Deadlift shin angle.

[Phlog]

So a friend said his PTs have advised him his shin should be vertical when he lifts. I imagine like so:

Fig 1

I got stupidly long pins (legs) and find I'm set up more like the bottom picture:

Fig 2a/b


He was suggesting my set up is putting a lot of strain on my knees as they're forward of the foot for the beginning of the lift.

My knees are pretty shot, patella tendonitis, arthritis etc etc.

Am I losing out on the effectiveness of the exercise by using blocks to achieve a starting posture like figure 1 or figure 2a?

 

[deadshot138]

Most people’s knees go over the bar when they load the hamstrings and prepare to lift. The bar is leg pressed off the floor, straightening the legs, moving the knees out of the bar path

 

[Phlog]

I think I've not been loading the hamstrings for ever.

I sat back, pushed through the heels and started the lift with shins near vertical today and it felt really fucking easy. Loads better on the joints.

Was only shifting 167k for reps of 6 but that's after rehabing my knee since October. Before that I was at a TM of 224k and it felt like I could shift that today of I tried.

Started with the weight on blocks but bar was a handspan below kneecap.

Good to feel like I can push forwards again. Now just to find a way of making squats more acceptable.

 

[deadshot138]

Sumo or conventional?

 

[Phlog]

Sumo or conventional?

Conventional.

 

[DEVILsSON]

I would keep shins as perfectly perpendicular to the floor, 90 degrees if possible. Even in the first picture that is not the case. I would push hips/butt back and lower upper body at the waist towards the weight.

 

[DrBdan]

Your shins can't be completely vertical when you start your pull since you start with the bar over mid-foot. A typical setup is the bar 1-2 inches away from your shins and then when you bend down your shins lean forward to meet the bar. As deadshot mentioned, you start your pull by essentially leg pressing the bar off the ground which causes your shins to become vertical pretty quickly.

The exact position of your body depends on your body proportions.

 

[NurseKnuckles]

There's a video of Rippetoe providing a pretty basic set-up for conventional DL. I know he gets ripped a lot, but that video was pretty good.

 

[DrBdan]

I think you mean this one?



It's a good one IMO

 

[NurseKnuckles]

@DrBdan it's actually one of the most intuitive deadlift set-up I've seen.