This is a nice variation for lifters with stronger backs and long legs. It puts the grabby spinal erectors on mute and allows the legs to get some work.
It is similar to the trap bar deadlift or the Jefferson deadlift in that it allows for a leverage advantage. The load is under you instead of out in front. Those who can get comfortable with this lift can train it to become just as heavy as their conventional deadlift, and in some cases even heavier.
I first heard of Behind the Back Deadlifts in Pavel’s Power to the People Professional, where it was credited for building great leg strength.
Many people don’t give this lift a fair shot. They try it once and assume that they are not well-leveraged for it because they hit their hamstrings with the bar.
What Makes This Lift So Awesome
- It is a back-friendly variation that can be potentially loaded up like a conventional deadlift.
- Can help teach the shoulder and hip to rise at the same time, retraining the deadlift technique error where the hips shoot up first.
- Builds quad strength in long legged lifters.
- Can be somewhat corrective for anteriorly tilted pelvises.
- It is a versatile variation for those who are training at home with limited equipment.
How To Do It
- Stand with the barbell close behind you.
- Squat down to the bar.
- Grab the bar, using anywhere from a shoulder width to a borderline snatch grip width.
- Stand up, pressing through the quads.
You can play around with exactly how close you need to keep the bar to your legs, as it can vary per the individual.
If You Run Into Your Hamstrings…
A common issue that people run into, in the literal sense, is themselves. If you get set up with the bar behind you and pull it the exact same way as your regular deadlift, you might hit a roadblock – in the form of your hamstrings or butt.
There are a few ways to get around this. A single set of cues isn’t going to work for everyone (and this lift in general might not work for everyone). You can try any combination of the items below to find a formula that suits your leverages and pulling style.
Widen the Grip
This brings the bar a little higher, dodging the hamstrings on the way up.
A wider grip can also make it more difficult to hold the bar. Feel free to use straps or Versa grips if needed.
If this didn’t help, or only helped a little bit, then move along to the next cue.
Stay in the Quads
The knee might need to be farther forward than it is in a conventional deadlift. This gives you a start position that is more akin to a clean deadlift.
You might also find that you need to actively push the knees forward a bit as the bar passes them. A good cue for this is to stay in the quads, or think of a leg press machine.
If you have grumpy knees, then move onto the next cue, or skip this lift.
Slide off the Ledge
This is sort of the same thing that we were doing with the knees coming forward, but the emphasis is a little more on the posterior muscles.
When the bar hits your hamstring or butt, think of sitting on a window sill with your feet dangling over the ground outside (the bar is the window ledge).
Scoop your pelvis under you to slide off of the ledge (the bar). This might mean that you have to get your hips in a little more quickly, and with a more exaggerated movement than a standard deadlift .
This might feel a little disconnected at first as your body figures out what to do. But once you’ve ‘got it’, it quickly smooths itself out. To help things along, you can think of sitting on the window sill enjoying the day. Then your ex boyfriend/ girlfriend /mother in law shows up and you need to get the hell out of there, fast.
If you are anteriorly tilted, this can feel pretty awkward, and almost like you need to perform a mini abdominal crunch with it. It can also be corrective in that regard. It can be a great variation for those whose anterior pelvic tilt is exacerbated by conventional deadlifts.
If you have a bad back that doesn’t deal with flexion all that well, then do not use this cue, and consider skipping this lift.
Who Might Not Be A Good Candidate for These?
This might not be an ideal choice for those with protracted shoulder girdles (forward rounding of the shoulders), people with very short arms relative to their torsos, and those with bad knees or sketchy lower backs.
If you tend to re-bend your knee and hitch on heavy deadlifts, this might not be a great variation for you. I wouldn’t rule it out totally, as the same reason that you are hitching might reveal itself in this lift…but it could also go the other way and enforce the knee re-bending pattern.
Having a relatively larger butt should actually not be the limiting factor in being able to perform this exercise. If you are running into your butt, see the positioning points above.
Where This Fits
These are very versatile and a great option to add variety for those training at home with minimal equipment. You can use them in the same context/ rep ranges that you would use a leg press for leg development. If you are an experienced lifter, you can also take them very heavy to be on par with your conventional deadlift max.
Similar to Jefferson and trap bar deadlifts, you can do these with a squat emphasis with more knee flexion, or with more of a pull emphasis with more hip dominance.
Is This The Same As A Hack Squat?
Sometimes, these are also referred to as Hack Squats. I actually have no idea who the authority is on the official terminology of these, but Pavel (in Power to the People Professional) says that’s a negative.
A Hack Squat would be a similar movement, but you’ll place a lift under your heels, hold the weight in a handcuff position behind your back, perform it with more of a ‘touch and go deadlift’ tempo, and use far less weight. Maybe a Hack Deadlift would be a better description (or not).
In “The Way to Live” by George Hackenschmidt (1908), the Hack Squat is pictured as below. It sounds as though the lift is named after him, but the title apparently comes from the German word ‘hacke’, which translates to ‘heel’.
That said, if you are combing the internet looking for videos of different body types performing this lift, Hack Squat would probably turn up the most results.
Conclusion
This isn’t a common lift in this day and age. People don’t use it often because it can be a little awkward, and there are machines that function similarly. But if you are training at home with limited equipment, they are a great exercise to have in the rotation. Even if you do have equipment options, this is a nice alternative that carries over well to the conventional deadlift.
I actually did not give these a fair shot for many years. I used the ‘butt excuse’ (thank you to my Caribbean mother) and figured that I couldn’t pull it off. However, as my conventional deadlifts got heavier over time, I was keen on finding some deadlift variations that would allow me to enjoy some heavy lifting without sending me into a deadlift coma for the rest of the week. This has become one one of my favorite lifts to have in the rotation.