How do you start your deadlift?

Grip it and rip it? Take the slack out of the bar? Or?

The deadlift is unique because we do not have an eccentric load to prepare us for the concentric effort. For example, the barbell squat has a negative or eccentric action that “loads the spring” for the strong concentric or lifting portion. In the deadlift, we must create that preload ourselves.

That’s where the foolproof wedge sequence comes in.

At first, this will seem “mechanical.” Too much to think through or too many steps, but as you gain proficiency in the foolproof wedge sequence, it will happen as naturally as any other practiced skill. The wedge creates full-body tension and teaches you to push into the ground taking all the slack out of the bar and body before the bar moves.

Leave slack in the system, and that’s where your force will leak, just like a kink in a hose. Ignore the foolproof wedge sequence and details at your peril.

Let Fabio Zonin, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor, lead you through the foolproof wedge sequence in detail.