Forward shoulders on deadlift

allother94
allother94 Posts: 588 Member
edited December 24 in Fitness and Exercise
Apparently I have forward rolled shoulders when I deadlift. But when I roll them back to correct form to do the exercise, my collar bone feels like it will split in half. My trainer tries to get me to reduce the weight down to have proper form without pain, but the weight is a joke - 95lbs when I can deadlift 300 easy. It works, but as soon as I start to increase weight, collarbone pain starts. Is my body just made to have rolled shoulders? Can I just not deadlift?

Replies

  • MT1134
    MT1134 Posts: 173 Member
    I would say the problem isn't in the deadlift then, it looks to be with something else. Try working your upper and mid back to help your shoulders maintain stability.

    The lower back is also another weak point in the deadlift, try doing the same but different such as deadlift variations and possibly some isolated work for your weak points.
  • MT1134
    MT1134 Posts: 173 Member
    I figure at some point, something will break down from bad form. Generally when the shoulders are rolled forward, the lower back is also rounded.

    Stretching your hamstrings could be of great benefit too.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    allother94 wrote: »
    Can I just not deadlift?

    No, look for a workaround, like a hex bar deadlift. If you do that one, make sure to do a deadlifting motion (hip hinge), not a squatting motion.

    Do you have an old collarbone break?
  • allother94
    allother94 Posts: 588 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    allother94 wrote: »
    Can I just not deadlift?

    No, look for a workaround, like a hex bar deadlift. If you do that one, make sure to do a deadlifting motion (hip hinge), not a squatting motion.

    Do you have an old collarbone break?

    No, I think it’s just working at a desk all day and coming home sitting all day has caused my body to grow a certain way.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • pjwrt
    pjwrt Posts: 166 Member
    allother94 wrote: »

    No, I think it’s just working at a desk all day and coming home sitting all day has caused my body to grow a certain way.
    Do you walk at a 90 degree angle? Those stand up desks are getting popular.

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    allother94 wrote: »
    I think it’s just working at a desk all day and coming home sitting all day has caused my body to grow a certain way.

    Countless people sit all day, but the pain you described is extremely rare, so i think something else is going on. But you can try doing this stretch every 1-2 hours for 30 seconds, and right before deadlifting too. You should know within a week if it helps. Post an update.
  • MT1134
    MT1134 Posts: 173 Member
    Another suggestion-Try tempo lifting at a lighter load. That will force the smaller muscles to engage and stabilize longer.
  • jesselee10
    jesselee10 Posts: 31 Member
    I’ve seen elite powerlifters with a curved back and ones without. Your back is stronger than you think and you can have some rounding in the back that is safe to a certain point. If you feel fine doing the lift at 300 with no pain then it’s not a big deal. Different body anatomy’s such as long femurs or shorter arms may contribute to not being able to get your shoulder blades back, lats tight as well. Like the other poster’s said, working on strengthening upper back muscles won’t hurt and could add to some higher lifting numbers.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member

    I would take weight off the barbell if you were doing something that was going to be problematic for your long term success.

    As far as the pain goes, it is tricky and can exist without doing anything wrong. Unless someone was having anxiety over it I might try to find a weight or ROM that it is tolerable and gets better over time.

    Not seeing your actually performing a deadlift makes any advice less helpful and or only steer you in a direction that isn't necessarily going to help.

    You might try posting a vid of you performing the lift here...

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10756076/barbell-form-check-e-g-squats-deadlift-benching-presses#latest

    I will take a look and should be able to see if there are things we can do to address the pain and any technique issues if any.

This discussion has been closed.

Categories