Deadlift form check

EricMurano

Hi again,

Earlier this week a personal trainer saw me doing deadlifts and came over to tell me I was doing them wrong.

He told me that my back was arching too far inwards. Now I was dizzy at the time after the deadlifts so I might have misunderstood him. I'm starting to think he meant that I was arching my back outwards and you'll see it in the video.

He told me to try to get my bum lower in the set up but I've read that your bum should be higher, not lower.

Anyway I've recorded a rep with my technique then a rep with his. I also included my deadlifts at my working weight of 110kg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwn2z09bvKI

Am I arching my back too much? It definitely looks like it.

I'd appreciate any advice or observations!

Thanks in advance!

FoxyMcDeadlift

When you set up around 8 seconds in, you need to push your bum out a bit and also push your chest out, this should create a straight line through your back for the lift

This is a pretty good video of Koklyaev settting up, watch how he first pushes his bum back, and then puffs his chest out so his spine is straight, comparatively you are rounded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IVlJIMeT9M&feature=related

Heres a Benedikt Magnusson pull as well, he sets up incredibly quickly, but you can see the same alignment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tOxtGCrx4s

Jeff92se

He nailed it.

tgh1914

I agree ^^^ and would add that it will help if you look up more as you begin your lift. Your head will follow your eyes, and your back alignment will follow your head, if that makes sense.

cbear017

Check out Lyle McDonald's article on deadlift technique:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/clean-style-deadlift-technique.html

Judging from your video your back is rounded, which it shouldn't be. I think your head should be aligned with your spine (i.e. don't look down, rather look ahead) but otherwise you're on your way to proper technique if you can squat lower and straighten your spine.

p.s. I think it's great that you've recorded yourself. I'm going to do this next week and make sure my form is okay.

TrainingWithTonya

You are definitely rounded. Basically, you should stick your butt out but get it lower to the ground. If you look at the first video that was listed in reply here, you'll notice that when he puts his hands on the bar his back is rounded like yours, but before he lifts, he drops his hips closer to the ground and pushes the butt farther behind him which flattens out the back. Also, you can retract the shoulder blades which pushes out the chest and helps with rounding. Head up and eyes up the whole time, too.

ETA: I can't tell from the video what your grip is, but I've found that a split grip where one palm is facing forward and the other palm is facing me keeps me from rounding. This is a trick I was taught in my resistance training program design for athletes class in my bachelors in exercise physiology. We have a great strength and conditioning coach who worked with me on proper form and it was his suggestion.

EricMurano

Ah nuts I replied to the thread but my browser must have died while submitting it.

Thanks for all of your help guys! I'm going to do some more research and cut my work weight in half and work on form. Main stratergy is to get my butt lower and puff my chest out. I'll record myself again and post it up.

You are definitely rounded. Basically, you should stick your butt out but get it lower to the ground. If you look at the first video that was listed in reply here, you'll notice that when he puts his hands on the bar his back is rounded like yours, but before he lifts, he drops his hips closer to the ground and pushes the butt farther behind him which flattens out the back. Also, you can retract the shoulder blades which pushes out the chest and helps with rounding. Head up and eyes up the whole time, too.

Are you talking about Magnusson? Yeah I noticed that too. Going from that it's obvious that rounding the back makes it easy to square up your grip but you can't leave it rounded for the lift.

ETA: I can't tell from the video what your grip is, but I've found that a split grip where one palm is facing forward and the other palm is facing me keeps me from rounding. This is a trick I was taught in my resistance training program design for athletes class in my bachelors in exercise physiology. We have a great strength and conditioning coach who worked with me on proper form and it was his suggestion.

I use the over/under grip as well and I try to swap hands every rep. The Lyle McDonald article says it's easy to injure the biceps on the under-arm using that grip but that it's easier to pull heavier with it. I'm used to it now but I know I should probably do a double overhand grip.

I always though over/under prevented you from trying to use your arms for lifting. Must be wrong!

musclebuilder

Agree with the others..Keep your chest high when you pull. And thoracic flexion is one thing, lumbar flexion is another. Your lower back is rounded which is a recipe for trouble. Also you are having issue lowering the bar. Notice when you lower the bar you are bending your knees early and forces the bar path to change. You are basdicly having to go around your knees when lowering the bar..This is also resulting in a rounded lower back. Start to break at the kness after the bar clears them. A suggestion would be to work on lower body mobility/flexibility. hips and ankle. In the mean time you may want to start with rack pulls and work your way to the floor gradually. Good luck.

questionablemethods

I was just thinking about doing this exact thing (taping myself and asking for form critique here). :happy: I'm hoping to set up a couple sessions with a trainer soon, though, so maybe I won't need to.

Great idea, OP! And yeah, rounded back. But you knew that by now.

cbear017

Forgot to add something that might help you out a bit.

