The Jefferson lift, also known as the Jefferson deadlift, Jefferson squat or straddle deadlift, is not a commonly seen exercise. In fact, I would put it as something that is forgotten or unknown by 99% of the population.
According to my research it was named after Strongman Charles Jefferson.
But since I’ve been introduced to it, I’ve absolutely loved it. Let me tell you why.
First off, let’s talk about how to do the Jefferson lift. It is like a conventional deadlift except you’ll step one foot over the bar so that you are straddling it.
At first glance, men are going to be scared of this lift as I‘ve heard it been referred to its nick-name the “nut-crusher”. Let me say that I’ve personally never had this particular problem. I suppose it does depend on several factors though including arm length, torso length, and how its hanging. For that reason it may not be appropriate for everyone. Anyway…
The great thing about the Jefferson lift is how you can find your own personal groove with it.
- You can hinge at the hips more to incorporate more back. (more like a regular deadlift)
- Squat down more, making it similar to a sumo deadlift, and use recruit more quad involvement. (more like a squat)
- Move the feet closer of further.
- Change your hand position closer or wider.
- Turn more to the side, or stay facing straight forwards.
- And of course you can switch what foot is facing forwards.
There’s a lot of variation here. If you’ve ever looked for something that is same but different this is a great one. If you do biofeedback training, this exercise alone is a testament to what can be done. And on that note its note surprising the results David Dellanave has gotten with it. Here he is lifting 605 lbs. in the Jefferson.
It has been instrumental for me in increasing my conventional deadlift up to 505. And now I’m working to go even further.
Here is one more important point. The Jefferson is similar to the trap bar deadlift in that the weight is centered under you, unlike in a conventional deadlift where the weight is slightly in front of you. For this reason alone I find the Jefferson lift is actually a safer variation for many people.
Of course there is some unique core work involved, which could be great for you, or not so much. After doing a set of heavy Jeffersons you’ll feel your rib cage on one side perhaps unlike ever before.
Go ahead and try this deadlift out if you never have.
Here’s your question for the day. If you’ve done the Jefferson deadlift before “what are your experiences of it?”
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. If you want to learn a whole bunch more similar “oldtimer” exercises I suggest you check out the Arthur Saxon Power Pack.
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Lifting Technique, Oldtime Strongmen, Strength Training Concepts, Videos by on Jan 18th, 2012. 7 Comments. 
I entered the gym, later than normal, as I had got caught up in a bunch of work earlier. I was feeling pretty good and wondering what exercises I would do today.
Then it popped into my mind…
“You can deadlift 505 today.”
Deadlifting more than 500 lbs. has been a goal of mine for over a year now. I’ve made progress on it only to get sidetracked a number of times over that year.
But now I was more serious about it. I had run my 17 Steps to 100% Goal Setting Success so I knew it would happen sooner or later.
And now my intuition was telling me today could be the day…
But I didn’t believe it. Not at first.
Two days ago I had done 225 lb. Jefferson deadlifts for a total of 74 reps in just over 9 minutes. Then yesterday I was doing partial deadlifts on the plateau buster. Four doubles of 615 lbs. in 8 minutes.
Surely I can’t set a new 20 lb. lifetime max (previous max of 485 on 6/10/11) after doing some forms of deadlifts the past two days.
But I decided to at least give it the benefit of the doubt. I grab 135 on the bar and pulled it up. Felt good. Okay. 225, same thing. 315 was good too.
Maybe it is possible?
Since I’ve been deadlifting a while I’ve noticed a pattern. Whenever I set a new max I first pull lighter weights for more reps than I’ve done before.
At 405 I only did 4 reps but could have easily done 6, if not more.
At 455 I did a triple.
Wow, I think it actually will happen.
I loaded the bar up to 505.
This was only the second time ever I’d be attempting this weight. I had tried it once before at the Tactical Strength Challenge. It didn’t budge off the floor then.
