Deadlifts

The Proper Strongman Deadlift

In Strongman the deadlift is a staple of any good competition. Starting height may vary but the lockout should always be the same. To the left here is an excellent graphic with a link to the blog from Rucci's Gym.
Here are guidelines for making a good lift:


Knees Locked

Good lift

Shoulders Back

Good lift

Weight Under Control

Good lift

Soft Knees

No lift

Shoulders Rounded

No lift

Weight Not Fully Controlled

Good lift?

Ambiguity

The main purpose of all of this is to eliminate confusion and ambiguity. We understand with various body types a lockout may be hard to judge, which is why powerlifting has side judges. A controversial moment in strongwoman history was when Tamara Walcott was given the down command when many people felt her shoulders were rolled forward or that the weight was never fully controlled. Chasing records oftentimes will impact judges' decision-making skills, but "gifting" an athlete a good lift results in controversy and constant questions that will follow that athlete. Eliminating asterisks from an athlete's record is paramount especially when going for a World Record.