Can't correct my form on deadlifts :-/

nyla2120
nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have no issue doing straight leg dead lifts. But when I do a basic one my back always rounds. I try so hard to keep it straight, but it always ends up in a hunched position. I even tried a lighter weight & it didn't help. Anyone else have this issue? How did you correct it?

Replies

  • JazmineYoli
    JazmineYoli Posts: 547 Member
    I even tried a lighter weight & it didn't help. Anyone else have this issue? How did you correct it?

    That is exactly what I was going to suggest. Otherwise, sorry I have no other suggestions, but to try keeping your head looking up straight ahead. That might help a little. Also check out forms online and youtube and keep practicing.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    I even tried a lighter weight & it didn't help. Anyone else have this issue? How did you correct it?

    That is exactly what I was going to suggest. Otherwise, sorry I have no other suggestions, but to try keeping your head looking up straight ahead. That might help a little. Also check out forms online and youtube and keep practicing.

    Thank you I will.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    You can try pause reps:

    Johnny Candito breaks it down better here:

    How To Prevent Lower Back Rounding In The Deadlift
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta6NAgDzqgw
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    puff out the chest, roll the shoulders back. keep the hips low.

    can you prop up your cell phone camera and video yourself. watch the video between sets. i used to do this all the time.

    do not try and turn your head to watch yourself in the mirror. that will mess up your form big time.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    im guessing you're doing curved back SLDLs

    read this

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/rdl-vs-sldl.html

    then stop doing SLDLs

    Id expect that to help. (for those who are going tio whine... im not saying SLDLs are bad.. Im saying that if she never allows her back to round it may aide in the proper form development of the traditional deadlift. Almost all teh benefits of the SLDL can be accomplished with RDLs)

    Beyond that you could try and use some mental cues "back straight and rigid" while you lift... or have someone watch and cue you when you fault.

    Focus and proper weight. And ofcourse proper form.

    ETA: I like all the suggestions I see above as well...
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    puff out the chest, roll the shoulders back. keep the hips low.

    can you prop up your cell phone camera and video yourself. watch the video between sets. i used to do this all the time.

    do not try and turn your head to watch yourself in the mirror. that will mess up your form big time.

    Thanks for the advice. I do tend to try & look at the mirror to watch my form. That might be one of the biggest problems.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    im guessing you're doing curved back SLDLs

    read this

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/rdl-vs-sldl.html

    then stop doing SLDLs

    Id expect that to help.

    Beyond that you could try and use some mental cues "back straight and rigid" while you lift... or have someone watch and cue you when you fault.

    Focus and proper weight. And ofcourse proper form.

    ETA: I like all the suggestions I see above as well...

    Thanks for the link! I'm fine with straight leg, it's the other that I struggle with. i think I also may be trying to hard not to skim my knees.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    If lower weight doesn't help then it sounds like a flexibility issue to me. Stretch regularly. Watch some videos on the proper form of DLs to see if you were doing anything wrong.
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
    You can try pause reps:

    Johnny Candito breaks it down better here:

    How To Prevent Lower Back Rounding In The Deadlift
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta6NAgDzqgw


    I LOVE Jonnie Candito!! His videos are fabulous!
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    If lower weight doesn't help then it sounds like a flexibility issue to me. Stretch regularly. Watch some videos on the proper form of DLs to see if you were doing anything wrong.

    I will, thanks :smile:
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    You can try pause reps:

    Johnny Candito breaks it down better here:

    How To Prevent Lower Back Rounding In The Deadlift
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta6NAgDzqgw




    I LOVE Jonnie Candito!! His videos are fabulous!

    Great video! This explained so much! I subbed immediately.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    puff out the chest, roll the shoulders back. keep the hips low.

    can you prop up your cell phone camera and video yourself. watch the video between sets. i used to do this all the time.

    do not try and turn your head to watch yourself in the mirror. that will mess up your form big time.

    Thanks for the advice. I do tend to try & look at the mirror to watch my form. That might be one of the biggest problems.

    i see people doing all kinds of exercises at the gym, and the second they turn their head to look in the mirror, they throw their spinal alignment off, and are off balance.

    if you want to look in the mirror, face the mirror at a forty five degree angle, and use your eyeballs to look at yourself.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    puff out the chest, roll the shoulders back. keep the hips low.

    can you prop up your cell phone camera and video yourself. watch the video between sets. i used to do this all the time.

    do not try and turn your head to watch yourself in the mirror. that will mess up your form big time.

    Thanks for the advice. I do tend to try & look at the mirror to watch my form. That might be one of the biggest problems.

    i see people doing all kinds of exercises at the gym, and the second they turn their head to look in the mirror, they throw their spinal alignment off, and are off balance.

    if you want to look in the mirror, face the mirror at a forty five degree angle, and use your eyeballs to look at yourself.

    Thank you, I will try this.
  • rejectuf
    rejectuf Posts: 487 Member
    If there's anyone you're comfortable with at the gym, maybe ask them to hold a pvc pipe or something straight against your back while you're doing it. That will help you identify the exact moment it's going wrong.

