Deadlifters

navyrigger46

Do you drop the bar when you deadlift? I drop the bar at the top on my working sets. My lifting buddy hates it, he doesn't deadlift because "it's bad for your back, power cleans are better." I drop the bar at the top on both exercises and it drives him crazy. What's your position on this?

I should add that my buddy threw his back out power cleaning last week on the descending portion of the movement. :grumble:

Rigger

kalyrichmond

I drop the bar. (LOL Had to comment now that you got me over my fear of dropping it)

MaeRay007

I don't drop the bar. I hate it too. Some guys do it, some girls do it. If there is a benefit of doing one over the other, I don't know.
Each exercise has it's own benefits.
Each movement can be bad for you if you don't have good form.

LoraF83

I don't drop the bar for a couple of reasons:

1. No bumper plates in my fitness room (it's at work...we are slowly adding more equipment)
2. The room is next to some offices and dropping weights is very noisy for them.


I may drop it the last few inches, but definitely not from the top of the set.

mikemc620

I don't drop the bar when deadlifting. I can see how it would be a good thing when working near max weights as its another place to get tired and potentially injured. I have steel plates with a small pad over a concrete floor in my basement so I can't really drop the plates.

wolfsbayne

I don't drop the bar.

Helloitsdan

Better strength with lowering the bar while maintaining control.

cwolfman13

I don't drop the bar with dead-lifts. I only drop the bar with cleans if I'm working heavy enough to where I think I'm going to shred my shoulders otherwise...but I don't usually work that heavy and when I do I grab one of the trainers to let them know what's going on as it is typically not allowed in my gym but they will make occasional exceptions.

Leadfoot_Lewis

Nope I do not drop the bar

soehlerking

I don't drop b/c it seems impolite.

...damn, now I feel like a girl.

SapiensPisces

Better strength with lowering the bar while maintaining control.

^ This.

yankeedownsouth

Better strength with lowering the bar while maintaining control.

This...

liftsforchocolate

Nope I don't, but I've seen maybe 2-3 guys do it. One of gym friends does it every time but he's also really huge and grunts a lot.

DopeItUp

I have dropped it a handful of times on occasion (usually grip failing) but dropping the bar purposefully every time is pretty much a *kitten* move. There's really no reason for it. I'm talking about deadlifts specifically. Cleans can be a different story.

SrJoben

I don't drop them from the top. But I do lower it ask quickly as possible. It lands with a thump not a crash.

This seems like the best compromise with regard to safety, noise, and potential equipment damage.

Anecdotally a lot of DL injuries seem to happen when people try to lower the weight slowly. I do feel I have trouble keeping my low back from rounding on the decent if it's close to my max.

JoRocka

no dropping-unless I'm one rep/maxing whatever- and i drop it from mid height- I lower it back down as if I were completing a rep-
Mentally I count a dead lift is up- and then back down.

while I understand technically and competitively this is not the reality- it's not practical for day to day lifting unless you lift in a gym like that- so in my head I just say a rep is up and down- like a squat- up and down.

most gyms aren't set up for dropped weights- usually it's a modified concrete floor with rubber mats- it's loud and more than likely going to damage the floor- plus bumper plates- don't have those either.

If I'm doing cleans I set it up with extra yoga mats to help cushion. .

ironanimal

If I had my own gym or was in a powerlifting facility, I'd let it drop from the top. As it is at the moment, I just vaguely guide it's path down to the floor, not providing much resistance at all.

The only times I have completely let it go have been to yell and vigorously pound my chest after a new PR.

Because I'm a bro like that.

SaintGiff

Why would you drop on a dead lift? That's just silly. As for Power Cleans, it's actually pretty smart to drop from the top. That transition back down to the top of a dead lift is dodgie under the best of circumstances. But on a dead lift? No.

ElliottTN

No, until I set an Olympic record, I prefer not to be a dramatic asshat.

JoRocka

also dropping = rolling

rolling = bashed shins.

no thanks.

SaintGiff

No, until I set an Olympic record, I prefer not to be a dramatic asshat.

That