Not flexible enough to deadlift?

Im wondering if any of you deadlifters out there had the problem of not being flexible enough to get the right arch in the back and lifting with right technique.

I

 

Do not. Stretch. Before deadlifting.

 

Just curious as to why you'de say that, i routinely do light stretching b4 my back routine as well as some light warming up on the bike to get some blood flowing. Where did you hear that stretching before deadlifts was bad? I'm frequently on several weightlifting/Bodybuilding forums and i've never heard this before...

 

Thanx for the info so far. I just want to clear some things up. I dont lift when sore and stiff, waiting until I can arch the right way.

And from my understanding, reading articles about deadlifting, you can do it roughly in 2 ways, going deep with the hips using the legs, ore you can stand with the hips higher, using more back. And as long as you dont round your back, which technique you use is a matter of taste. And also, if you got weak legs, (like me) the second one feels better.

Ive also tried using the first method, but my arching isnt any better. I

 

Yeah i personally prefer the first method you mentioned. I like to get nice and deep with my hips and press at the bottom and use mostly back for the top. It is preference, but just make sure you keep your back nice and straight, also try stretching your hams more and see if that helps. Lemme know how that goes...

 

Warmup is good. Dynamic stretching is good. Static stretching before a heavy exercise is not good.

The reason for this is that when you use any sort of static stretch on a muscle (be it relaxed passive stretching, isometric stretching, PNF, or something else), there is a decrease in coordination between your nervous system and the said muscle. This comes with a decrease in maximum power output of the affected muscle. In other words, if you stretch a muscle out, for the next hour at least, your maximum power output is reduced. Needless to say, this can lead to injuries.

There are scientific studies which measured this and are referenced by Tom Kurz, Pavel Tsatsouline and others. It is for this reason that nobody recommends static stretching (in the classic understanding of the word) before and during martial arts workouts. It is better to warm up and do dynamic stretches before the workout and stretch statically AFTER the workout, with plans to increase your flexibility in the longer run.

Now, I don't know what you mean exactly by "stretching". You may not mean the proper 20 minute push-yourself-and-grunt-through-the-pain thing many people consider stretching. If you just mean moving around a bit without keeping any given position for too long, then that should be fine. You know, lean down, touch the ground sort of thing, without keeping it for a long time, that shouldn't affect you much.

As for stretching before a hard physical exertion, it should be done in a dynamic fashion, and serve as a warmup. That's why I recommend stuff like pull-throughs. After a couple of sets of pull-throughs with a lighter weight, you will reach your desired range of motion much better than by stretching, and will warm up the relevant muscles in the process.

 

Interesting, and yes by "stretching i mean i just typically do some light stretching (Ie. touching my toes, stretching my legs and upper back for a few minutes, etc.) nothing intense at all. My Post workout stretching however is much more rigorous, i do weighted stretches for most major excercises around 60 seconds a piece.

 

How are you determining the quality of your arch? Just from feel? If you're sore or stiff it may feel like you're more out of position than you really are. Over correction and what not. If you aren't already, have someone who knows how to deadlift look at your arch and see if it's acceptable.

I know when I'm sore or worn out at the end of my lifting I'll feel like my form is absolutely horrible, but I'm correcting it naturally and just not getting the feeling that I am. From asking people I've actually seen that my form on certain lifts gets better as I focus on the form more than the explosion for the large weight. You might be in a similar situation?

Otherwise, Evil Eye Gouger knows what he's talking about. There are different levels of sore and stiff, and some of them you don't want to do heavy lifting in. Those are the ones that will make proper form impossible. Definitely do the warmup sets and determine more so what's going on with your body.

Good luck figuring it out.

 

Thanx for the info guys. Always good to learn.

Oh and by the way, several times I had guys checking my arch during the deadlifts. And I

 

There should be no "arch".

On deadlifts the lower back should be flat, not arched like on the squat.

By the way, turning your head to look yourself inherently changes your positioning. YOu go where your head goes.

 

No arch?
Maybe I dont have to worry about it then.
I

 

All I can say is I've never seen, or heard of a good PLer arching on the DL.

I've seen some good pullers DESPITE rounding, but never one with an arch.

I do advise you read articles, just not gaywad fitness type articles.

P.S. My Finnish friend says Swedes are all queer, is that true? haha

 

Yep!

 

One of the reasons I like deadlift so much is that it's such a good stretch for me. I'm terribly inflexible, with short arms and a long torso. I always feel way more flexible after deads.

 

Hey Sonny, AVE SATANAS! REGE SATANAS!

 

Wha?

 

Your avatar is part of the Sigil of Baphomet, the symbol of the Chuch of Satan.

 

Fuck religion.