    Keep your abs tight and try to pinch your shoulder blades together. Before I even bend down to get my hands on the bar, I take some time to brace myself into a neutral spine position. Clench your glutes, shoulders back, abs tight, and looking straight forward. Keep that position as much as possible throughout the lift.
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    You can try pause reps:

    Johnny Candito breaks it down better here:

    How To Prevent Lower Back Rounding In The Deadlift
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta6NAgDzqgw


    I LOVE Jonnie Candito!! His videos are fabulous!

    Agreed. Good stuff
  • dont_tap_my_aces
    dont_tap_my_aces Posts: 125 Member
    The number one thing that helped with my form was remembering the mental cue in of "im just going to stand STRAIGHT UP". once i focused on standing straight up, all i have to do is keep my chest up (puffed out) and form sticks if the weight is correct.

    but you mention too much rounding, is the upper back or lower back? upper isn't of major concern if the weight you are pulling is close to your max, but if you de-load say to 25-35% less than your 1RM and still have upper back rounding that's not great.

    obviously you never want any lower back rounding at any weight. i
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member

    I LOVE Jonnie Candito!! His videos are fabulous!

    Me too - great vids and he seems to have a great outlook in general. For weight lifting tips I always check him and Omar Isuf on Youtube first. two great guys.
  • Deestrong68
    Deestrong68 Posts: 119 Member
    Get a Sensation of Pushing you Booty Out First, that will set you up for a better form
  • stephv38
    stephv38 Posts: 203 Member
    bump for reference, thanks guys...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    *kitten* out
    tits up.

    it's a good cue- but really it means get really wide through the rest- pull the shoulders in and down- to open that chest up- neutral head- and the butt is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

    then stand. pulling the bar straight UP as you stand- it mostly just comes a long for the ride.. well- pushing the ground away with your body is probably a better way to look at it vs pulling the bar up- people here pull and want to get their arms all up in it and that's a quick way to snap a bicep.


    video's are helpful.
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    Some good tips already mentioned here. I agree with a video would help to see exactly where the form is breaking. But just go through your cues and have someone check or video:

    Some things to check for:

    * Feet positioning ( I tend to be about a foot apart, with a slight angle)
    * Bar close to shins (How close will depend on your bodytype)
    * Arms straight with no bend, shoulder blades pinched back, but still have them over the bar.
    * Think of deadlifts as a push exercise and not a pull. Your gripping that bar for leverage to push the ground away from you.
    * Chest out, but back. Drive with the hips. If your shoulders start to shrug, it will round your back.
    * Drive hips through the bar, especially when past the knees
    * Eyes and head position is neutral
    * Lock out, descend slowly with the hips until past the knee then lower. Stop. reset, move to the 2nd rep.
    * And last, be explosive, even on your warm up reps. Make the reps as violent as possible.

    You want to try and make the bar path as vertical as possible and the shortest distance possible.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    The number one thing that helped with my form was remembering the mental cue in of "im just going to stand STRAIGHT UP". once i focused on standing straight up, all i have to do is keep my chest up (puffed out) and form sticks if the weight is correct.

    but you mention too much rounding, is the upper back or lower back? upper isn't of major concern if the weight you are pulling is close to your max, but if you de-load say to 25-35% less than your 1RM and still have upper back rounding that's not great.

    obviously you never want any lower back rounding at any weight. i

    I'll remember this, thank you!
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    Get a Sensation of Pushing you Booty Out First, that will set you up for a better form

    Got it, thanks!
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    *kitten* out
    tits up.

    it's a good cue- but really it means get really wide through the rest- pull the shoulders in and down- to open that chest up- neutral head- and the butt is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

    then stand. pulling the bar straight UP as you stand- it mostly just comes a long for the ride.. well- pushing the ground away with your body is probably a better way to look at it vs pulling the bar up- people here pull and want to get their arms all up in it and that's a quick way to snap a bicep.


    video's are helpful.

    Very good advice. I'll keep this in my head when I do my DL. Thank you :flowerforyou:
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    Some good tips already mentioned here. I agree with a video would help to see exactly where the form is breaking. But just go through your cues and have someone check or video:

    Some things to check for:

    * Feet positioning ( I tend to be about a foot apart, with a slight angle)
    * Bar close to shins (How close will depend on your bodytype)
    * Arms straight with no bend, shoulder blades pinched back, but still have them over the bar.
    * Think of deadlifts as a push exercise and not a pull. Your gripping that bar for leverage to push the ground away from you.
    * Chest out, but back. Drive with the hips. If your shoulders start to shrug, it will round your back.
    * Drive hips through the bar, especially when past the knees
    * Eyes and head position is neutral
    * Lock out, descend slowly with the hips until past the knee then lower. Stop. reset, move to the 2nd rep.
    * And last, be explosive, even on your warm up reps. Make the reps as violent as possible.

    You want to try and make the bar path as vertical as possible and the shortest distance possible.

    More really amazing tips! Thank you! I'll have my form right in no time thanks to all of you! :smile:

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