Deadlift tips

Drake940

I've just started the gym and started standard deadlifts but can't quite the technique right. Is it more hamstring dominant or quad dominant. Like when you're at the bottom, if you keep your hips higher it feels more on hamstrings. But if you lower hips slightly it feels more quads. Which way is it suppose to be. Both ways, my hips are always higher than my knees with chest out. I've watched many videos but they don't stress this point enough.

firef1y72

Deadlifts are definitely hamstring and to a certain extent glute dominant for me.

livingleanlivingclean

I would personally have a session with a coach/trainer who can give you some good guidance on technique. I find it hard to apply what I've read about deadlifts or seen on video to my own!

canadianlbs

Drake940 wrote: »

ILike when you're at the bottom, if you keep your hips higher it feels more on hamstrings. But if you lower hips slightly it feels more quads.

that sounds right. deadlift is more hamstrings, supposedly. and don't quote me but i thiiiink a bigger deal is: if you take all your hip muscles out of the lift, then your back might have to end up doing a lot more of the work. i.e. being actual 'movers' instead of just 'stabilizers' while the glutes are doing the heavy part of getting that hip angle to open up. you're opening that angle with the muscles along both 'lines' of it (legs plus back), instead of doing it by shoving the centre (hips) forward to make it happen.

mark rippetoe had some simple steps for finding a good hip position on youtube somewhere. it comes down basically to setting up with the bar right over the centre of your foot, and then only dropping your hips far enough to bring your shins into contact after you lean down and put your hands on the bar. once you have your shins on the bar, the only direction your hips should move is backwards (to get your shoulderblades behind/over the bar). not up OR down.

that image of the fixed hip height usually works for me when i start getting lost and feeling like i've forgotten how to set it up right.

DopeItUp

Big time posterior chain movement (hams, glutes, back basically). If you're sinking your hips low and feeling it in the quads then you've gone too far. It's not a squat.

jjpptt2

There's no 1 right way to do it... but there are some things to watch/focus on. It's a hip-centric movement, so most of the work should come from your back/glutes/hams as Dope mentioned. Your quads, abs, and lats will support the movement, but the focus of the lift and most of the work should be getting done by your posterior chain.

cqbkaju

I always use a trap bar / hex bar if one is available.

Saves me the bother.