|
The
Barbell Deadlift is by far one of the most productive,
total-body exercises a person can do. But many
people, due to biomechanical, structural or sometimes
even motivational reasons, simply find the exercise
too awkward or just too hard or painful to perform
properly. This takes an extremely valuable exercise
out of a person's training repertoire.
The
"Super Deadlift Bar" aims to change
that. The question we're asking here today is:
"does it perform when put to the test?"
The Problem It Claims to Solve:
Let's
examine the mechanics of the deadlift and how
the "Super Deadlift Bar" works. When
you do a regular barbell deadlift, in order to
minimize torque on the lower back, you need to
keep the bar as close in line to your center of
gravity as possible (this is the point in your
body where the combined weights of all your parts
are balanced).
For
example, when you're standing, your center of
gravity is (depending on how your bodyweight is
distributed and what your posture is like) normally
just slightly forward of the ankle joint.
When
the weight you're deadlifting is outside your
center of gravity, it exerts torque on the lower
back during the movement. Reducing this torque
involves keeping the bar as close to your shins
as possible during the first half of the movement
until the bar clears your knees.
Unfortunately,
keeping the bar close to your shins can also mean
having to drag the bar up your shins when using
very heavy weight. Speaking from personal experience,
I've walked away from numerous deadlift sessions
with my shins scraped and bleeding (even under
sweat pants).
No
matter how close you keep the bar to your shins,
however, you'll never get it close enough to fully
reduce the torque on the lower back.
How the "Super Deadlift
Bar" Works:
The
"Super Deadlift Bar" addresses this
problem by moving the bar out away from your shins
but at the same time moving the center of mass
of the bar back in line with your center of gravity.
This is accomplished with a bent-bar design that
opens up the area right in the center of the bar
to allow your knees free movement.
The
bend in the bar allows you to basically stand
directly inside the bar, placing the center of
mass of the bar directly in line with your center
of gravity.
This
configuration allows you to pull the bar directly
up rather than having to work around your knees
and shins as you pull the bar up. This purportedly
eliminates a significant amount of torque on the
lower back during the movement as the bar is able
to stay in line with your center of gravity all
the way up.
Also,
pulling the bar straight up rather than having
to go around your knees may eliminate a significant
loss of upwards force compared to the conventional
deadlift. Practically speaking, it means you should
be able to lift more weight.
Does The Super Deadlift Bar
Actually Work?
In
a nutshell, yes. In practical testing, I've found
that trainers using the "Super Deadlift Bar"
were better able to perform the deadlift exercise
and maintain far better lower back position as
they performed the movement.
The
result: using this bar allowed the tester to use
heavier weights with far less lower-back discomfort.
The lifter was better able to maintain the lordotic
(lower back) curvature of the spine during the
lift, increasing the safety of the exercise. It's
important to maintain this curve during lifting
in order to allow the muscles of the lower back
to properly stabilize the spinal column.
A very
nice added benefit of the bar is that the neutral
positioning of the handles (palms facing in) completely
eliminated the tendency of the bar to roll as
it's lifted. This problem in the regular barbell
deadlift is normally addressed by using a mixed
grip (one hand over, one hand under). The technique,
however, can lead to uneven torque on the shoulders
and the lower back during the movement as well
as rotation of the bar as you lift it.
Gripping
with a neutral grip (palms facing into your body)
eliminates rolling and unbalanced loads on the
skeleton and muscles.
One
thing of note about the grip on this bar, however,
is that you must be careful of where you place
your hands on the handles. If you grip the handles
dead center, the bar will have a tendency to tip
backward (this is due to the anatomy of the human
hand). In order to work around this, all you need
to do is set your hands back a little on the handles.
Summary:
Thumbs
up! The "Super Deadlift Bar" is very
effective for the purpose for which it was designed
and I highly recommend it if you are interested
in increasing your lower back and total body strength
through deadlifting. The bar is also very effective
for performing shrugs, lunges and bent-over rows
as well.
Click
this link if you are interested in purchasing
a "Super
Deadlift Bar"
|
