Deadlift Help

I gotta say the feedback in this one was huge for me too. I’m gona drag my digital camera int the gym and get 10sec of myself for eval. Thanks for putting yourself out there and to everyon else for the info.

Starkmann

[quote]sam747 wrote:
Pretend like your taking a dump in the woods, keep an arch in your low back and don’t look down.[/quote]

Best advice yet.

The other thing when deadlifting is you want to pull back, not up. Think of yourself as a sort of seesaw. Your weight should be on your heels when pulling, and you should keep your shoulders behind the bar (your shoulders were way in front of the bar when you started, and thus you were doomed to bad form from the start).

Don’t ever DL like that again. Guy I played football with done DL like that once and was out for 4-6wks for several seriously pulled muscles. Ouch! I know this info ain’t new but it also can’t be stressed enough: squat down (push butt out), keep a good arch in you lower back, pull shoulders back, push chest out, put weight on heels, take all slack out of body, then pull for all you’re worth keeping eyes and head looking up, never look down.

Also be sure to experiment a bit with stances, maybe even try sumo deadlifting, especially if you’re taller like me (6’4"). This takes a lot of stress of my knees. Be sure to squat also if possible. Try not to use straps in order to strengthen grip as well.

[quote]cap’nsalty wrote:
The other thing when deadlifting is you want to pull back, not up. Think of yourself as a sort of seesaw. Your weight should be on your heels when pulling, and you should keep your shoulders behind the bar (your shoulders were way in front of the bar when you started, and thus you were doomed to bad form from the start).[/quote]

Cool I think between this and taking a dump in the woods wish my heals skrewed into the ground I’ll be able to get it right.

I’ll keep you guys posted.

Also, it’s a good idea not to watch yourself in the mirror. You may be tempted to look down and allow you back to round out. Pick a point high up on the wall and focus on it. This should help with back arch.

Good luck!

first of all, your stance looks very narrow. i would get wider.

also, do you drive through with your heels or toes? heels=good, toes=bad.

you seen like your flexibility is lacking as well. do DL’s with a broom stick or something to get the form down, and stretch yourself out by standing with feet shoulder width apart and swuatting down as far as possible. this should correct a few things, it has worked for me.

I’ve been working on it, I havent made another video yet.

But I have another question, is there any reason, physically, why I wouldn’t be able to keep form with traditional deadlift but would be able to with sumo style? Cause thats what I’m seeing.

I was wondering if it had to do with height, I’m 6’2" but I don’t even know if that makes a difference?

Either way, is there any con to doing sumo style over traditional?

Thanks

What’s the easiest way to post video?

I have a short video of myself deadlifting and would love to get some feedback also.

Unless you have access to a web server, see if your ISP has personal web space and upload it there. Then post the link!

Also remember to be mindful of the file size anything more than 2mb and people might get tired of the download.

You’re question about physical limitations:

Some people really can’t go to the floor because their hams are too tight (as mentioned in Mike’s post). Usually when I show this exercise to a new lifter, I suggest they only go down so far as they can without bending their back (basically when they feel the pull in their hams). It’s possible to incorporate more leg bend into the movement, but this usually just confuses beginners.

My advice is to get the first pull up by something more like a squat, with back straight. Then subsequent pulls, keep your legs at the same bend the entire time. They should be almost straight, but not locked out. Keep your back straight, even a bit arched. Because your hams look tight, you won’t be able to go to the ground. Finally, when finishing, squat that bad-boy back to the floor.

Also, this may have already been mentioned, but I prefer my feet to be shoulder width for this exercise. Lastly one bit of advice that has always worked for me for exercises where you should keep your heels down is to try to keep your toes off the ground. It’s that simple. With your toes off, you can only touch the floor really at three points on your foot, and this forces your heel down.

I don’t necessarily agree with the post saying not to use a mirror. I think that it’s okay, and sometimes useful. But don’t line up facing the mirror, line up sideways to the mirror. This allows you to look at your back while you’re lifting. The mirror thing should only be used with low weights to check your form.

Work on your ham flexibility, and you should easily be able to go to the floor with your back straight.

Looking forward to your revised post!