I don’t psych up in the normal sense but I started to do some advanced mental and energy training tactics on myself. Its what my friends Bud Jeffries and Chuck Halbakken affectionately refer to as “voodoo” or “black magic”.
Specifically I was using what I’m calling the ‘Holy Sh!t This Is Powerful Technique’. I’ve still got more testing to do with this before I unleash it to the world but I think the name says a lot. 
I set the camera recording. Used a energy power installation and anchor to stack even more strength on top.
Then I got ready to do the lift…
Here is the video and I’ll give you a play by play below.
It started moving so I was off to a good start.
Once I was past my knees the involuntary shaking began. I’ve only had this happen twice before in my life when it comes to deadlifting. One time before I missed a new max back at 455. The second time I was successful with 485. Usually if the weight is too heavy I don’t get it past the knees.
At this point, it being a goal for so long, I was thinking in my mind, “You’ve gotten this far, just finish it!”
It was more than my body wanted to handle. But in this case my mind forced it and I locked it out.
Sure, I would have liked to have done it easier, and I will in the future. But true maxes seldom are pretty. (And I’m sure to get all kinds of hate mail about my form. At this point I’m used to it, but it works for me.)
There were a lot of things that went into making this possible. I’ve briefly outlined some of them here.
But right now I want to highlight the mental training aspect of it. No one is teaching this, yet it is one of the most powerful allies you have that can be added on top of whatever you’re currently doing.
And if a skinny guy like me, who grew up so weak I couldn’t do a pushup, can now deadlift over 500 lbs, you can accomplish your goals too.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to deadlift. If you want to excel at kettlebells, bodyweight training or feats of strength…
If you’re looking to shed some fat, or add on muscle…
If you just want the added edge in your sport…
This package deal will be pull down shortly. In fact I only have 5 left in stock.
There are techniques to unlock the powers of your mind, which will allow you to better unlock the powers of your body.
Use them and you will become more powerful. I guarantee it!
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Lifting Technique, Mental Training, Recovery, Videos by on Aug 8th, 2011. 7 Comments.
The other day while training I decided to shoot this video for you of a new personal record in the partial deadlift.
Now you might be wondering what I’m using to do this pull. It’s the Strongergrip Plateau Buster Swing Handle which you can read more about and see another video of here.
I really like doing heavy pulls on this thing, even more so than the barbell (and since my barbell recently broke I don’t have that option until I replace it). I feel this one a bit more in the quads but especially in the upper back.
Considering the last time I max out on this I did 685 and I needed straps for that I’m quite happy. Now all I need to do is buy some more plates so that I can lift more.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Partials, Videos by on Jul 29th, 2011. 4 Comments.
The Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC) is a strength competition consisting of three events:
- A three-attempt powerlifting deadlift
- Pullups for max reps
- Kettlebell snatches for max reps in a 5:00 time period
You can find out more at tacticalstrengthchallenge.com
I had the opportunity to participate in my first TSC last weekend. I had meant to do it the previous year but it always fell on days where I had prior commitments.
This time I was definitely going to do it. I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to the nearest place it was held, in Sacramento, CA at Midtown Strength and Conditioning.
And I’m glad I did. This video shows me in all the events. (Thanks to Nick for filming for me.)
Deadlift
First was the deadlift. This was my first time competing on a lift like this. I’m use to the ‘do it however you want’ in the gym approach to training. Being limited to three attempts is quite a different beast.
I opened up with an easy 425. Then I moved up to 455, which felt solid. But then I got a little greedy. I thought the competition would help me so I set my sights on 505. In hindsight I can of course say it was too much as I didn’t budge it much. With my personal record currently at 475 I should have been more modest and gone for that or 485.
Pullups
Oh well, next event. Bodyweight pullups for reps. Here I hit my expectations. My goal was to break 20 reps, which would be a first. I think my previous best ever was 16-18. I cranked out 21 and was pleased. It looks like my recent one arm chinnup work has some good carryover.
Snatches
The last event was my best. The kettlebell snatch. To be honest since hitting 301 I had fallen out of practice on this a bit. (That’s something I do pretty often. Hit a big goal and then don’t want to do it again at least for a while.)
