How to Do a Jefferson Deadlift

Saffron

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posted on 7 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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If you're looking for a way to jazz up your weight training, try a Jefferson deadlift, also known as a Jefferson squat It’s an old way of performing a squat, but the unusual stance – one leg on either side of the barbell – gives you a good workout. Make sure you set up properly for the lift and use proper form. It keeps your body safe from injury and gives you the maximum impact from the deadlift.

Steps

Setting up for the Lift

Set the bar up with light plates. You shouldn’t use plates that are heavier than 25 pounds (11 kilograms) for this move. You want to focus on your movement with the Jefferson deadlift, rather than how much you can lift.

Straddle the bar bell. Stand with one leg in front of the bar bell and one behind it. You should keep your feet relatively close to the barbell itself. For the move to work, your feet need to be approximately parallel.

Squat with your legs wide. Your legs will need to be wide enough apart to evenly distribute the weight of the barbell. Stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart to give yourself enough support. They should still be on opposite sides of the barbell.

Grip the bar with one hand behind your body and one in front. If your left leg is behind the bar, your left hand should grip the bar behind your body, and vice versa. Your hands should hold the bar at shoulder width. Use a regular lift grip, with one palm facing backward and one facing forward.

Doing the Lift

Tense your glutes while you squat. As you squat down, hold the bar firmly in both hands and squeeze your glute muscles. Tensing your glute muscles helps you control your squat and get down further.

Squat so that your waist sinks below your knees. This is called a bucket squat since you lower your waist below the parallel point with your knees.

Lift the bar to a standing position. Slowly raise yourself from a squatting position to standing. You should do this slowly, keeping your back straight and squeezing your glutes as you come up.

Repeat the motion. How many repetitions you do per set will depend on how much strength you have. You should do at least five repetitions per set.

Maintaining Proper Form

Alternate your front and back feet. If you start with your left foot in front of the bar, perform one set this way. Then switch so that your right foot is in front of the bar and perform another set. Your feet should be as close to parallel as possible, but with the bar between them, one will be slightly forward. Alternating your feet gives your legs an even workout.

Don’t lift your back heel up. If your back heel comes up off the floor while you’re lifting, your feet aren’t set correctly. Move your back foot closer to the bar and lift again. It should feel like the weight of the bar and plates are pretty evenly distributed.

Allow some torsion in your spine. Torsion is a feeling of twisting in your spine. Because your legs won’t be exactly parallel with the bar between them, there will be a slight twist in your spine as you lift. Keep your weight evenly distributed on your legs and perform the lift slowly and you’ll be fine! The asymmetry of the lift, both in your legs and arms, is part of what helps the squat work your body.