body insists on you demonstrating strength in any position before it will let you relax in that position and eventually go further. Even stretching should be StrongFirst.

-S-
 
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