My grip was tiring out at the end. It could have been from the previous lifts. It could have been the slicker then normal kettlebell. Still I managed 146 reps. A little slow for my but I was also striving for a harder lockout then before.
Overall it was a great time and I got to meet some great new people. Competition is fun and something I plan on doing more of. There is a big difference in what you can do on the gym and having to perform on demand back to back events.
I’m still awaiting the final results as this is an international competition. Judging by last years results my deadlift was average, pullups above average and snatch right near the top.
Did any of you compete? What were your results?
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I’m thinking of redoing the video and making it a standalone product but right now as a special bonus you can get How to Kick Ass at the TSC for free along with Kettlebell Snatch Domination.
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bodyweight Exercise, Conditioning, Kettlebells by on Apr 14th, 2011. 35 Comments.
It is now 2011.
I’m not big on resolutions. It’s something like 97% of people have dropped their resolutions by the time February rolls around. I don’t want to be a part of something that has that pitiful of a track record.
Instead I do believe in goals. I do believe in review and planning. And I do use this time of the year as a catalyst to improve my life in many different ways.
A long time ago I starting writing a journal of what I did every single day. Soon after I begin reviewing each week and month writing down my thoughts on the previous one and planning out he next. While I made a conscious decision to cease the daily journal I continue on with the rest. It has been instrumental to my success.
I also do this for the year. And when I do it its very insightful.
Why Looking Back is Helpful
They say hindsight is 20/20, (looking back its still a bit fuzzy, sorry couldn’t resist the Megadeth reference, bonus points if you name that song!). This means when you look back you can see clearly. The thing is, this does you no good if you don’t look back. And simply remembering is seldom good enough.
By having a written record you can analyze, you can find things you wouldn’t expect.
I do this for every area of my life. But since this site is devoted to strength and fitness I’ll stick to what I’ve learned there and how you can learn from it and apply it to yourself.
A Revolution Happened to My Training this Year
That was biofeedback training as is taught in the Grip & Rip DVD’s put out by my friend Adam Glass.
It was a dramatic change from what I had been doing. When I started I had some difficulty not getting the fast results or feeling I was doing it right. Listening to your body is a skill that must be practiced. Sadly it’s a skill that few people have.
Yet my persistence paid off. Now I am better in tune with my body then ever before and the results are coming fast.
During the summer I was blowing my records out of the water. I added about 100 lbs. to my deadlift in the span of two months. My kettlebell snatches were nearing record numbers Everything was going up fast.
But I stalled out.
Why?
A Big Lesson
By looking back I was able to see the answer. It seems obvious now. I started going back to a gymnastics class. While I think weightlifting and gymnastic skills can be balanced you need to be careful in how you do it. I was making some progress in other fronts, but I was giving the priority to gymnastics.
So the days before and after classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays I couldn’t really lift well as I’d either be sore from class or want to be well recovered before I went in so I could perform well. If I wasn’t I couldn’t seem to do much there and it felt wasted so I avoiding training the days before.
And perform well I did. Some of my new accomplishments there included aerials, repeated back handsprings, a backflip holding 20 lbs, some basic moves on the parallel bars, a back lever and much more.
Then on Thanksgiving I was involved in a game of tackle football with friends. It’s a tradition, something we do every year. This year happened to be a rougher game then most. Beyond the regular stiffness and soreness, though I don’t know how it happened, my left wrist was injured and I couldn’t flex it back without pain. This made doing handstands and the majority of gymnastics out of the question while it healed.
Add in the fact that I just started my gym up and was excited to train there, I stopped going to gymnastics and have been back to focusing on weightlifting almost every single day (only taking a day off when I feel its necessary).
Now I’m back on track for my dead lifting, kettlebell snatching goals and everything else.
The big takeaway from this is that you not only need to have goals but you must prioritize them. Figure out what is more important to you. This is common sense, but as they say, it ain’t always so common. And in any case a reminder is always useful.
