Deadlift Form Check (reps)

[LadyLore420]

Since I know you guys love telling us how horrible our form is, here you go:



195lbs x 10 @ 115lb bw

Tear it up bitshes.

[lee__d]

Very solid imo. The only thing I can nitpick is the slight, exaggerated hyper extension right after lockout (the camera not being right next to you may make it look more extreme than it is).

[LadyLore420]

Very solid imo. The only thing I can nitpick is the slight, exaggerated hyper extension right after lockout (the camera not being right next to you may make it look more extreme than it is).

That's what we call a booty. Thanks for compliment, both intended and unintended :-)

[godsamurai]

if I have to be picky about it, put the butt out little bit more while descending, in other word, lower your hips more - reason: your back rounds if your torso descend first. But this is only if your lower back is bothering you and not comfortable with it. If you are comfortable descending it that way, then don't even bother.

Another a little issue that I see is you tend to descend your torso and then you start lowering the hip, here and there throughout those 10 reps. Again this is ok if you are dealing with light weight. But when you are going for seriously heavy weight, you want to lower the hip almost simultaneously with torso while descending just like in RDL. - judging from your form is good and weight is light enough to do 10 reps, I see there is no issue, though. But ideally you want to do the descending part with what I pointed out.

[JOoa0ky]

Just a minor thing, but IMO I think you should just start with higher hips. You've pretty good leverages actually and should definitely take advantage of that...

This is the start position for you after you drop hips for rep 1:


This is right before the bar leaves the floor for rep 1:

Notice the difference in torso angle

Then this is after rep 1 and right before rep 2, basically start position for rep 2:

Looks pretty similar to 2nd picture, probably your most ideal starting position.

[tbarabash]

Can't pick anything out more so than what they said. I would drop your butt a bit more to the ground too to start off but other than that looks great. I wanted to reply just to say your gym outfit is phuking great lol those socks are amazing.

[LadyLore420]

Lol, okay so one dude is telling me to lower my hips, another is telling me higher hips.

This is speculation, but I imagine part of my reason for starting with lower hips is to engage the hamstring stretch reflex as I come up. I do feel much stronger with higher hips, and even straighter legs. Not sure what form offers the most efficient firing of muscles though.

Reppin you fools on recharge.

Srsly though, what's with the ins and outs of lower hips vs. higher hips?

[godsamurai]

Lol, okay so one dude is telling me to lower my hips, another is telling me higher hips.

This is speculation, but I imagine part of my reason for starting with lower hips is to engage the hamstring stretch reflex as I come up. I do feel much stronger with higher hips, and even straighter legs. Not sure what form offers the most efficient firing of muscles though.

Reppin you fools on recharge.

Srsly though, what's with the ins and outs of lower hips vs. higher hips?

no Ladylore, I meant to lower your hips on descending part, not the starting position. Just forget that part, but you really want to consider lowering hips simultaneously with torso instead of torso lowering first.
the guy only pointed out to start position with higher hip and did not mention anything about descending it and I do agree with him because I think you can start with higher position, but do w/e you are aiming and feeling comfortable with. I would intentionally go lower on starting position as well if you want to hit more hammies.

[LadyLore420]

@godsamurai, I'll try dropping my hips next Tuesday. Going to make a little note in my journal thingy, see about playing around with the bar before it's below my knees to whatever is most comfortable. I think I do it the way I do because in oly weightlifting my kept stressing to lower the bar as slowly as possible, to beef up the hammies, so it's just learned behavior at this point.

[aman88]

Lol, okay so one dude is telling me to lower my hips, another is telling me higher hips.

This is speculation, but I imagine part of my reason for starting with lower hips is to engage the hamstring stretch reflex as I come up. I do feel much stronger with higher hips, and even straighter legs. Not sure what form offers the most efficient firing of muscles though.

Reppin you fools on recharge.

Srsly though, what's with the ins and outs of lower hips vs. higher hips?

That is as good as your form is going to get... especially doing 1.8x your BW for 10 reps. VERY impressive. You did a better job than any of the guys I have seen post on here. I hit 315 for 6, could have gotten 7, @ 125 lb bw on a cut (All reset/ true "deadlifts" I can tap set 315 for 13). I prefer sumo deadlifts but that is me. I would rep you if I could.

[Bumpus]

Lol, okay so one dude is telling me to lower my hips, another is telling me higher hips.

