I’m currently getting back into doing deadlifts after about 2 years off, and have recently been doing 5x5s to build a strength base. I was deadlifting on Sunday while being watched by a lifting coach and was advised not to pause between reps, instead reacting when the bar hits the floor and power straight back up, coach saying that that way, I didn’t have to “overcome inertia on every rep”.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Surely if I have to put in that extra bit of force then I’m getting more out of the lift?
Both methods have their advantages. If you are trying for a TUT(Time under Tension) method, your coach is absolutely right, not setting it down and overcoming that pesky Newtons Law of Inertia is the way to go. It puts more stress in certain types of muscle, and puts a lot more strain on your balance and stabilizer muscles to keep the bar straight after you bounce it off the floor… however, my understanding is that if you lift from the floor at a stall EVERY TIME, you will generally be able to train for higher maxes.
Your form is easier to coach if you set it down and start from a stall every time. In my experience (mostly with powercleans from high school) it’s less likely you will get injured if you set it down all the way, it decreases the chances of something being a little bit twisted and/or unbalanced, which destroys discs in your back.
It’s a bit complicated; I’ve gone from playing and training for two rugby games a week down to one, so I’ve got more time to do big weights- that said, I’m a front row forward, so it would probably serve me better to just develop raw strength from the movement than to try and make it something that will make me faster. Plus I want to get massive, hahaha!
Touch and go on deadlifts makes everything hurt for me (hands, back, probably even knocked a filling loose). But many, many lifters have gotten quite strong using them.
In general for powerlifting I think dead stop deadlifts are the way to go, for singles, doubles and triples. But if you are trying to get big and strong for Rugby, then I see nothing wrong with touch and go for reps.
It is going to be harder if you stop at the bottom, so you will “be getting extra out of each rep” but that will be specific to that point in the range of motion, and since you aren’t competing in deadlifting, touch and go may be more benefit, assuming you can do it in a safe manner.
I feel they both have their advantages. Touch and go is nice because you can crank out heavier weights easier, Ive hit some pretty nice weights doing this. Dead stop is nice too because you can regain some air. If im doing a have set at around 85%, I like to do a dead stop after 2 reps or so, and take in a big breath and regain my grip. And overcoming inertia will make you stronger and dead stops I feel help with more explosive power