Right now with my deadlift pulling the bar from the floor to my knees is childs play but once it gets past my knees the rep suddenly gets very very hard,
It’s a major weakness of mine, i think my pull from the floor is very good because i have done a lot of snatch grip deadlifts from a deficit, and never really done much lockout work out like rack pulls.
any suggestions as to how i can improve my deadlift from the knees up? exersies, tips, tricks, rep ranges?..unfortunatly i dont have access to any bands or chains.
wherever your sticking point is, set up an elevation to start your pull right below it. also, speed work can be useful. if the bar moves fast, you can move the bar through the sticking point using momentum.
lastly, are you getting your hips through fast enough? often times the delay at getting your hips through quick enough can lead to a failed lift.
Rack pulls starting just below/at where it gets difficult will probably be the most effective thing you can do to address this issue. If you couple them with Kroc rows you should see vast improvement (you might end up with the opposite problem you have now).
This is more a technique thing, alot of times when someone hits the sticking point they panic and start trying to bump the bar up their thighs and end up hitching. When you hit the spot stay relaxed and keep pulling, focusing on driving your hips through, I just keep squeezing the bar and thinking “hips, hips, hips…” this may not make the lift easier but it’ll help you from getting red lighted on a hard pull
I recommend Romanian deadlifts for the lockout. Also hit the upper back hard like others have mentioned. One of the things that helped my deadlift was pulling for reps. I put 55lbs on my deadlift using Wendler’s 5/3/1 program.