Problems with the DL's

[Sherddog]

I've been doing DL's for a while now and I keep feeling like im squating the weight, sometimes i get it down perfectly, and other times i can barely get the same weight up. I am also confuses by this "shoulder behind the bar" can someone explain that to me, when i try it, it feels like i am about to fall backwards. Lastly when people say pull back not up i get confused by that too, when you pull back doesnt the bar smash against your shins, instead of going easily? I used a video from a site referenced from this forum as my guide but it looks lke the guys squats it too. I'd appreciate any help guys. (i used the stickies)

 

[CarnalSalvation]

No, guys don't squat it up, and you shouldn't either.

A. The bar SHOULD touch your shins, as well as your thighs. Usually, the closer the bar is, the better. Yes, it will scrape up your shins. Suck it up.
B. You will often hear something to the effect of "Damn, and he stiff legged it too! imagine what he could do if his form was better!" after a big deadlift being performed. Well, some people just do well pulling in that fashion. Don't sink your hips too low even if you aren't a high-hipped puller.
C. You will feel like you're gonna fall backwards sometimes, but thankfully you have a bunch of weight to keep you from doing it. It's part of a perfectlly done deadlift

 

[Sherddog]

thanks guy, the part that i was confused was with the shins, i didnt know if it was normal for the baar to scrape your knees.

 

[fat_wilhelm]

Sherddog, this was referenced in another thread. It's Tate's article on common deadlifting mistakes. It's an old staple for a lot of people. Read it, print it, take it w/ you to the gym. Hell, I've been lifting forever, and I even pulled it up to read it before I went to the gym today.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459744

Concentrate on form w/ lighter weight for a while. Take note of what Tate says about body type and how the deadlift can vary based on what you look like.

By pulling back (not up) you're creating a lever of sorts that will help get the weight where it needs to be. If you pull up, the tendency is to lean too far over the bar. You'll use too much lower back, and end up w/ the weight too far in front of you, making the lift much more difficult. Think about where your shoulders would be if you are bent over w/ the weight swinging. Now, think about where the weight will be if you focus on keeping your shoulders behind the bar. Hopefully, it's taking a nice smooth path to the end point.

As far as the lift feeling like a squat, my guess is you're starting with your hips to deep. Yes, you want your legs involved, but you also want to maximize the output of your effort. That means finding the sweet spot where everything is working together just right. I used to think that you were supposed to start as low as possible and I'd practically sit on the floor to start. The lift gets so much easier when you realize that you don't have to get quite so low.

 

[chia]

Tip: wear long pants.

 

[#1can]

Tip: wear long pants.

fuck that.

knee socks, man. knee socks.

or just carry around a wad of paper towel to soak up the blood...people in my gym don't like bloody bars. pussies.

 

[Sherddog]

fuck that.

knee socks, man. knee socks.

or just carry around a wad of paper towel to soak up the blood...people in my gym don't like bloody bars. pussies.

lol, ahaha, thanks ill do that, the long pants or knee socks, not the papertowel thing.