Deadlift Help (video)

Hey guys, first time I've video taped my DL in a while and suffice to say, I was shocked how bad it is.

[YT]n7u77wwpbJ8?list=UUaVMthPUe-XDs6WXYdtYlIw[/MEDIA]

I re-read the SS deaflift chapter last night. Not sure If I'm just trying to pull too much weight here or if i can correct my back rounding using technique.

 

The weight is not making your back round, you are starting off in a position with your back rounded. I can tell already that you are not pushing your ass back to get in position. I do this until I feel a stretch in my hamstrings, then I grab the bar. Also make sure to keep your chest up and shoulders pinched. Another good thing to pay attention to is your shins in reference to the bar. Your knees appear to be over the bar... but really your shins should be perpendicular to the ground.

This should be your starting position before you pull:

 

reset after every rep, especially with the hex plates. use rippetoes setup. you can find the vid on youtube

 

Thanks, what do you mean "pinch your shoulders"?

 

Yea the hex plates are extremely annoying. I'm familiar with the setup your're talking about. I'll implement that.

 

I mean to pinch them back, aka scapular retraction.

Here's a link I found on it: http://chriskurtz.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/scapular-retraction-and-the-deadlift/

 

You do NOT retract your scapula while doing a deadlift.

 

You don;t? Oh. Well ignore that post then.

 

I was also always taught to retract my scapula. Is this a common myth? I was told by elite level lifters.

 

My guess is that they might have been using the word retract incorrectly. Maybe they meant depress instead.

Anyway, TS, take more time to get set-up before each rep, getting the lower back neutral or slightly arched and everything tight. Once you've practiced that a bunch, make another video for further refinement.

 

Another thing I would add is to resist the temptation to re-bend the knees and hitch the bar up.

 

you can keep upperback slightly arched like this


but retracting scapula would make the lift harder and not yield any benefits.

 

So the verdict is to not retract the scapula? Obviously my upper bank is rounding so how should I think about setting it properly, before the lift? Pull my shoulders back?

 

Nice vid, Clarence Kennedy's one of my favourite YT lifters.

 

In my opinion there isn't too much wrong with upper back rounding. You should have a neutral lower back, and squeeze your abs hard to keep your spine from shifting position and try to spread your chest.

 

This picture is incorrect for the deadlift. Your shoulders should line up directly over or behind the bar. The shoulders should stay behind the bar the entire time during the lift.

TS, it's hard to tell from the angle, but it looks like your shoulders could be too far forward. It appears as though you're pulling "up" until the bar clears your knees then pulling "back" Having your feet too close to the bar can cause your shoulders to be too far forward. Again, hard to tell from the angle.

Instead of dropping down, grabbing the bar, then pulling in for tightness, I would slowly lower myself into position while maintaining a tight arch in my lower back.

And definitely no on scapular retraction.

 

Your setup is off and you are basically out of position at the start of the pull. Your weight is far forward making you have to recover almost immediately. I've had those same issues as well. Watch the below video starting at around 4 minutes. It's not a direct "how to" video, but it's Mark Bell examining other pulls. A lot of what he said has clicked for me, especially in regards to getting out of position early.