This is speculation, but I imagine part of my reason for starting with lower hips is to engage the hamstring stretch reflex as I come up. I do feel much stronger with higher hips, and even straighter legs. Not sure what form offers the most efficient firing of muscles though.

Reppin you fools on recharge.

Srsly though, what's with the ins and outs of lower hips vs. higher hips?

I wouldn't over think hip position. You move around a lot before the pull but seem to get tight, take the slack out and make a fluid pull.

I do agree with lee_d though, your lockout could use more glute/quad squeeze vs. hyperextension.

I'd also say if you really want a more meaningful critique put something like a 3-5 RM on there.

Pretty damn good though.

[JOoa0ky]

Its easier to half-squat than to ATG squat the weight up lol... but I digress since this isn't even a squat but its just to make a point that you have better mechanical leverage (if allowed) by being in a higher hip position.

Also, if your hamstring flexibility allows, keep your shins as vertical as possible and while in the process of doing so you also keep maximum tension on your posterior chain...
http://bretcontreras.com/the-keys-to...ger-deadlifts/
Just look at all the pictures of some of the top deadlifters. Stance width, torso angles, etc all vary but ONE thing stayed consistent throughout and that is they all have pretty darn vertical shins. Vertical shins = posterior chain firing at 101% aka proper hip hinge

Y'all probably think I'm a hinge nut.

[LadyLore420]

That is as good as your form is going to get... especially doing 1.8x your BW for 10 reps. VERY impressive. You did a better job than any of the guys I have seen post on here. I hit 315 for 6, could have gotten 7, @ 125 lb bw on a cut (All reset/ true "deadlifts" I can tap set 315 for 13). I prefer sumo deadlifts but that is me. I would rep you if I could.

Lol @ reps. I see you're in the red. Here's a little bitty tip: 4 out of 7 sentences in your post was self focused, which can put some people off. Add in some citations, technical tips, and less about you, and people will not only find you more interesting, but be less affronted by what they perceive as selfish banter. Cuz, humans like conversations being focused on them, not you. I'm not saying you're not interesting, or that we don't all care about your lifts in this thread, simply that it's a universal defect of character that you can capitalize on to get some greenz.

I wouldn't over think hip position. You move around a lot before the pull but seem to get tight, take the slack out and make a fluid pull.

I do agree with lee_d though, your lockout could use more glute/quad squeeze vs. hyperextension.

I'd also say if you really want a more meaningful critique put something like a 3-5 RM on there.

Pretty damn good though.

3-5 RM will be two weeks from now, rockin the 5/3/1. Will update this thread with video in two weeks.

Its easier to half-squat than to ATG squat the weight up lol... but I digress since this isn't even a squat but its just to make a point that you have better mechanical leverage (if allowed) by being in a higher hip position.

Also, if your hamstring flexibility allows, keep your shins as vertical as possible and while in the process of doing so you also keep maximum tension on your posterior chain...
http://bretcontreras.com/the-keys-to...ger-deadlifts/
Just look at all the pictures of some of the top deadlifters. Stance width, torso angles, etc all vary but ONE thing stayed consistent throughout and that is they all have pretty darn vertical shins. Vertical shins = posterior chain firing at 101% aka proper hip hinge

Y'all probably think I'm a hinge nut.

Thanks for that awesome article! The pics make it clear. Also interesting, every single one of those top weight deadlifters had REALLY LONG TORSOS. As a femur girl, I'm quite jelly, well not really. Good for them.

The issue is that the shoes I wear(Rogue Do-Wins) have a heel on them, which puts my knees forward just a tad. Will add in my notes, to push hips further back, so the knees are behind the barbell, not directly over. Thanks :-)

[JOoa0ky]

no Ladylore, I meant to lower your hips on descending part, not the starting position. Just forget that part, but you really want to consider lowering hips simultaneously with torso instead of torso lowering first.
the guy only pointed out to start position with higher hip and did not mention anything about descending it and I do agree with him because I think you can start with higher position, but do w/e you are aiming and feeling comfortable with. I would intentionally go lower on starting position as well if you want to hit more hammies.

Actually starting lower would remove hamstrings. Just like how you engage the posterior chain in a RDL by pushing your butt back... You also push your butt back in an arched good morning... Then you also sit back (aka push butt back) to engage posterior chain in a squat. When you drop straight down in a squat is how you shift focus to more quads.

