Just for the record....
My comments were intended for bodybuilders; powerlifters are a different kettle of fish... those guys will gladly sacrifice form (and safety) for poundage. I simply meant to point out that a 500 lb deadlift (done bodybuilding style) is a tremendous achievement and frankly, beyond the capabilities/potential of most trainees...
The Luke
In my five decades of lifting, I've come to the conclusion, after observing seeming legions of lifters incur back injuries through deads, that some individuals have leverages that are so favorable to deads that regardless of how much they round their backs, at the critical point of clearing the knees with the straight bar, that they never incur back injuries. However, others w/o these favorable leverages are literally playing “Russian roulette” with their backs in trying to emulate the “pull-out-all-the-stops” back rounding form/technique of deadlifting on a 1 RM effort!
The great Bob Peoples started with his hips high, did almost a “stiff-legged” deadlift, and rounded his back considerably…but he seemed to have perfect leverages for the deadlift and his finger-tips seemed to dangle just below his knees! Go figure?!
Yeah, we all know that we are supposed to keep our backs flat while doing deads…but who REALLY does this when doing a true 1RM, or squeezing out the last of your reps.?!
Personally, not having good leverages for the deadlift and not being a competitive powerlifter anymore, but still pushing to beat personal records (at different stages of my life), the Gerard trap bar was a “salvation” to me.
The trap bar allows trainees, like myself, with relatively poor deadlifting leverages to set their hips low in a “perfect” get-set position (which a straight bar prevents some lifters from doing at all!), and then being able to pull the bar straight up and back over ones’ heels. Thus, one gains much better leverage and SAFETY to ones’ lower back…because rounding of the spine is minimized (compared to the straight bar) as the bar passes the knees!
