Been following 531 for a few month now. Just posting to get some feedback on my DL. I struggled on this day. Everything felt 100x heavier than what is should have. I went 280, 325, 365. Every set felt heavy. I recently switched from using straps to just chalk. No real reason other than trying bring my grip strength up. I prefer chalk, just most gyms don’t allow it. I also try to do every set with a dbl pronated grip. In college (6 yrs ago) I always did an over/under and my right low back didn’t develop as much. I try to stay symmetrical as possible.
I feel like I am to slow off the ground. I haven’t really read up on how to get quicker. I feel like when I try to get quick I jerk to much instead of pulling the bar off the ground.
Any pointers would be good. I Pr’d back in Feb at 425 so that is what my percentages are based off of.
Could have been a bad day, or your grip could be limiting you. If your grip is weak, you will naturally slow down your pull, making the whole lift harder.
You can always go with a mixed grip and alternate between sets.
What have your rep maxes looked like prior to this? Has your projected max been going up, down staying the same?It could have just been an off day as doubleduce suggested, or possible rep effort isnt the way to go for deadlifts in your case. (5/3/1 sucked for my deadlift and bench, but great for my squat)
Also, I know many lifters alternate the hand they supinate every set (sometimes each rep) to keep the stress on their bodies even.
I personally would try to drop your butt a little more and get your chest up. Also, try to keep your chest ahead of everything in the motion, your butt shouldn’t go up first. It should be one fluid motion as well, not two parts. With that said, you look pretty good, some guys just pull more stiff-legged than others and use more back. A deadlift is a deadlift. Don’t let any keyboard commandoes tear you a new one you’re doing good. A few minor adjustments and you’ll be next to perfect. Go to YouTube and check out Dave Tate and Brian Carroll’s deadlift technique videos on the Elitefts channel. Those both helped me TREMENDOUSLY.
Oh, I also saw you are worried about being too slow off of the ground. Like I said if you sit a little lower you’ll get more legs involved which is the first few inches of the movement.
Mark Ripptoes explanation in starting strength of how to perform a proper deadlift is probably the best reading material for deadlift form for me. Seeing the angles and where the leverages were helped me a ton.
One other thing…I have had bars in commercial gyms, shaking my head. Asking myself, what the heck, I just pulled this 2 weeks ago. Crappy bars in crappy gyms…will mess with your mind!
The biggest problem I see:
On your first two sets, your entire posterior chain is closed. This is a good thing. This means you are stable and you can transfer force through the floor, through your hips, and through your back. Your ligther sets were done with very good form, even though they were slow (x2 on the grip work).
Your 365 felt shitty and heavy because you tried to pull it with an open posterior chain. Something is going to give in when you pull with an open chain. Same goes for squatting and benching too. In this case, your lower back is in flexion before you even pull and your hips are almost over your shoulders.
Anyway, get your lower back locked in from the start, while you are standing up. With a tight back, hinge your hips to get into pulling position. This will help make the pull feel not so much like you are going to shit your spine out. Other than that, solid pulling, man.
x3 on the grip work.
THanks for the suggestions. I haven’t felt a ton stronger with DL’s since starting 531 like I have on Bench and Squat. I’m going to give the program a solid year before I write it off. Just trying to get bigger and stronger like the rest of you. Thanks again for the suggestions. Hopefully I’ll have some updates in a few months with bigger weight and better form.