Reverse Deadlift?

Ok, this is probably not the right term for this exercise but here is the deal: I started doing deadlifts recently-pulling from the floor-and had a very good personal trainer friend of mine assess my technique.

He had me start the movement from a stand and lower the weights down to my thighs were about parellel, then return to starting position. When i asked him about pulling from the floor he said NO WAY should i pull from the floor yet; my posterior chain was extremly tight limiting my abilty to sit back with hips high and i could not keep my lower back from rounding when approaching parallel.

so my question then is whther doing a DL like this is still beneficial regarding strength and posterior chain development? If so, could i also do these with a dumb bell or trap bar for more focus on the glutes/hams and work the lower/upper back with extrensions and face pulls?

IMO, he’s just giving you a crutch for a problem that will ultimately cause more problems in the future.

If you cannot deadlift without proper form, thats a different story.

Stretch, pick up magnificent mobility, and work on being able to get a full range of motion in the deadlift.

From what you’ve explained it sounds like you might be doing Dimel Deadlifts.

Check the video here and see if it looks about right:

http://www.midwestbarbell.com/videos/dimel.mpg

[quote]cskolnick wrote:
Ok, this is probably not the right term for this exercise but here is the deal: I started doing deadlifts recently-pulling from the floor-and had a very good personal trainer friend of mine assess my technique.

He had me start the movement from a stand and lower the weights down to my thighs were about parellel, then return to starting position. When i asked him about pulling from the floor he said NO WAY should i pull from the floor yet; my posterior chain was extremly tight limiting my abilty to sit back with hips high and i could not keep my lower back from rounding when approaching parallel.

so my question then is whther doing a DL like this is still beneficial regarding strength and posterior chain development? If so, could i also do these with a dumb bell or trap bar for more focus on the glutes/hams and work the lower/upper back with extrensions and face pulls?[/quote]

I am having trouble picturing the lift from your description. Are you on a stand or the weights? Are the weights paralell to your thighs or your thighs paralell to the ground and where are the weights?
There is nothing wrong with pulling weights from the floor, btw. A rounding back is natrual especially as your weights go up. Ever see someone deadlift 500 lbs or more with a strait back? I haven’t.

[quote]pat36 wrote:
cskolnick wrote:
Ok, this is probably not the right term for this exercise but here is the deal: I started doing deadlifts recently-pulling from the floor-and had a very good personal trainer friend of mine assess my technique.

He had me start the movement from a stand and lower the weights down to my thighs were about parellel, then return to starting position. When i asked him about pulling from the floor he said NO WAY should i pull from the floor yet; my posterior chain was extremly tight limiting my abilty to sit back with hips high and i could not keep my lower back from rounding when approaching parallel.

so my question then is whther doing a DL like this is still beneficial regarding strength and posterior chain development? If so, could i also do these with a dumb bell or trap bar for more focus on the glutes/hams and work the lower/upper back with extrensions and face pulls?

I am having trouble picturing the lift from your description. Are you on a stand or the weights? Are the weights paralell to your thighs or your thighs paralell to the ground and where are the weights?
There is nothing wrong with pulling weights from the floor, btw. A rounding back is natrual especially as your weights go up. Ever see someone deadlift 500 lbs or more with a strait back? I haven’t.[/quote]

I am standing upright holding the barbell ith arms extended, then sitting back until my thight is a bout parallel with the floor. then squeezing my glutes to come back up standing tall.

It just sounds like normal deadlifts starting with the weight at the top…I might be wrong though. I don’t see how this would make any difference

If you are doing what I think you are doing, it sounds like Romanian deadlifts. It would be almost impossible to devise an exercise that works your glutes and hamstrings more than this. If you are not feeling it in those muscles, you are either doing them wrong or your weights are fakes filled with hydrogen.

[quote]ncscarface wrote:

I am standing upright holding the barbell ith arms extended, then sitting back until my thight is a bout parallel with the floor. then squeezing my glutes to come back up standing tall.

It just sounds like normal deadlifts starting with the weight at the top…I might be wrong though. I don’t see how this would make any difference[/quote]

Any difference regarding what?

[quote]sharetrader wrote:
If you are doing what I think you are doing, it sounds like Romanian deadlifts. It would be almost impossible to devise an exercise that works your glutes and hamstrings more than this. If you are not feeling it in those muscles, you are either doing them wrong or your weights are fakes filled with hydrogen.[/quote]

it is actually very similar now that i think about it. it seems the main difference is i have much more knee flexion in this exercise then a RDL. I actually really like RDLs but i have a very diffficult time keeping my lower back in a nuetral position (not rounding it) so i stopped doing them.

Sounds like you are indeed very tight in the posterior chain. I’d stick with what you are doing for the moment. Gradually increase the range of movement as you get more flexible.

You could also do something suggested by Tommy Kono. He suggests doing a “loosening” deadlift in the following manner:

Use very light weight, about 25-30% of your max. Lift the weight normally, then lower it slowly while rounding the back. You should feel as though your back is bending one vertebra at a time, starting from the top down. When you reach as low a position as you can, slowly reverse the process. With each rep, you should be able to get slightly further down.

Because the weight is light, the stress on your spine should not be excessive. However, do at your own risk!