Setting the goals is important. Knowing you priorities is in some ways just as important.
At the time going to gymnastics was important. I had big reasons to go back. I just didn’t realize how much it would affect my other goals. Taking this information into consideration I have to make certain choices that reflect my priorities.
Possibly Even Bigger…
Another big revolution of 2010 has led me to studying the best ways of unlocking the minds powers to aid in these goals.
I’ve been working on some crazy stuff that is delivering results. A little technique that made a bolt twice as easy to bend. A different technique doubled the reps I got in a press from two to four while making it easier to do so, and without trying changed my technique in doing so.
This isn’t your average stuff. And I’ve only begun to see the true power of it. Lots more on this later.
So this is what 2011 marks for me. Because I have the best of everything I’ve ever had in place I plan to make faster progress then ever before. And it should only accelerate because I’m getting better at the skills I need in order to do it.
And with it I plan to share my techniques. In two days I’m going to be sending out a survey, as I’d like to see what most interests you in what I can offer.
There is lots in store for 2011. I hope you make the decision to come with me.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. And of course I wish to thank everyone who has supported me in the past by buying my products or even just reading what I write and visiting my websites. Thank you!
Filed under Bio Feedback, Mental Training by on Jan 3rd, 2011. 8 Comments.
Jedd’s delivered another terrific article on steel bending, how it balances the power you develop in other ways. Well worth reading. Of course, this is in promotion for his new DVD – Nail Bending: How to Melt Steel with Your Bare Hands. If nail bending sounds like a good idea to you (despite others calling you crazy) I would highly recommend it.
Hi, my name is Jedd Johnson, and I bend steel with my hands.
That’s right, I take steel bars, wrap them in suede to prevent a cut to my hands, and bend them into a U-shape.
“Why the hell would he want to do that?” you might ask…
I’ll tell you straight up…
Because it makes me feel like a friggin’ animal.
It makes me feel like I am a 800-lb rain forest gorilla that can destroy anything put in front of me.
And I like that feeling…
Maybe that description is too wild, and you can’t identify with it, so let me describe it a little differently…
A PR Bend is like adding 50 lbs to your deadlift, and holding it there while you scream before dropping it back to the platform like a bomb from an airplane.
Completing a bend you never were able to do before is like hitting 100 snatches in 5 minutes for the first time ever, and letting out a warrior cry because it took so much hard work and determination to get there.
Much like the landmark feats described above, I love taking a perfectly good nail or bolt and making it completely useless.
Some people think this is ignorant, but they don’t realize that BENDING IS THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT to movements such as the kettlebell snatch and the deadlift…
Now, you’re probably thinking: What!?!? How in the world could bending steel compliment my snatch and deadlift work?
The answer is the principle of Antagonistic Balance.
“Antagonistic” means opposite, against, contra-indicative.
Think of a Broadway Play. The agonist is the main character and the antagonist is the character that plays opposite him or her. Many times these two are enemies, or their views are somehow contra-indicative of one another – they are opposites; they disagree.
So what is Antagonsitic Balance, then?
Well, your body works the best, improves its performance, and is at its healthiest when the antagonistic muscle groups in the joints and opposing sides of the body are within a reasonable balance.
Think of the shoulder. If you do too much bench pressing and not enough rowing, pull-ups, retractions and other opposite movement patterns, you can really do harm to your shoulders, messing up the posture, pinching off nerves, and thus ruining progress on the bench.
You’ve heard of this before probably a hundred times and you are well aware of it in your training, right?
And you know, if you do too much pushing and not enough pulling, you could be setting yourself up for a serious fall down the line.
Now, where does this come into play with respect to the relationship between steel bending, the kettlebell snatch and the powerlifting deadlift…?
To fully understand this, let’s look at the movement patterns of these movements individually.
KETTLEBELL SNATCH
The Kettlebell Snatch is marked by Extension throughout the body.
