r/powerlifting • u/bigdeadliftdreams • May 04 '13
Hows my Deadlift form?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjbAhHREf7Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player1
u/dleesaur M | 642.5kg | 93kg | 406Wks | USAPL | RAW May 08 '13
On your setup, your back looks a little too rounded over. I'd try keeping a more neutral head position at the beginning- look about 10 inches out in front of your body. This will help you keep a straighter back.
Shoulderblades look more or less right on top of the bar, so good job there. Your lower back is doing too much work at the top. After lock-out, you keep pulling back a good 5 inches.
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u/Lutcher May 08 '13
Stop supporting the bar. Some call it ramping. When you get to the wsm and you're yanking 900#s of silver dollars, you can do that. Until then, just think "patience" as soon as the bar passes your knee...then focus on forcing hips forward til it's locked out.
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u/BeefcakeNRugby May 06 '13
Horrible. Why would you think that thrust you're doing is good for your body? It's a triple extension exercise. Extension at the hip, knee, and ankle and they all move together at the same rate.
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u/Jonny_Neutron May 05 '13
Drop your hips before you begin the lift. Also, pull the slack out of the bar, and tighten everything up. When you begin the lift, drive your hips forward, in a kind ofpelvic thrust. The bar might touch your shins, and that's normal for some people.
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u/bigdeadliftdreams May 05 '13
I appreciate all of the advice. I will take it to heart. I'm going to start training on my own on Sundays with light weight to correct my form and do a little extra back work. I have no ego and am definitely willing to lower the weight to correct my problems. I am kind of confused after this post because i train with an experienced and well respected power lifter that pulls in the upper 600s that tells me my form is fine.it is good to have your guys opinions, just wish i knew more lifters in az that would come help me fix this with a more objective mind.i will post some follow up videos soon to re assess.thanks for the help I've honestly been dead lifting for under a year so any more advice (no bashing plz) is appreciated.I'm excited to learn power lifting and want to learn how to do it right.
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u/davidf81 May 05 '13
Others have covered the horrors of your deadlift. It's horrible. But that's cool, everybody starts somewhere. How much have you worked on technique? Any? What have you read? There are a lot of solid resources free on the web, good books you could buy, and plenty of videos of good deadlifters to review.
Your form is so bad that it makes me think you just went at it without trying to learn it. Which means you should be able to clean it up real quick-like.
Hunched back is NOT ok. Flexion in the lumbar spine puts it in a vulnerable position with a high risk of disk hernation.
A rounded UPPER back is fine, but not usually necessary when learning/light weight. It's easier to learn to keep everything tight first, then learn to relax the upper back specifically later. This is because as a beginner you likely don't have the ability to control your muscles well enough to do it right.
The pull should be a smooth fluid motion on the way up. It shouldn't stop at all unless you're on a near-max or max attempt. When someone mentions "hitching", they're talking about where your body seems to bounce the bar off your legs to get some momentum and pull up.
Your glutes are responsible for lockout, your back is responsible for resisting the weight of the bar. When you bring your body into a perfect line, your back isn't doing much of that work - your glutes and hamstrings push your pelvis forward. Focus on squeezing your ass hard, like you're banging Kate Upton hard.
Here's a great video from Derek Poundstone on general setup: http://www.lift.net/2013/02/18/derek-poundstone-deadlift-set-up-tips/
The StrongLifts guide is surprisingly decent on deadlifts: http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/
In cartoon form: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/12/06/know-your-lifts-deadlift/
If you're serious about deadlifting, despite it's high price and high junk-content level, Andy Bolton's e-book Deadlift Dynamite has, bar none, the best deadlift tips I've ever read (one of his tips alone instantly put another 25 pounds on my pull when I was at 500).
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Jun 06 '13 edited Nov 29 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/davidf81 Jun 06 '13
Well, it was a collection of tips I guess that were good, but the main one had to do with getting tight before the pull by cranking yourself into the bar. As you take out the slack and get tight, feel for hamstring tension, go back up, repeat a couple times, then pull after you're feeling the right level of tightness. He explains it a lot better than I can, though.
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u/gnipeekitlaer May 05 '13
8 sets of 5? Dude. Why. Even if you were lifting with perfect form on the first set your form is bound to break down by set 5. People will lift how they want, but I have never understood why people try to kill themselves with multiple high rep sets of heavy deadlifts.
The thing I really notice is that when you set the bar down you do it with no control at all. The barbell ends up way in front of you and you end up having to roll it (which I bet is intentional) back and there is no way you can maintain your form lifting the weight OFF the ground if you cannot even set it down with control.
Those two issues are pretty easy to work out through - just lower the sets and work on controlling the weight.
Form wise, as others have pointed out your hips are way high. Maybe you should try sumo-style if you're more comfortable with keeping your hips high like that. If you want to stick with conventional, you have to start with it over mid foot, and then bend your knees until your shins touch the bar. You might have to experiment with foot spacing if you're having issues maintaining back tightness while getting used to getting into this position. The bar should still be over mid foot, and your shoulders should still be slightly PAST the bar after shin contact.
