Correct Form when lifting
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dalerst
Posts: 174 Member
How do you know when you have the correct form on deadlift and barbell rows? There are so many different opinions on the internet. On the barbell some say to keep back parallel with the floor and others say not to. I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly as it easier to sort now rather than 2 months down the line.
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Replies
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Deadlifts and squats are something that vary a lot more than most people seem to want to admit. Really, the only hard and fast rule is to keep your lumbar spine from rounding. Anything else, it's more about playing with your leverages to find what works for you.11
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Deadlifts and squats are something that vary a lot more than most people seem to want to admit. Really, the only hard and fast rule is to keep your lumbar spine from rounding. Anything else, it's more about playing with your leverages to find what works for you.
That's what I thought. I'm trying to ensure my back is straight and then finding the comfortable angle to suit.1 -
If your lower lumbar region starts hurting your rounding your back. Start with lighter weight to get the form/movement down and gradually increase the poundage. Remember to keep your head in line with your spine while your eyes are looking up and forward, and don't wear a belt!2
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DresdenSinn wrote: »Remember to keep your head in line with your spine while your eyes are looking up and forward, and don't wear a belt!
Don't wear a belt?
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Yeah ya know..lifting belt, weight belt, back brace..whatever ya wanna call it0
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DresdenSinn wrote: »Yeah ya know..lifting belt, weight belt, back brace..whatever ya wanna call it
I know mate but why not wear one? People say it help your core.0 -
@dalerst - Have you seen Alan Thrall's videos? He is fantastic at explaining form!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8l_8chR5BE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYREQkVtvEc
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DresdenSinn wrote: »Yeah ya know..lifting belt, weight belt, back brace..whatever ya wanna call it
I know mate but why not wear one? People say it help your core.
I think its a personal thing! I wear a belt and gloves when lifting. The belt gives you a solid foundation to push your core into when you fill your lungs with that big gulp of air before you start your lift.
With the form as Gallowmere said.... just dont round your back!
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@dalerst - Have you seen Alan Thrall's videos? He is fantastic at explaining form!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8l_8chR5BEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYREQkVtvEc
I have watch them and a tonne more lol1 -
DresdenSinn wrote: »Yeah ya know..lifting belt, weight belt, back brace..whatever ya wanna call it
I know mate but why not wear one? People say it help your core.
It's my contention (as well as others) that it will make your lower back weak as you come to rely on it more and more but that's just an opinion and not an experience, it ultimately boils down to personal choice.
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DresdenSinn wrote: »DresdenSinn wrote: »Yeah ya know..lifting belt, weight belt, back brace..whatever ya wanna call it
I know mate but why not wear one? People say it help your core.
It's my contention (as well as others) that it will make your lower back weak as you come to rely on it more and more but that's just an opinion and not an experience, it ultimately boils down to personal choice.
That is what I have also read/been told. Perhaps if one is going for a heavy single, yes, but not for everyday training.
Also I've been told the cue to pull the weight up your body when deadlifting. The bar should be in light contact with your shins and thighs at all times. Doing this makes it much harder to round your back.
Eric Cressey is one of the top performance coaches out there and I believe he has personally done 3X bodyweight. He has a 9 minute instructional video and articles on deadlifting.
https://ericcressey.com/2 -
Your eyes do not have to be looking up on deads2
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Your eyes do not have to be looking up on deads
This is also what I've read/been told. Mark Riptoe author of Starting Strength suggests you look at a spot 12-15 feet in front of you before and during the lift to keep proper position.
http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/archive/index.php/t-34231.html0 -
I've also seen world class pullers who practically stare at their toes through their entire pull, with a heavily rounded upper back. That was my point about everything except for the lumbar spine being variable.0
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Since I have a lower spine injury and nerve damage, I do Body pump classes to learn (and still get a workout) but without the danger of extremely high weights. Though I try to follow the "rules" of positioning, I focus more on what does/doesn't feel wrong/hurt *for me*. So I tend to really stick my butt out and round it toward the sky going down.... then plant my heels, and press through my legs, and really exaggerate the forward thrust of the hips on the way up.
I practice at home with no weights in a mirror to make sure I'm avoiding injured/potentially injurious and weakened areas.
Making sure I feel the weight "pulling" primarily on my shoulders, arms, and butt/upper legs going down helps. I'm not lifting major weights like you probably are, but am super-careful because of those injuries I already have than *perhaps some* people who have never lost all ability to get out of bed and function normally don't think *as hard* about.2 -
blackcomaro wrote: »DresdenSinn wrote: »Yeah ya know..lifting belt, weight belt, back brace..whatever ya wanna call it
I know mate but why not wear one? People say it help your core.
I think its a personal thing! I wear a belt and gloves when lifting. The belt gives you a solid foundation to push your core into when you fill your lungs with that big gulp of air before you start your lift.
With the form as Gallowmere said.... just dont round your back!
I think the main thing is you learn correct form before ever putting on a belt, if that's what you choose. Right?
I lift beltless and will continue to do so until I feel like the belt would be advantageous.2 -
this one vet from my lifting group says 'the initial training/first month or so gets 98% of humans into the ballpark of having safe form. then you spend the rest of your life tweaking and trying to get it Just Right.'
that's been kind of my experience too. i didn't touch a barbell until i was almost 49 and my gp has seen more of drama-queen me in the three years since then than she saw in the 10 years of me having rheumatoid arthritis and hating weight rooms only a tiny bit less than i hate nightclubs. but even so my mileage is that there's been more leeway in the whole undertaking than i thought there was.
so long as you 'listen' to the different kinds of things that your body tells you, and you don't mind spending irrational amounts of time researching and experimenting and doing the tweaking, that is. i've made myself into a kind of homegrown kinesiology nerd, which i guess might not be for everyone.1 -
WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »Since I have a lower spine injury and nerve damage, I do Body pump classes to learn (and still get a workout) but without the danger of extremely high weights. Though I try to follow the "rules" of positioning, I focus more on what does/doesn't feel wrong/hurt *for me*. So I tend to really stick my butt out and round it toward the sky going down.... then plant my heels, and press through my legs, and really exaggerate the forward thrust of the hips on the way up.
I practice at home with no weights in a mirror to make sure I'm avoiding injured/potentially injurious and weakened areas.
Making sure I feel the weight "pulling" primarily on my shoulders, arms, and butt/upper legs going down helps. I'm not lifting major weights like you probably are, but am super-careful because of those injuries I already have than *perhaps some* people who have never lost all ability to get out of bed and function normally don't think *as hard* about.
Thanks for the advice. I'm not on major weights at the minute just trying to sort the form out. So any advice helps
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I don't think anybody has mentioned the opposite of a rounded spine. You don't want this either, you want a neutral spine. Don't be caught sticking your butt up real high.
Also, an important thing to watch out for is that the deadlift is probably at its most dangerous just before you put the bar back down, the last inch or two. That's when many people lose form. Lift light weights first, be careful with the height of the resting bar on the ground. If you are lifting light, prop the bar up so it's at a similar place where two 45s would have it. The sweet spot kind of depends on your height, but you don't want it too close to the ground.
Rippetoe is right about not looking "up", think about what that does to your spine, it makes your upper spine concave, not neutral at all. Look at a spot perpendicular to your spine on the floor. It does help.0
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