I didn't start out doing deadlifts from the ground and found that using a step on either side of the bar with a one or two risers gave me just enough height off the ground to be able to do the deadlift without compromising the straightness of my back. You can also set up the side bars (do they have a name?) on the squat rack like this guy has:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ce_MWOB96M

Then as you get confident with it you can lower the bar.

mideon_696

Hey mate!

Getting there. You need to get your *kitten* lower at the start, as you are starting the pull with a round back, which will be fine at 110kg, but you'll be hitting 150's soon enough and then it will be a large problem. Thats the first obvious flaw i see there. I'm happy with how you are locking out. I see a lot of folk exagerating the lockout by leaning back, this is stupid. You got it right in that repect.
Definately check out lyle's stuff on it.

I like that you are more or resetting every rep, that is correct there. Hate when i see people bouncing the thing off the ground between reps(not deadlifting - well not after the first rep)

EricMurano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlk50oOI2Io

It wasn't deadlift day but I tried to get the right form on a really low weight.

If this looks right I'll probably more than halve my weight and start again.

EricMurano

Hey mate!

Getting there. You need to get your *kitten* lower at the start, as you are starting the pull with a round back, which will be fine at 110kg, but you'll be hitting 150's soon enough and then it will be a large problem. Thats the first obvious flaw i see there. I'm happy with how you are locking out. I see a lot of folk exagerating the lockout by leaning back, this is stupid. You got it right in that repect.
Definately check out lyle's stuff on it.

I like that you are more or resetting every rep, that is correct there. Hate when i see people bouncing the thing off the ground between reps(not deadlifting - well not after the first rep)

Thanks mate. I see the exaggerated lock out on people and the old bounce and cringe :S

mideon_696

double post fail

mideon_696

i made a trip to a proper strength gym yesterdau for some form checking myself.
the only correction was my hip position. had the too low lol.
ill link the video here once the coach puts it up.
basically the same as rippetoe.
bend over and grab the bar.
hips back and high
back tight.
and at the bottom take a huge breath into you belly.
as you rise push your hips forward to complete the lift.

had me deadlift 180kg with perfect form...felt stronger than ever.

just checked out your 2nd vid. higher hips are required here in order to flatten that back mate.

ilovedeadlifts

You're way too far over the bar, IMO.
Shoulders should be in line with the bar, so that you're leaning back and using that leverage.


I used the rippetoe videos when first learning to do deads.
I'll get where my shins are a couple inches from the bar. bend straight down without bending knees, grab the bar.
Then I'll hinge, bend my knees so my shins are against the bar, drop my *kitten*, look up, tighten my lats, and pull.

basically what mideon said except i dont keep my hips high. and have them back, and actually lower them right before the pull.

EricMurano

I've a video on my phone I want to upload but I just moved house and we don't get broadband until mid next month!!

It looks ok, though. My back's straight and all that. It's a lot hard than how I was doing it before, which should be a good sign. Another thing is that I feel dizzy when just before I get to the knees on the way up. Weird.

ilovedeadlifts

I've a video on my phone I want to upload but I just moved house and we don't get broadband until mid next month!!

It looks ok, though. My back's straight and all that. It's a lot hard than how I was doing it before, which should be a good sign. Another thing is that I feel dizzy when just before I get to the knees on the way up. Weird.

Glad the back is looking straighter.
Dizziness will happen, especially when working closer to your max effort.
I had a few times, in the mid 200s when first learning deads, where I thought I was gonna hit the floor.
Make sure you're taking a big breath in beforehand and not breathing it all out as you make the pull.
I hold my breath until the top, helps you stay tight. I've started doing the same on bench and squats and both are making great progress.

EricMurano

Glad the back is looking straighter.
Dizziness will happen, especially when working closer to your max effort.
I had a few times, in the mid 200s when first learning deads, where I thought I was gonna hit the floor.
Make sure you're taking a big breath in beforehand and not breathing it all out as you make the pull.
I hold my breath until the top, helps you stay tight. I've started doing the same on bench and squats and both are making great progress.

Yep I hold my breath when doing the lift. I used to get dizzy after letting go of the bar after doing a whole set then standing up. Now it's right at the beginning. Weird.

This is where I hold breath or exhale on concentric

Bench: Exhale
Squat: Exhale
Deadlift: Hold
Barbell Rows: Hold
Overhead Press: Hold

drog2323

Agree with the others..Keep your chest high when you pull. And thoracic flexion is one thing, lumbar flexion is another. Your lower back is rounded which is a recipe for trouble. Also you are having issue lowering the bar. Notice when you lower the bar you are bending your knees early and forces the bar path to change. You are basdicly having to go around your knees when lowering the bar..This is also resulting in a rounded lower back. Start to break at the kness after the bar clears them. A suggestion would be to work on lower body mobility/flexibility. hips and ankle. In the mean time you may want to start with rack pulls and work your way to the floor gradually. Good luck.

this is great. thank you. I am just getting into dead-lifts too and think I was breaking before my knees. I just tried it without weights and that really seems to help my back keep straight. thanks for the explanation.