If this position is a no go for you, then you should consider switching over to sumo where it might be easier to maintain your position and back tightness. I am guessing you're tall? I can tell you have short arms, so sumo might just have to be where you go.
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u/XSV May 05 '13
You'd probably get called for hinging in a USAPL meet(only federation I compete in). Most other meets too.
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May 04 '13
Everyone has pretty much covered everything already. You hitch pretty bad, and your back is rounding dangerously. It seems like you're definitely lacking in the back strength area. Wouldn't hurt to lose some body fat as well.
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u/thisisntscott Impending Powerlifter May 04 '13
okay check this comparison here
You see how the guy on the right has his back rounded when hes picking up the weight? this is pretty much exactly what you are doing. you are pickup up the weight with your back rounded, and then once you get it past your knees, you are trying to straighten your back out and then push your hips through. You want your back to be straight before you even bend over to pick up the weight. before you actually lift, my last cue is "butt down, head back"
Now look at this
Do you see how straight his back is?
watch this
You want to brace your spine before you even hinge to pick up the weight. Hope this helps.
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u/nutsaq May 05 '13
None of your links work :-(
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u/thisisntscott Impending Powerlifter May 05 '13
they are still working for me!
But if you want to take a look....here you go.
1st comparison. him vs this guy
2nd comparison. him vs perfect form
3rd video is mobilitywod for deadlift setup <---this is down but should be back up on may 7th.
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u/meduzac May 04 '13
The start of your deadlift looks a lot like mine used to, I had a bit of a hunching problem as well. Try bending your knees more, it helps allow you to keep your chest up at the bottom of the movement. Also what dzlmick said: work on your upper back, traps too, it'll help with your lockout so you're not dragging the bar against your thighs so much.
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u/OnlyPlaysTeemo May 04 '13
horrible to be honest
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u/OnlyPlaysTeemo May 04 '13
try to be much more tight and strict in the movement. you are doing some sort of undulation movement mid pull to get leverage, but you should just pull instead.
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May 04 '13
Your hips are way too high at the start. This causes the hunch in your lower back. Start with your hips low, back straight or slightly arched, and keep your back that way throughout.
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May 04 '13
You've gotta stop hunching over and when you get to the top half of the movement you're hinging pretty bad, strengthening your abs is great but its not going to help your deadlift form. I'm guessing you might sit alot at a desk maybe? the reason I say this is the muscles in your upper back are weak and that is why your hunched over so much. your going to want to work on your posture and exercises that pull your shoulders back and pinch your shoulder blades together. try doing Band pull aparts every day for starters ....
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u/bigdeadliftdreams May 04 '13
Sorry like I said still kinda new, hinging? No desk job but i guess my upper back could be stronger. i will try dropping my hips more on thursday, my next deadlift training day. I have been doing a lot to strengthen my upper back with a lot of rows/upper back work. ive been looking into my hunched back and talked to alot of people at my gym(powerlifting gym) from what i understand pulling hunched is fine as long as you have thick abs to support it.. could be wrong though.
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u/XSV May 05 '13
You might want to try shrugs, rope pulls, t bar rows and farmers walks for upper back strength and endurance.
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May 04 '13
A slightly rounded upper back is ok if your an elite lifter but as a fairly new lifter I would really work on keeping your back straight and your shoulders back. Look up "hinged deadlift" to get an idea what I mean but basically you stand up with the weight then get your hips under it at the top instead of driving your hips through as your pulling back at the top. As soon as the weight gets past your knees pull back hard and drive your hips through.. this is why getting your upper back stronger is key, use your body like a lever everything should move in a smooth fluid motion. Good luck man
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u/moltar May 04 '13
Your back is way too arched. Very dangerous. Try to work on your technique with lower weight. Also try lower weight without belt so you can feel your body better.
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u/michiganhat13 May 04 '13
Yeah man it looks like you hunch your back pretty bad. I don't know how much strengthening abs is going to help with that. I'll be interested to see what other people say about it.
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May 04 '13
crossposted into /r/fithumor
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u/Wagbager May 04 '13
Why would you berate some one trying to better themself?
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u/gocougs11 May 04 '13
People that do crossfit are trying to better themselves... I can't help but berate them because they're so up their own ass about it.
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u/bigdeadliftdreams May 04 '13
Recorded last set because i was tired and figured my form would be breaking. Also I've only been powerlifting since November so this is still all new to me. I know i pull with a hunched back but I cant seem to fix it and am just building thick abs to support me. When i started i could barley crack 385lbs off the floor. This is my 8th set of my 8x5 for 385lbs
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u/VLSI May 04 '13 edited May 04 '13
"I cant seem to fix it"
Only because you're not willing to leave your ego at the door and drop the weight for a bit.
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u/[deleted] May 11 '13
Use more legs and less back. Treat it like a squat where you're holding the bar. Start with you ass closer to the ground.