DL Form Check 225x3

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
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225x3 @ 9 RPE (this was two workouts ago) - YouTube

Hey guys, new to the forums so I’m unsure on if this is the place to put this.

I’m going to be starting Greg Nuckols beginner program “The Journey” next week, so I decided to find out where I should start for triples. This is my last set which was at an RPE around 9. Recently I’ve been starting to learn how to actually include my lats and traps while lifting the weight, whereas before it literally felt like I was only using my legs.

Two things I’m worried about from this video however. First, I want to be sure that my lower back isn’t rounded too much on this lift, and I’m of course trying to work towards having it straight the entire time. I’m thinking it was rounding because when I did this set I wasn’t focused on having my chest up, which I think would have helped, or perhaps a mobility issue, though I’ve been doing lots of mobility work the past month or so.

Second, it seems like I kind of have the thing going on where the hips shoot up and it turns into a stiff legged deadlift. Today when I DL’d (couldn’t get a video), I tried moving my shins back a little and lowering the hips so my torso was more upright. The back felt straighter, but I was only able to get 205x3. So either I’m “built” to deadlift the way in the video (probably not) or my legs are weak as shit (probably).

Thanks guys!

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Welcome to the forum.

The weight you’re working with is fine. It’s good that you’re getting your lats tight and keeping your chest up. Focus on that until it becomes automatic. Learn to brace your abs and you’ll no longer have to worry about rounding your lower back. It may take some time to learn to brace as hard as possible for every rep and throughout the entire rep so be patient. As you push your chest up, pull your shoulder blades down. This will get everything tight. It’s important to learn how to create a rigid torso.

After that, you’ll have to learn to load your hips but focus on the above first since it’ll be too many cues to focus on at once. Learning to create a rigid torso will also help when learning to load your hips. Don’t worry if you aren’t able to add weight so quickly as you’re learning to integrate more muscles into the movement.

You should make it a priority to learn to distribute the load properly and engage as many muscle groups as possible. This will create a greater potential for strength early on. If it feels like you can engage more muscle groups by lightening the weight a bit, then drop it a bit because it’ll move back up pretty quick once those weaker muscles are strengthened. Good luck!