Longer range movements to derive maximal benefits in the training room

by Charles Poliquin

I have always been a believer of longer range movements to derive maximal benefits in the training room.
I was first exposed to that concept by Canadian national team lifter Terry Hadlow, who was in the eighties, the only non-communist block weightlifter ranked in the top 8 in the World. Back then, it would have been the equivalent of having Guam be in the running for an Olympic medal in ice hockey at the upcoming Sochi Olympics. This man was brutally strong, particularly in the lower back, he gave credit to the coach he add in his teenage years who had him do deadlifts using only 10 kg metal plates to force a greater range than the standard 45 plates. Younger athletes can even use 5 kg plates as their level of strength are not up there yet.
Of course, a more simple solution is to use a podium to stand on, basically with the same dimension of a case of soda. With this approach you can still use 20 kg plates, and you evidently you don’t need as many plates.
Another simple way to increase range is of course to widen the grip besides standing on a platform. Many Olympic throwers, sprinters, and bobsledders have seen a dramatic improvement in their sporting results after adding this exercise in their physical preparation schemes.
Whether you are interested in greater hypertrophy or functional strength for sporting movement, longer range deadlifts are a short-cut to your goals.
Of course adding chains or bands does not make you a bad person