Lamar Gant (born 1957 in Fort Collins, Colorado) is an American world record-holding powerlifter with idiopathic scoliosis. He was inducted into the International Powerlifting Federation Hall of Fame in 1980. Gant set his first world record in 1974 by deadlifting 524.5 pounds (238 kg) at a bodyweight of 123 pounds (56 kg) at the Flint Olympian Games. In 1985, he became the first man to deadlift five times his own bodyweight, lifting 661 pounds (300 kg) at a bodyweight of 132 pounds (60 kg).
For this, he has been included in the Guinness Book of Records. As of 2006, he holds the world records for deadlifting in both the 123- and 132-pound weight classes. His best lifts at 123 pounds are 314 pounds (142 kg) RAW bench press and 638 pounds (289 kg) deadlift; at 132 pounds are 595 pounds (270 kg) squat 615 pounds (279 kg) (in training), 352.5 pounds (159.9 kg) RAW bench press, and 688 pounds (312 kg) deadlift.
Lamar Gant was born with damaged spinal chord - he used it to his advantage and became a legend
Long arms help too
Lamar was also a good bencher thanks to his arch
And just because I am 100% certain someone will ask me: No, he was not natural. He was 135lbs but also super short.
The deadlift is one of those exercises that have almost mythical status for the following reasons:
- so little people actually do it that it becomes a myth;
- there are so many people killing their backs doing deadlifts that it becomes a mythical back destroyer;
There is one undeniable fact when it comes to deadlifting - it does build a thick back and you would normally need 4 exercises to match that effect without deadlifting. There are many famous deadlifters today but I don't care much about them. For me the king of deadlifting will forever remain - Bob Peoples. He was born and lifted in an era when steroids and other miracle drugs were not widely used. He got brutally strong with no to small usage of muscle elixirs. (I doubt he was 100% clean but compared to today's pharmaceutical porn he was clean as a whistle.)
Why does the deadlift build such thick backs?
It's quite simple - the deadlift hits hard (as in very hard) muscles such as the spinal erectors that otherwise do not receive much attention from exercises like pull-ups, rows...etc. Who has a thicker (not to be confused with wider) back - a gay that can do 20 pull-ups or the guy that deadlifts (insert heavy weight of choice). My bet is on the guy that deadlifts. Why? Pull-ups focus mainly on the lat's while the erectors, traps and other muscles are "hit" to a much smaller degree. The deadlift "owns" every single muscle fiber (exaggeration) in your spinal erectors, lats, traps...
Long arms help in the deadlift
Q: I want back like Bob Peoples what should I do?
A: Deadlift or rack pull. Heavy and consistently and still there is no magic formula. Q: Why was Bob Peoples' bench press weak? A: Long arms. Q: Should I follow Bob People's routine? A: No. Do your own.
So, you bought a barbell and nothing else. You are wondering what you could do for your lower body with just a barbell. Well, there are two main exercises - Romanian deadlifts and Jefferson squats. In this post I will focus on the Jefferson lift because most of you have never heard about it. It's pretty simple and looks like this. The feel is very similar to a squat/deadlift hybrid.
Probably most of my readers have tired deadlifting. Well, now it's time to try deadlifting with a snatch grip. Why? It simply owns your back and you don't have to use a lot of weight. The snatch-grip deadlift is quite similar to the regular one except that you use a wide grip.
You will have to either use a hook grip or straps. Yes, you heard me correctly. The functional crowd full of morons can go hell. Use some straps if you truly want to work your back.
Perform the movement slowly under control. You don't even have to lower the bar all the way down because the most important part of the movement are the last 2/3 because that's where the back really gets hit.
FAQ:
Q: How many reps and sets?
Perform 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps
Q: Should I do the exercises in the beginning of my back workout ?
I would but you don't have to. You are a big boy. Trust your instincts.
Q: What are the benefits compared to the regular deadlift?
The wider grip puts the emphasis on the upper back, rear delts and even lats. Also you are forced to use less weight and the movement is less stressful on the lower back.
