Fair points. The only time I had issues with #1 was at my last meet, after bench I started to feel really bloated and nauseous. It turned out that I had caught some kind of stomach virus, but in any case my belt felt too tight for deadlifts and I almost puked when I was locking out my first attempt. I failed my second attempt because of that, when the bar was at my knees the pressure on my stomach was too much and I dropped the bar, but I managed to pull through and get in on the third. I was still disappointed because I didn’t beat my training PR. Next time I will bring a screwdriver.
I don’t really wear my belt too tight either, I can definitely push my abs out against it. It just seems much more convenient with a lever, I definitely wouldn’t want to rely on someone to help me put on my belt, especially since I train alone.
Well shit boys went to the gym feeling pretty good. Back was burning and 320lbs felt like 385. Could barely manage a triple. Getting weaker yay
Edit: Just realized I haven’t taken a week off deadlifting in over 5 months. I think it might be time to do a week or two of zero pulling. That being said, I shouldn’t be this weak. My bench is at 240x5 and my squat is at 315x5. How the fuck am I squatting more than I deadlift?? Pretty aggravated right now. Thoughts?
And another thing, I’ve always pulled with a rounded back since I started lifting. I’m aware that it’s going to take time fixing that. My question is more like how do people just naturally keep a straight back even as complete beginners? Like Jesus I’ve seen dudes literally walk into the gym for the first time and pull with better form than me. Granted they’re not pulling as much as me but still. What gives?
Hit back work super hard and do slow eccentric deadlifts with a straight back. Some people aren’t built to pull conventional with a straight back fyi, so after you build a bigger base of strength and are regularly pulling ~2-2.5x bodyweight and are still pulling with a slight round in the upper back, I wouldn’t worry too much. Just keep training hard and don’t worry so much about minutia.
thats the thing. I dont think I have a weak back. I bent row 250x5 (albeit with a bit of body english) so surely my back strength isnt pathetic. Eccentric deadlifts are something I havent ever considered, sounds interesting. One thing I should point out is that my abs are pitiful, I almost never do any accessory work for them. I’m going to start ab rolling 3x per week and leg raises at least once a week along with planks, because frankly im pissed off. I don’t think its a back weakness. If anything my erectors and traps look fairly developed at 5’10" 200lbs (not bragging just being honest here). I could add a picture but you get the idea. I don’t think my back is the problem. I’ve given up on pulling with a perfectly straight upper back, but I even felt my lower back rounding today. I’ve become a lot more aware of my body positioning throughout the lift and there was definitely some rounding.
I know I’m burnt out this week. The previous post was just a bit of a vent. When I’m fresh I easily got 315 for 5x3 but today I barely managed a single triple with 320…
I should get a video of my bent row just to make sure everything is ok formwise. If I am keeping a fairly neutral spine rowing 80% of my deadlift there is something seriously wrong with my pull. How the fuck can I be rowing that much of my deadlift? This indicates to me there is something seriously wrong with the bottom part of my pull. My squat is relatively strong and I get my hips low, so it cant be lack of leg drive. My hamstrings aren’t weak enough for this kind of imbalance in my lifts. In my unqualified opinion it could very well be ab weakness, since i literally do no accessory work for them.
This means fuck-all in terms of strength. I would definitely do ab work a ton throughout the week and build a stronger back. You will never find a person with too strong of a back.
Totally agree, but the fact that im rowing 70-80% of my deadlift tells me that my back (or at least my back when its in that position) isnt the limiting factor here. Im just trying to figure out what it is.
I had the same problem. What fixed it was a load of hamstring work combined with heavy max effort block pulls.
When the hams are week they tuck the pelvis into posterior tilt, never allowing your back to stay flat. Strengthen the back of the body. This will allow the hanstrings to stretch and load up properly.
Forget about why some people have perfect form out of the box. You are not them.
I feel like I’ve strengthened my hamstrings a fair bit over the past month through a wide array of exercises but I guess that’s not nearly enough to see a difference. Could tight hip flexors also result in posterior tilt in the bottom position? When I stand up I seem to have a mild case of anterior pelvic tilt which would indicate tight hip flexors.