The athlete starts in a flexed position with the knees, and hips bent. The bell is swung back through the legs, loading the hamstrings.
The momentum of the bell is reversed with controlled violence and then extension begins throughout the body. The hips and knees extend to give momentum to the bell. The spine is lengthened.
And finally, the arm punches itself into a straight, extended position.
DEADLIFT
The Deadlift is very similar.
The lifter starts out in a crouching position, grasping the bar as it sits on the floor.
From there, the lifter pulls the weight up along the body, extending the knees and the hips.
Once the bar is pulled to its highest point, the lifter further extends himself, pulling the shoulders back into a position of pride.
COMMON THREADS
Upon analyzing both of these movements, the action that is repeated time and again is extension: extension in the knees, hips, shoulders and arms.
So, what is the natural antagonistic balancing action for the movement pattern of Extension?
There has to be some kind of contra-indicative movement pattern that essentially will negate these two big lifts, right?
The answer is Flexion.
To repeat, we are looking for an antagonistic, or opposite movement pattern, and we already said that KB work and Deadlifts involve a lot of force into extension, so the natural antagonistic movement pattern would be flexion.
BUT WAIT – I thought that, just like the ghost busters crossing the streams, having your “body in flexion” was bad!?!?
Sure, sitting at your desk all day in flexion is BAD. In can have a huge toll on your body over the years, so let’s try to avoid that…
How about Crunches?
SCREW THAT! BORING!!!
There has to be some other exhilarating strength training practice that involves flexion, while also requiring the same level of dedication, the same level of discipline, and the same level of technical precision in order to succeed that the Kettlebell Snatch and the Deadlift require. But what is it???
The answer – STEEL BENDING.
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at steel bending, now, and the movement patterns involved.
STEEL BENDING
The athlete starts out by grasping the nail high up under the chin with the spine, hips, and knees extended.
From there he takes a small step forward, initiates pressure into the steel and begins to lean forward into flexion.
As the steel heats up under the pressure, he feels it begin to move and puts on one last pulse of flexion as he “crushes the can,” compressing his abdomen down and further bending the nail.
Hit after hit on the nail, he does the same thing, flexing his body, until the ends of the nail are within two inches.
Flexion.
Being stuck in it at an office desk or behind the wheel of a car all the time is a bad thing. It makes you tight in the hip flexors, it can weaken the glutes and it can hurt your posture.
However, performing flexion in order to translate the power from your core and torso into your hands and to make the steel tap out to your strength is a good thing.
And not only does it help balance out all of the other training you do all the time, it makes you feel like you are a monster with green skin that can smash through concrete walls.
I’ll warn you right now, though…
As fun as it is, Nail Bending isn’t easy.
If it were easy, everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great.
If you want to learn how to bend nails the right way, I’ll show you.
Check out my killer DVD, Nail Bending: How to Melt Steel with Your Bare Hands.
All the best in your training, my friends. Now go get your SAVAGE on!
Nail Bending: How to Melt Steel with Your Bare Hands <= Click that link right away!
Jedd
Jedd Johnson is a certified Red Nail Bender, a CSCS, RKC and Captain of Crush. He is a World Record Holder in the Two Hands Pinch, AND he likes to bend sh*t.
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength by on Dec 3rd, 2010. Comment.
I’m regularly getting questions on biofeedback training, almost everyday. So I thought it was time for another report on how its working out for me.
One movement leads another...
Doing any kind of movement (actually anything) will lead to increasing or decreasing any other movement. This is because the body is a whole and what effects one thing, effects EVERYTHING.
Thus you can test any exercise, any movement and see how that affects any other movement. This is commonly done with a range of motion test as this is a simple way to test things by yourself. It’s not without its faults, and there are other methods. But it does work if you do it right.
What I’ve found is that by doing this biofeedback training for a time I got better in tune with my body. That I didn’t even need to test all the time. That I could feel the better or worse movement within the movement itself. That means if I press I can feel whether or not today would be a good day to press.
This is a good thing. And its not even the end point of where you can get.