All of these 'pushing back' and 'sitting back' exercises engage your hamstrings and at the same time your shins remain fairly vertical. The moment your knees track forward is when hamstring tension start releasing.

Very easy way to think about this is to stand up straight and then touch your toes with straight legs. You should feel an intense hamstring stretch. Now stay in that position but start bending your knees, you should feel that tension start dissipating.

[LadyLore420]

Actually starting lower would remove hamstrings. Just like how you engage the posterior chain in a RDL by pushing your butt back... You also push your butt back in an arched good morning... Then you also sit back (aka push butt back) to engage posterior chain in a squat. When you drop straight down in a squat is how you shift focus to more quads.

All of these 'pushing back' and 'sitting back' exercises engage your hamstrings and at the same time your shins remain fairly vertical. The moment your knees track forward is when hamstring tension start releasing.

Very easy way to think about this is to stand up straight and then touch your toes with straight legs. You should feel an intense hamstring stretch. Now stay in that position but start bending your knees, you should feel that tension start dissipating.

^^^

Give this bisch some reps for tellin the truth.

[aman88]

Lol @ reps. I see you're in the red. Here's a little bitty tip: 4 out of 7 sentences in your post was self focused, which can put some people off. Add in some citations, technical tips, and less about you, and people will not only find you more interesting, but be less affronted by what they perceive as selfish banter. Cuz, humans like conversations being focused on them, not you. I'm not saying you're not interesting, or that we don't all care about your lifts in this thread, simply that it's a universal defect of character that you can capitalize on to get some greenz.


Thanks for that awesome article! The pics make it clear. Also interesting, every single one of those top weight deadlifters had REALLY LONG TORSOS. As a femur girl, I'm quite jelly, well not really. Good for them.

The issue is that the shoes I wear(Rogue Do-Wins) have a heel on them, which puts my knees forward just a tad. Will add in my notes, to push hips further back, so the knees are behind the barbell, not directly over. Thanks :-)

I don't really care about that its an online forum where 99% of the people are idiots. My reps come from the diplomas on my wall, the weight I throw around, etc. I just wanted to say congrats on your lift, and was just comparing it to a PR I hit earlier today. That was quite a lot of weight for someone of your size (let alone a female) to lift with great form.

NOTE: I am not calling everyone an idiot, nor anyone who posted here. I appreciate the reps, but in reality it doesn't mean diddly. I posted on this because I was really impressed. And I got flamed for saying its better to eat a slow digesting carb source before bed if you are going to eat carbs at that time (people disagreed: hence the idiots).

[LadyLore420]

That was quite a lot of weight for someone of your size (let alone a female) to lift with great form.

Oh no you didn't! Uh uuuuh!

[aman88]

Oh no you didn't! Uh uuuuh!

I figured you'd like that . Sex differences exist thats proven lol... UB 40-60% difference, LB 25-30% difference (naturally, obviously this can be changed with training).

[poweramp]

That's what we call a booty. Thanks for compliment, both intended and unintended :-)

No, your back was hyperextended at lockout. Notice how your torso continues to move backwards, even after the bar has reached its highest point. There are two reasons this might happen:

1) You are not comfortable holding the weight at lockout (you might lean back to prevent dropping the weight)
2) It is simply a habit, and you need to pay special attention to your lockout position

Either way, it is pointless and puts you at risk for injury. The only reason people ever pull like that is to exaggerate lockout for the judge. When you are training you should keep your back straight and stop as soon as the bar reaches its peak.

[LadyLore420]

No, your back was hyperextended at lockout. Notice how your torso continues to move backwards, even after the bar has reached its highest point. There are two reasons this might happen:

1) You are not comfortable holding the weight at lockout (you might lean back to prevent dropping the weight)
2) It is simply a habit, and you need to pay special attention to your lockout position

Either way, it is pointless and puts you at risk for injury. The only reason people ever pull like that is to exaggerate lockout for the judge. When you are training you should keep your back straight and stop as soon as the bar reaches its peak.

No, it's just how I stand.

[poweramp]

No, it's just how I stand.

Keep rejecting people's advice and I'm sure you'll have a long, injury-free lifting career.

Edit: Back angle standing, after dropping the bar:


Where you should be stopping (taken a frame or two before your final lockout position):


Where you are actually stopping:


If you can't stand with a neutral spine you probably have some imbalances that need to be addressed.

[lee__d]

Just look at your arms relative to the bar in that bottom pic^.

