dead lift form critique (feel free to add to)

[jmccauley1229]

So I took a video and sent to a friend of mine so he could critique the form on this 1RM attempt. He sent back this word doc. with a very, very helpful critique from all positions thoughout the lift. Please feel free to add anything he may have missed, but I think this could really help others a lot as it did me. Enjoy.



Starting Position: ****See "start.img"****

The good:
• Back is flat.
• Triceps are flexed meaning the tension was pulled out of the bar before the lift begins (doesn’t jerk the bar).
• Bar is close to shins (but not yet touching I hope).
The bad:
• Center of shoulder is slightly out in front of the bar. You want the midline of your shoulders to be behind the bar at all times. This creates leverage and a better position for using your posterior chain.
• “Valsalva Maneuver” probably not done. This is when you take a big belly full of air and push your abs out as hard as possible. It creates intra-abdominal pressure to make sure the abs and lower back are braced and stable.
The fixes:
• Use flexed lats to pull the bar close to your shins and pull scaps back and down. This will help put your shoulders behind the bar where they should be. Then you will be in a better position to not only pull up, but pull back.
• Perform Valsalva Maneuver to keep core strong.


Breaking the bar from the floor: ****See "breakfromfloor.img"****

The good:
• The weight came off the floor! (haha)
• Bar is kept close to shins.
The bad:
• Hips shoot up and there is immediate rounding of the back and caving of the chest causing you to rely on your quads and lower back to lift the weight.
• Head and eye level changes.
• Slight drifting forward.
The fixes:
• Load hamstrings when you first go to grab the bar. Set your feet as you would and then push your hips back to lower yourself. You will feel your hamstrings and glutes tighten up as if you were stretching a rubber band. Do not just squat down and bend at the knees.
• The first thing you should do when the weight first breaks the floor is pull the bar back into yourself. You do this by engaging the lats as hard as you can.
• Lead with your chest/keep your chest up. This maintains that flat back and creates leverage.



Bar at the knees: **** See "knees.img"****

The good:
• Head position stayed the same.
• Bar is being drug up shins and thighs.
• Back is flattening.
The bad:
• Lower back and quad dominate at this position.
• Hamstrings, glutes and hips are unable to fully explode through.
• Midline of shoulders is now completely out in front of the bar.
The fixes:
• This position will be fixed when the previous two positions are.






Bar at thighs: **** See "thighs.img"****

The good:
• Head position.
• Midline of shoulders has reached the bar meaning that the chest is leading the movement, the back is (almost) completely flat and you have now gained leverage over the bar.
The bad:
• Back is still a little rounded.
• Hips and glutes, though in a better position than they previously were, are still not fully engaged and the lower back is now completing the lift.
The fixes:
• Once you gain leverage over the bar (when it passes your knees, generally speaking) begin to squeeze your glutes as if Michael Jackson was chasing you with a dildo. At the same time, thrust your hips forward as if Michael Jackson was actually able to stick that dildo in your ass.
• Think of it like this: the job of your lower back is only to keep your upper back flat and your chest high creating leverage over the bar. It should not be directly moving the weight. That is the job of your hamstrings and glutes.




The Finish: ****See "finish.img"****

The good:
• You completed the lift, obviously.
• Shoulders set back and behind the bar as they should have been throughout the entire lift.
• Definitely looks bad ass.
The bad:
• If you look at this screen shot and the previous two in order, you can see the position of your hips never really changed. This means you basically deadlifted 385lbs with your lower back and you didn’t utilize your largest and strongest muscle groups.
The fixes:
• Go to summary.







So to sum this up:
1. Your posterior chain needs to get a lot stronger so that your back doesn’t round and you don’t lose your position and leverage as soon as you begin your lift. That would mean training your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Couple ways to do this: First and foremost are GHR’s (http://train.elitefts.com/exercises-...ute-ham-raise/) And one of my favorites that I know helped me more than anything are deficit deadlifts. I would put two 100lb plates next to each other on the floor and do dynamic deadlifts while standing on them. I would do something like 12 sets of 1 rep or 8 sets of 2 reps with about 60-65 percent of my max and a 15-30 second break between each set. Standing on the plates forces you to get lower and pull a further distance. The idea is to train to be explosive. Make each rep faster than the last. If done right and regularly, then when you go to deadlift from the floor it will feel like the lift will be easier because you no longer have to start two inches lower. You would have also trained your fast twitch muscle fibers to recruit and fire faster (the explosion) which will create more power and push you through sticking points.

2. You also have to be diligent on gaining hip flexibility and using your hips during your lifts. This all starts with your set up. Pushing those hips back and loading your hamstrings is crucial. Sumo deadlifts are a great way to strengthen your hips and teach you how to use them (http://train.elitefts.com/exercises-...sumo-deadlift/). Dimel deadlifts are also great (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWTSNmulwJM) Notice how Dave completes that lift entirely with his hips and glutes. His lower back does nothing. That is what you should look like from your “bar at the knees” screen shot and your finish.

3. Verbal cues: Next time you train with someone have them watch you from the side during all of your lifts. If I were there I would have said things like “chest up” when your upper back starts to round. Or one I’ve heard before that I liked was “**** the bar” (as if it literally had a vagina) as soon as the bar passes your knees. And every time you set up I would just say “lats” meaning use your lats to pull the bar into you and get those shoulders behind the bar.

[jmccauley1229]

Sorry the images aren't where they should be, and you have to scroll completely to the bottom, and back up, and to the bottom etc. But I hope this can help someone as much as it helped me. Big thing I focus on now is flexing my lats hard through the entire movement, and "loading" my hamstrings, not just bending at the knees. These two things are at the forefront of my mind when DL'ing now, and has drastically improved my form. Thanks for reading and please, beat me up more if need be.

[jmccauley1229]

BUMP. I think this could save a lot of new threads being started. Use my crappy form to help you!

[Yodums]

Not much to say, other than your form is pretty normal for someone going for a 1RM. It will be normal for your hips to shoot up first, and that will impact your form for the entire lift.

I don't agree with your friend's comment about shoulders being behind the bar when starting the lifting. This will actually make the lift more complicated. You can read Rippetoe's analysis for more info on this and the entire exercise: http://www.crossfit.com/journal/libr...ofDeadlift.pdf

BUMP. I think this could save a lot of new threads being started. Use my crappy form to help you!

There's already a sticky dedicated to deadlifting: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=112127931