Buy neoprene sleevs for your calves.
I usually only hurt my shins on the negatives/eccentrics, so although you should be sitting back into the negs, concentrate on dropping it without touching your shins. I’ve heard others mention that with heavy deads you should basically be dropping the weight with some control, not trying to lower it slowly.
sounds like a form problem
[quote]DylanK wrote:
Man, I see everyone messes up their shins on deadlifts but the way my arms hang, I invariably end up nearly castrating myself. I’ve seriously considered wearing a cup to protect myself from those few hundred pounds smacking into me.
[/quote]
I wear compression shorts for that and just tuck my junk in.
I have hairless patches on the front of my shins now but I rarely get blood. Fortunately my gym has some olympic lifting bars with soft knurling and a wider area of chome in the center. Look around your gym and see if you can find any bars that are kinder. Long socks are the only other alternative I’ve used though they are annoying when deeper knurling starts catching on them.
Just change your form and don’t bash into your shins. simple
I use a pair of soccer shine guards.When I’m pulling reps it really helps.
[quote]etaco wrote:
I wear compression shorts for that and just tuck my junk in.
I have hairless patches on the front of my shins now but I rarely get blood. Fortunately my gym has some olympic lifting bars with soft knurling and a wider area of chome in the center. Look around your gym and see if you can find any bars that are kinder. Long socks are the only other alternative I’ve used though they are annoying when deeper knurling starts catching on them.[/quote]
Good post, both on the “junk” and the softer knurling.
Just because you’re supposed to drag the bar doesn’t mean you have to find the sharpest bar in the lot.
All you girls that keep telling him not to drag the bar need to try dragging it, it forces your shoulders behind the bar, and forces better form.
It’s easier to focus on dragging the bar than the 50 other things it puts your body into position to do.
If you can keep your shoulders behind the bar and not drag it…congratulations, you’re not lifting heavy enough.
Put a piece of thin foam tubing over the bar, all loose-like, so when it hits your legs it rolls. If you don’t want to wear big socks etc…
[quote]TC wrote:
I was having the same problem until I took a look at one of Dave Tate’s DVDs.
The DVD reminded me to keep my shoulders not directly above the bar, but a little behind so that I pull up and back.
This required that I move the bar an inch or two in front of my shins.
It made the lift much easier and no more bloody shins.
[/quote]
I have to agree with everyone that mentions incorperating a different form that keeps the wieght slightly away from your shins. I was lucky Henderson Thorne taught me Deads/squats and bench when I was a littleone so I have never had problems with the bar touching my shin. Just when I get exausted or as my wife says lazy 
FF
Hey all,
Did deads today and using the shoulder tip from TC I was able to spare my poor shins to a certain degree.
Thanks everyone for their tips . . . this is why I love this site.
Best,
Sasha
I drag the bar somewhat, but I wear pants so I don’t hurt my shins. My problem is coming down, the bar hits against the top of my knees, not really hard, but since I do it so often I have big bruises above both knees that won’t heal. I am going to try out some of these form tips to see if they help.
One question, when I come down I am always focusing on getting my butt as low as possible while keeping my shoulders back and my back arched. However, I have seen it done differently, where the butt does not come so low. Which way is correct?
Since you recently started pulling, your form is the problem. As you get experience, the drag gets a lot less. I just thought of this, and am going to try it myself… bring some masking tape and tape your shins, then rip it off when you’re done.
[quote]JPBear wrote:
I drag the bar somewhat, but I wear pants so I don’t hurt my shins. My problem is coming down, the bar hits against the top of my knees, not really hard, but since I do it so often I have big bruises above both knees that won’t heal. I am going to try out some of these form tips to see if they help.
One question, when I come down I am always focusing on getting my butt as low as possible while keeping my shoulders back and my back arched. However, I have seen it done differently, where the butt does not come so low. Which way is correct?
[/quote]
A controlled drop from the top. Letting it down slowly is asking for injury.
It sorta looks like a straight leg deadlift when letting it down but you’re applying virtually no force, just making sure the bar doesn’t bounce all over.
[quote]Ghost22 wrote:
Good post, both on the “junk” and the softer knurling.
Just because you’re supposed to drag the bar doesn’t mean you have to find the sharpest bar in the lot.
All you girls that keep telling him not to drag the bar need to try dragging it, it forces your shoulders behind the bar, and forces better form.
It’s easier to focus on dragging the bar than the 50 other things it puts your body into position to do.
If you can keep your shoulders behind the bar and not drag it…congratulations, you’re not lifting heavy enough.[/quote]
there is more then one way to skin a cat and your methods/form arent going to be the best for everyone.
I started pulling more weight by moving the bar ahead a small amount and incidentally the bar no longer hit my shins. If pulling more weight is wrong because I don’t drag against my shins I will just have to keep doing things the wrong way.
Hike long socks up.
I actually had this question and this seems like a good enough thread to bring it up:
what about Tate’s advice? Someone else brought this up.
I just started pulling and after a terrible first day I decided to look into what tate would say. Besides a lot of the basic things that I got wrong, Tate says ( in his article, The dead zone) that only tall lifters can keep their shins to the bar and keep their shoulders behind it at the same time.
Then I read somewhere else ( "deadlift diagnosis) to keep your shins in as close as you can and to go as far as to turn your foot a bit to get your heels in even closer.
Anybody know whose advice to take? I notice most people go with shins as close as possible, but then again if anybody knows what to do on a power lift, It’s Tate.
[quote]PGA200X wrote:
Buy neoprene sleevs for your calves.[/quote]
and you will become the biggest tool that has stepped foot in any gym anywhere ever
1)Trap bar deads.
2) Try SUMO deads. I always had problems with shins, knees and lower back when doing heavy deads. Now I use one of the above methods without a problem.
I can’t believe people aren’t suggesting don’t deadlift. It would appear that the college gym I work out everyone must have got bloody shins from deadlifting big amounts of weight so they stopped. They have replaced deads with “cheat” curls in all of their programs and use unique splits like arm day, shoulder day, arm day, shoulder day, arm day, get wasted, repeat.
Both are correct… It depends on your levers. Ideally though you’d like to get the bar as close as you can while maintainging a good set up.
The thing that helped me was Butt high/Chest up with an arch, slightly behing the bar… Just keep working with it you’ll figure it out
[quote]Naphta wrote:
I actually had this question and this seems like a good enough thread to bring it up:
what about Tate’s advice? Someone else brought this up.
I just started pulling and after a terrible first day I decided to look into what tate would say. Besides a lot of the basic things that I got wrong, Tate says ( in his article, The dead zone) that only tall lifters can keep their shins to the bar and keep their shoulders behind it at the same time.
Then I read somewhere else ( "deadlift diagnosis) to keep your shins in as close as you can and to go as far as to turn your foot a bit to get your heels in even closer.
Anybody know whose advice to take? I notice most people go with shins as close as possible, but then again if anybody knows what to do on a power lift, It’s Tate.[/quote]