Deadlift form- rounded upper back

[AresDX]

I've been deadlifting for about a year, I feel like I'm starting to get the movement down but the upper part of my back is rounded. My lower back is arched properly I believe but it's like my arms are too short to reach the bar and have a flat upper back, even in the starting position. Most videos I see people are flat back and almost upright.
My other question is, when I'm standing in front of the bar do I want my shins touching before I go down or off a few inches?

[kennycroxdale]

I've been deadlifting for about a year, I feel like I'm starting to get the movement down but the upper part of my back is rounded. My lower back is arched properly I believe but it's like my arms are too short to reach the bar and have a flat upper back, even in the starting position. Most videos I see people are flat back and almost upright.

Most Videos

Your are watching the wrong videos.

Many of the top conventional deadlifter round their back.

It is going to happen with heavy loads, it much like a power bar flexing with a heavy load on it.

A great article that explains this is...

A Strong Case For the Rounded Back Deadlift
Bret Contreras

Google it, this site doesn't allow me to post it.

My other question is, when I'm standing in front of the bar do I want my shins touching before I go down or off a few inches?

Most have start the pull with the bar a couple of inches away from the shins.

You quickly pull the bar back into you and drag it up the shins and thighs in a smooth motion.

Any "hitching" (resting the bar on the thighs and pulling in a jerky manner) is an indication that you lack hip strength.

Kenny Croxdale

[Dooxy]

The part about the bar position away from the shins is really depending on how long your legs is and how tall you are.
Am only 6.1 but I have long legs so I gave to pull with my hip higher up that also put me in a mechanical disadvantage pulling close to my shins.
There for am actually pulling almost at my toes! But I do this since my shoulder passes my bar and my still keeping my spinal extension neutral.
Also am pulling with curled those to mimic pushing true the floor this will also correct bar path.

Btw the part with you rounding your upper back, try tuck your chin basically think about having a tennis ball between it and your collarbone “middle” chest.
This kind of forced your spin in natural.

[AresDX]

maybe my starting position is too high, do I want my hamstrings parallel to the floor, or higher or lower? I think I start up pretty high.

[ilovethe80s]

Bar= mid foot for conventional, touching shins if you are sumo.

IMO if you are starting out, try and maintain a flat back. Later, you can allow some rounding of the upper back for heavies.

Hip position is very individual. You want to be able to push the floor away, digging your heels into the earth and not have your hips rising before your shoulders. Some people do have their hips lower. for other people that would be a higher hip position. Try and concentrate on what you should be feeling as far as pushing away the earth, as opposed to what it looks like from the outside. When you think about things like how low your butt should be, things just come out wrong IMO.

Have you watched the 'so you think you can deadlift' and other popular videos? Rich Hawthorne has a good tutorial video out there as well.

[CooCooCaChoo]

Bar= mid foot for conventional, touching shins if you are sumo.

IMO if you are starting out, try and maintain a flat back. Later, you can allow some rounding of the upper back for heavies.

Hip position is very individual. You want to be able to push the floor away, digging your heels into the earth and not have your hips rising before your shoulders. Some people do have their hips lower. for other people that would be a higher hip position. Try and concentrate on what you should be feeling as far as pushing away the earth, as opposed to what it looks like from the outside. When you think about things like how low your butt should be, things just come out wrong IMO.

Have you watched the 'so you think you can deadlift' and other popular videos? Rich Hawthorne has a good tutorial video out there as well.

Came to mention the Hawthorne video, I like it better than the elitefts tutorial

[Mitch666]

I dunno I've pulled with a rounded upperback for quite awhile. I only pull 500 now so take it with a grain of salt but alot of the big deadlifts you see have rounded upper back. It's all based on your own individual biomechanics, I personally am alot stronger with a rounded upper back and I do enough heavy ab work to make sure I can maintain position with my lower back.

[Anthony21]

Came to mention the Hawthorne video, I like it better than the elitefts tutorial

Interesting how he doesn't recommend the bar sliding up your shins/thighs throughout the pill. Literally deadlift tutorial preaches this.

[kennycroxdale]

You want to be able to push the floor away, digging your heels into the earth and not have your hips rising before your shoulders.

Sumo

Pushing the floor away from you works for the Sumo Deadlift.

The muscle firing sequence is: Legs-Back.

Conventional

Research shows the lower back breaks the weight off the floor.

The muscle firing sequences is: Back-Legs-Back

Misinformation

Pushing through the floor is one of those myths that won't go away.

It similar to individuals who believe doing sit ups will help them lose weight in the abdominal area.

Some people do have their hips lower. for other people that would be a higher hip position.

High Hips

You want a high hip position with Sumo and Conventional.

This give you a biomechanical advantage compared to a low hip position.

Quarter Squat

A high hip position is like preforming a quarter squat vs a parallel squat.

You're going to quarter squat more than you parallel squat.

Kenny Croxdale

[kennycroxdale]

I dunno I've pulled with a rounded upperback for quite awhile. I only pull 500 now so take it with a grain of salt but alot of the big deadlifts you see have rounded upper back. It's all based on your own individual biomechanics, I personally am alot stronger with a rounded upper back and I do enough heavy ab work to make sure I can maintain position with my lower back.

Exactly

Many good and great conventional deadlifters have some upper back rounding.

My best pull is 617 lbs/285 kg at 210 lbs. My upper back rounds.

Contreras

His article that I listed above addresses why many great deadlifters round their upper back as a means of providing a biomechanical advantage.

Kenny Croxdale

[BryBB]

thees nothing really bad about upper back rounding in deadlifts. if your worried try decreasing weight and see how it goes. the real problem would be lower back rounding which is not the case!

[kaleida]

Bar= mid foot for conventional, touching shins if you are sumo.

IMO if you are starting out, try and maintain a flat back. Later, you can allow some rounding of the upper back for heavies.

Hip position is very individual. You want to be able to push the floor away, digging your heels into the earth and not have your hips rising before your shoulders. Some people do have their hips lower. for other people that would be a higher hip position. Try and concentrate on what you should be feeling as far as pushing away the earth, as opposed to what it looks like from the outside. When you think about things like how low your butt should be, things just come out wrong IMO.

Have you watched the 'so you think you can deadlift' and other popular videos? Rich Hawthorne has a good tutorial video out there as well.

+1 to thinking about pushing the floor instead of thinking about hip position. The moment I started doing that was when my deadlift started to become a lot easier with more weight.

[ilovethe80s]

Misinformation

Pushing through the floor is one of those myths that won't go away.

It similar to individuals who believe doing sit ups will help them lose weight in the abdominal area.

Can you expand on that? Dan John's 'heels to china cue' has been held near and dear to me for years and I credit my floor drive to that. It works for me so in all respect, I am not changing what I am personally doing. but I am interested in hearing more on initiating the pull with the lower back, and to provide more info on that for the OP, since we just told him to do completely opposite things.

High Hips

You want a high hip position with Sumo and Conventional.

This give you a biomechanical advantage compared to a low hip

I 100% agree with this and I think that when most people are breaking the ground properly they will find their hips high. This doesn't seem to be the popular opinion, people are always saying to get hips lower. i don't personally get the low hips, but not discounting that it must work for some if it is touted so often.