Compared with the squat and bench press, how significant is bodyweight in deadlift performance?
I think that you have to view deadlifting a bit differently for the bigger guys than you do with the little guys. Lifters with more body weight to use to their advantage can get away with leaning back more—and starting with the shoulders further back. Those of us in the lighter weight classes don’t have that luxury, so it actually helps to start with the shoulders forward a bit more to generate some momentum – or at least that’s what I’ve seen in some of the best lightweight pullers I’ve been around (and in my own experience as a conventional puller at 165 and 181). Adding weight doesn’t help the deadlift like it does the squat and bench press, as you really aren’t shortening your range of motion by adding in a big belly. In fact, you’re adding an “obstacle” to getting down to the bar! My experience with other lifters tells me that adding weight helps until guys hit the 242-pound weight class, and then the belly gets in the way. At that point, they often switch from conventional to sum
