Hi guys so today was my first time doing deadlifts, I just have a few questions and form check I would like to ask. First off I wanted to know about how much hamstring/leg muscle I should be using to do the weight, because at the moment I didn’t feel myself using my legs as much, is this ok?
Also when I did them I felt a slight strain in the very bottom of my back after the deadlifts which was tight for a while but did go away, is there anything in my form which could be causing that?
First thing that jumps out at me is your mismatched socks, so that’s a quick fix.
Considering this is your first time deadlifting, your form ain’t the worst thing in the world, and it at least seems like you have decent mobility. First change I’d point out is to try to keep your neck more in-line with the rest of your spine; stop looking straight ahead at your sexy self in the mirror. Everyone has different dimensions/mechanics, so everyone’s positioning will be slightly different. For you, I’d say look at the ground maybe 5-7 feet in front of you. You’ll find your sweet spot as you tweak your starting position.
But yes, you should be able to feel it in your legs, especially once you’re off of the floor. Maybe stretch out your hips if you really don’t feel it in your hammies, but more than anything, just keep at it and work on that “mind-muscle connection.” The more you do it, the more you’ll learn how to activate the muscles that are involved. There are much better deadlifters on this site that can provide you with useful cues.
Nothing mate. Just keep chipping away at it. Good work on trying to get stronger on these compound lifts. Keep in mind that as you get stronger as a whole, different muscles will work a varying amounts on these types of lifts.
Example: when I 1st started deadlifting, I felt it mostly in my lower back. I would get DOMS in my hamstrings and my traps grew like crazy even though I never felt them work or get DOMS in them.
And now when I Deadlift I get DOMS in my lower back but I feel my hamstrings doing a lot of work in the lift itself.
One thing I would add- it looks like your bar path is curving a bit to miss your knees. You want to try to keep you bar path as straight as possible. This may require sitting back a little more in your hips (not down- back). One thing I use to check is where I’m feeling the weight on my feet. You should be feeling it in your heels and maybe mid-foot, but not in your toes.
What this does is works your shins to a more upright angle. Ideally you want your shins perpendicular to the ground.
Get tight, stay tight, pull tight. Keep working at it.
Hahaha yes I know, those mis match socks help me lift more weight😂. Now that I rewatch the video I know what you mean about my neck positioning, looks uncomfortable just watching it really, thanks for advice.
The only thing you be concerned about at the moment is not having your lower back round when you start deadlifting more with more weight…Form wise make sure you drive your hips through more and dont over extend with the back
Bulldog I was thinking the exact same thing, I think that’s one of the massive struggles because I feel like my feet and the bar are a bit out of reach and when I adjust myself I my back doesn’t feel straight. I keep watching the video and can’t determine whether my back is slightly rounded or not, what do you think?
Quick question…and you may have already answered this in one of your other threads. What are do you hope to achieve short term and long term with lifting? The reason I ask, is because most guys your age motivation stems from to impress the ladies or for some athletic improvement or to be more Alpha among their peers In reality these are not bad motivating factors in the early stages…Knowing this will help others in possibly advising you.
To be honest I don’t expect to be too muscular or anything like impressive that’s not really my goal at the moment, I just hate being skinny so much, I just wanna get to a point when I’m not considered skinny at the moment that’s about it I’m not sure what the go is after that but I do enjoy lifting
Ok…First of your only 15 correct? In reality you are probably far from done growing be it height or filling out your frame by any stretch of the imagination.
Good!! That enjoyment will do more than anything in helping you reach your goals… work hard in the gym be consistent and eat like you mean it.
This is an entirely useless comment to keep repeating if you’re not willing to explain what a good morning is. And quite honestly, I’m not seeing what he did wrong there either, so perhaps a better explanation would be suitable here. It did not look to me like he lowered the last rep in a dangerous way. Maybe I can learn something here.
Jaack740: you’re probably on the right track, simply because you’ve taken the step to start lifting weights. And you’re performing a compound lift that can put on size and strength quickly. Those are good things.
Eating will be the thing that likely comes hardest to you, because you’re so thin. Pay a lot of attention to that. Get as many calories in as you can, as long as you’re not getting appreciably fatter.
As to the video itself, I second Pookie’s barpath observation. It looks like you’re swinging the weight out forward intentionally to miss your knees. don’t do that. You need to shift your weight backwards more towards your heels. You’re letting your weight shift towards your toes. That’s bad, and it often causes the bar to fall forward a bit. If anything, your weight should make you fall backwards. If you ever have a rep that you miss and lose your balance forward, that’s a big problem. That’s the only thing I’d work on right now, driving more through the heels.
Notice his knees in his last set, vs his first two sets.
They are not bending (as much, if you want to get very technical).
The weight came down faster then the first two reps, his knees didn’t bend, he kept hold of the weight.
Good mornings (stiff or bent knee variation which targets different muscles) are not meant with heavy weights as there are way less muscles involved. It can be very dangerous for the lower back.
The phrase (good morning deadlift or good morning squats) comes from an old Ironman magazine I read eons ago.
The fact that you didn’t like my answer, doesn’t make it useless.
I will not address the rest of his exercise as you and the others pretty much hit it dead on. OP is still learning and he will get stronger.
Isn’t a good morning a deadlift with the bar on your back? Or a deadlift a good morning with the bar in your hands? I feel like the mechanics are very similar.