Progress on that front. However I also ran into a roadblock, created by myself.
Not testing all the time I began to make a slight shift towards forcing my body in directions it didn‘t necessarily want to go. Overtime this slight shift got bigger because I had something on the line.
You know about my progress on the deadlift which has been great. With that goal of 500 lbs. on the horizon, and the fact I wanted to hit it by the end of this month, I starting forcing myself in that direction, rather than letting it happen as it would by itself. I’ve done this by lifting heavier than I should have on many days. Even deadlifting when that wasn’t the best choice. The total effect is that my progress has slowed.
The promise of biofeedback training is that, if you listen to it, you’ll break PR’s without really having to try to do it. Effortless progress. These may not always be exactly groundbreaking PR’s or in the direction you always want but it does happen.
What happens when you don’t listen to your body? When you do things contrary to what its telling you? At best it’ll just be slower progress. At worst no progress, sliding back, or injury.
You can, for a time, force your body to adapt. But it will fight back. The question is why would you fight against your body when you can use it as an ally?
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Strength Training Concepts by on Jul 23rd, 2010. 4 Comments.
Hit a 470 lb. deadlift yesterday.
For those keeping track (like me) that’s another 15 lb. increase in 10 days. I was surprised I maxed out again so recently this time, but the journal doesn’t lie. Also, for the record that’s just past the 2 ½ times bodyweight mark. Closing in on 500.
Not world record status but if I keep up this pace how long would it take?
And just three days ago I hit 277 snatches with the 24kg in 10 minutes. Closing in on 300.
You too can have this kind of progress. What does it take? The way I see it there are three keys.
1. Training
You need to do the best training possible. After experimenting I truly believe biofeedback training is going to give you the best, fastest and safest results. Click here for more information on how to get started.
However, that’s not all there is to it. Biofeedback is not some magic pill. You still need ideas on the best exercises in general and for you. You still need to know the best ways to approach your goals.
Training is key, yet it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
2. Health and Nutrition
I’ve just released my book 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health. This contains plenty of beginner and advanced tips on supercharging your health. Superior health means superior energy and recovery for your training as well as being free from illness.
The book is a great start especially if you haven’t paid too much attention to your health in the past.
Also when you order you have a chance to upgrade to a special program I put together detailing all the food and supplementation I personally take. (Like this video multiplied times 100.) This is only available right now for those who buy the book, but this information can make a dramatic difference. I know it has for me.
This is key number two.
3. ?????
The third component is not hard to guess if you give it some thought. However, for now I’m not going to give it away.
Truth be told, I think this can make a bigger difference than the other two combined. I’ve just started really using it and as they say ‘the proof is in the pudding.’
********
On a similar note, I’ve decided to add another bonus for those who order 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health. (Everyone who has already ordered gets this too, of course.)
I’ll be holding a special Q&A call to answer all of your questions. What more details on tip 75? Want to know what I personally do with tip 31? How about how I do 66? Want additional tips?
Maybe I’ll even talk a bit about key number three from above?
You’ll receive access information when you order 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health now. I’ll be holding the call in a couple weeks so that you have time to read, digest and apply the information you get.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Health, Nutrition, Recovery, Strength Training Concepts by on Jul 2nd, 2010. 9 Comments.
I just wrote last week how my deadlifts have been going way up. But this is getting ridiculous…
I ended up doing deadlifts once again. Started with 365 for 8 reps.
Went to 415 for a triple.
And ended with a 440 lb. deadlift.
I could’ve kept going but was fine to stop there. At least as far as the deadlifting was concerned.
Riding on the high of setting a new max only 9 days after my last one I started bending. It felt good. After a couple Grade 5 bolts were crumpled I took a step up.
A 5.5” Grade 5 bolt. Half an inch shorter than the standard ones. This was not so easy. Took a bit of a battle but I was victorious.
To quote George Samuelson, “This feels like cheating.”
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Hand Strength, Videos by on Jun 8th, 2010. 8 Comments.
