6 Must-Have Dead Stop Exercises To Improve CrossFit Performance

Performing compound exercises while incorporating a dead stop is highly recommended for those looking to improve their concentric strength and explosiveness. Now, it’s not uncommon to want to use a little momentum to reach a certain number of reps or to just ensure we’re moving weight (That the goal right)?

Well… this can be a big problem when it comes to developing honest (no cheating) strength for any given muscle group. Lifting weight is much easier when utilizing a bounce and stretch reflex but more times than not when someone doesn’t focus on our concentric strength, they’re not as strong or efficient as they might think.

And there’s no way to cheat your way up when you’re under a heavy barbell during squats either…

So today, we’ve put together a list of exercises you really need to be doing with the dead stop component if you want to push through plateaus and develop real strength with no gimmicks!

Anderson Squat (Bottom-up squat)

This is the dead stop variation for the squat and the reason it’s called bottom-up is because the purpose is to reset at the bottom and then generate power to squat the weight up rather than to start from the top and get in a rhythm.

Here’s a video example… 

Deadlift

The deadlift is the king of full-body exercises hands down since it works the entire posterior chain (backside of the body) and more. Well, the dead stop and reset will allow you to really improve performance on this lift and engage all of the muscles involved. 

For this exercise, stop at the bottom of the deadlift so that the bar rests on the floor for a second before you pull it back up after resetting. So, in other words, there should be no bounce or momentum to get the weight up.

Here’s a video example showing the difference between a deadlift with a bounce and then with a dead stop…

Bench Press

When you implement the dead stop for the bench press, you’ll improve your pressing power no doubt because your chest, triceps, and deltoids will be fully engaged (that’s a lot of firepower).

Keep everything tight and make sure to pause and reset so that you can utilize pure pressing power.

Here are two video examples one without pins and one with. 

Pull-Up

The pull-up is one of the best upper body exercises for pulling muscles but it’s also a movement that is largely synonymous with bad execution. So, by doing a dead hang at the bottom, you have the chance to reset and not swing your way back up.

For the dead hang and pull-up portion of the exercise, keep your scapular muscles retracted and don’t allow your shoulders to move up toward your ears. This is crucial for structural health near the shoulders and upper back.

Push-up

The push-up is another popular movement for those training in CrossFit. The dead stop is a great teacher for engaging proper form which utilizing the press effectively without strain on your lower back. 

Keep your entire body in a straight line and look forward. Flex your glutes, push up, come back down and reset for a second then proceed.

Ring Dip

The ring dip is truly one of the best ways to strengthen your performance for CrossFit workouts and competition. Try the dead stop version to really add some power to movements like the muscle-up.

Keep your elbows close to your body and have something under you to stop at a good point where your upper arms are about parallel to the floor. Dip, hold for a second or two and then press. 

And that’s it! These exercises should help you to develop more of that concentric strength and explosiveness for CrossFit performance. 

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