[JOoa0ky]

Keep rejecting people's advice and I'm sure you'll have a long, injury-free lifting career.

If you can't stand with a neutral spine you probably have some imbalances that need to be addressed.

I won't disagree but from what I've observed, this is a fairly common thing for females. A lot of females have a slight anterior pelvic tilt so when they stand up 'straight' it is a bit hyperextended.

I don't think its THAT big of an issue in her case because she does lock out with her glutes, its just that on some reps she overextends a bit but thats after she already locked out with her glutes. You can tell because the hips slam into a standstill. That is miles and miles better than someone who locks out with pure hyper-extension. IMO, that tidbit of overextension is probably because shes getting tired from so many reps because in the first rep, lockout was perfect.

[aman88]

No, it's just how I stand.

First off guys:

You are both wrong to just jump at her for this.

Second off:

From the looks of it LadyLore (sorry I do not know your actual name) you have either slight lordosis and an anterior pelvic tilt. This is not necessarily something you can change depending on the causes. If it is skeletal structure in nature, there is not much you can do. If it is caused by tight hip flexors and tight erector spinea muscles (torque couple) then you need to stretch your hip flexors, lower back, posterior chain, and possibly do some posterior pelvic tilts along with bridges to loosen up the muscles in the area, allowing the pelvis and spine to align better.

Personally, I had that issue, and doing what I just said really helped. It also really reduced lower back pain.

[orca23554]

Head position slightly out of alignment on some of the reps. Anything beyond this, I'd be nitpicking

[BenBlue]

You're form looks pretty fantastic. I can see why some people point out the hyper extension, but let's be honest here, those guys are nitpicking and looking for form corrections that aren't there. You are not hyper extending to a dangerous degree in the slightest. I've seen many pro powerlifters hyper extend way beyond the point that you are, and this is in competition. In fact, many powerlifters are taught to do so, to show without a shadow of the doubt, that they have fully completed the lift. It is true that there is danger in hyper extending, but not to the degree that some of these know it all types like to think. You're lock in position is relatively safe, and you're form outside of that is fantastic.

The only thing that I would point out, and this is something that a pro power lifter taught me, is to keep your head down instead of looking up throughout your lift. Just keep your head in the position that it would be in while you are standing normally and looking straight forward. This keeps your spine aligned throughout the entire lift, as opposed to looking up from the starting position and putting your spine in an unnatural position. That's as nit picky as I can get with your lift. Really great form all in all.

[LadyLore420]

First off guys:

You are both wrong to just jump at her for this.

Second off:

From the looks of it LadyLore (sorry I do not know your actual name) you have either slight lordosis and an anterior pelvic tilt. This is not necessarily something you can change depending on the causes. If it is skeletal structure in nature, there is not much you can do. If it is caused by tight hip flexors and tight erector spinea muscles (torque couple) then you need to stretch your hip flexors, lower back, posterior chain, and possibly do some posterior pelvic tilts along with bridges to loosen up the muscles in the area, allowing the pelvis and spine to align better.

Personally, I had that issue, and doing what I just said really helped. It also really reduced lower back pain.

Thanks for that. I was thinking about this last night before bed, and the main reason I took offense was the bluntness and sarcasm of poweramps post.

I have a recent hip injury which tight hip flexors and internal rotation aggravate, which has led me to be constantly lunge stretching. Lordosis runs in the family, better than other issues for sure. Will keep on stretching out a lot, doubt it'll go away soon but I should be more conscious of where I lockout at. Adding to my notes, thanks!

[lee__d]

You're form looks pretty fantastic. I can see why some people point out the hyper extension, but let's be honest here, those guys are nitpicking and looking for form corrections that aren't there.

She kinda asked us to.

vv

Since I know you guys love telling us how horrible our form is, here you go:


Tear it up bitshes.

[aman88]

Thanks for that. I was thinking about this last night before bed, and the main reason I took offense was the bluntness and sarcasm of poweramps post.

I have a recent hip injury which tight hip flexors and internal rotation aggravate, which has led me to be constantly lunge stretching. Lordosis runs in the family, better than other issues for sure. Will keep on stretching out a lot, doubt it'll go away soon but I should be more conscious of where I lockout at. Adding to my notes, thanks!

Anytime, there is a lot you can do to alleviate the issue. I've worked in rehab, and currently work for someone who is big into fixing movement patterns and immobility. If you have anymore questions or want more info just PM me.

[aman88]

Haha thats an awesome photo!