Deadlift form - help please - bad back pain

[cosm0]

Hello, really need some help with my deadlift. I've been deadlifting for around 18 months, I got my form down to an OK level and then didn't check or concentrate for around 8 months. I deadlifted 170kg for 1 and have got really bad back pain, I decided to film myself and realised my back was completely curved.

So have gone back to the drawing board, when doing it with this form I found my back hurt more and I really struggled even with 120kg x 5.

Any tips/advice please?


Set 1


Set 2


Set 3


Were any of these sets/reps acceptable? I've been getting constant back pain and really want to sort this out.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[LactoseTolerant]

Your reps are all very consistent. There's a bit of spinal flexion in your form. That's not necessarily a bad thing but if you're getting back pain, that's something to work on. Cue by pulling your shoulder blades back before you pull.

[cosm0]

Your reps are all very consistent. There's a bit of spinal flexion in your form. That's not necessarily a bad thing but if you're getting back pain, that's something to work on. Cue by pulling your shoulder blades back before you pull.

Thanks for your response.

Can you please clarify what you mean by spinal flexion? What I mean is I was getting bad back pain with my old form. This is my trying to correct it and I wanted to check how close to being correct are these videos. I have completely changed my form from what it was.


Edit: I see what you mean like this



So I need to concentrate on keeping my back flatter? I find this so hard and takes so much energy.

[LactoseTolerant]

So I need to concentrate on keeping my back flatter? I find this so hard and takes so much energy.

There's a saying: if your deadlift start position is comfortable, you're doing something wrong.

[sqal]

Check out Juggernaut training on youtube. They have a video series called 5 pillars of deadlift. They explain it by saying pretend you're trying to protect your armpits from someone trying to tickle you. Very good videos by actual power lifters.

[cosm0]

Check out Juggernaut training on youtube. They have a video series called 5 pillars of deadlift. They explain it by saying pretend you're trying to protect your armpits from someone trying to tickle you. Very good videos by actual power lifters.

Haha...thats actually the video I watched right before my deadlift session today. I've seen them before but rewatched 1 and 2 today.

There's a saying: if your deadlift start position is comfortable, you're doing something wrong.

I think when you do it so wrong for such a long time you forget how uncomfortable it feels!

[KDG730]

Youre getting back pain because your back is rounded the entire time. Youre also cranking your neck everytime when looking in the mirror. Need to drop the weight and work on your form or you’re headed for a low back injury. Try sumo if you cant get into neutral on conventionals. It might fit your body style better. Also try wearing a flat shoe seems like youre in squat shoes which isnt helping your cause

[dski79]

Hello, really need some help with my deadlift. I've been deadlifting for around 18 months, I got my form down to an OK level and then didn't check or concentrate for around 8 months. I deadlifted 170kg for 1 and have got really bad back pain, I decided to film myself and realised my back was completely curved.

So have gone back to the drawing board, when doing it with this form I found my back hurt more and I really struggled even with 120kg x 5.

Any tips/advice please?


Set 1


Set 2


Set 3


Were any of these sets/reps acceptable? I've been getting constant back pain and really want to sort this out.

Any help would be much appreciated.

watch what your knees are doing on the video, your extending them before you start pulling.... also your back is rounding... think on set up, chest up but yet have your nips pointing to the floor and that will straighten out your back..... then get tight and squeeze from the floor and that will have you your hips not raising before your knees extend..... think about your lats too and try to pull the bar using your lats alnost like you are pulling the bar into your body

[Spoken36]

Lot's of good points here to take home.

That cranking the neck is a sign of loosie goosie. You need to be locked. Forget about looking at anything.

[tazithman]

Dont know if it's the camera angle but it looks loke your back is almost 90° to the floor when you start your pull.

Don't know if your hamstrings are tight but after you grab the bar your are supposed to sit back to straighten your back and lower your hips. What your doing looks like some kind of modified romanian.

[FaIIen]

Ditch the shoes, narrow your stance, pull the slack and keep your neck straight.

Those eccentrics are bloody awful. You're giving up on your bracing at the top, rounding your back and then trying to slow the bar. That'll fk you up if it already hasn't. Either drop the weight down or commit to the descent by maintaining your brace so that you're not in a compromised position.

[cosm0]

Thanks to everybody who has responded.

Youre getting back pain because your back is rounded the entire time. Youre also cranking your neck everytime when looking in the mirror. Need to drop the weight and work on your form or you’re headed for a low back injury. Try sumo if you cant get into neutral on conventionals. It might fit your body style better. Also try wearing a flat shoe seems like youre in squat shoes which isnt helping your cause

Is it rounded the whole time? I thought some reps were OK. I can't do sumo, my levers are completely wrong for it, I far suit conventional. I'll go back to my chucks for deadlift then.

watch what your knees are doing on the video, your extending them before you start pulling.... also your back is rounding... think on set up, chest up but yet have your nips pointing to the floor and that will straighten out your back..... then get tight and squeeze from the floor and that will have you your hips not raising before your knees extend..... think about your lats too and try to pull the bar using your lats alnost like you are pulling the bar into your body

Can you please explain what you mean by extending your knees? I've never heard of that, i'll bare in mind the rest of the points.

Dont know if it's the camera angle but it looks loke your back is almost 90° to the floor when you start your pull.

Don't know if your hamstrings are tight but after you grab the bar your are supposed to sit back to straighten your back and lower your hips. What your doing looks like some kind of modified romanian.

Thats because I have extremely long arms, if you have long arms your back is going to be more parallel to the floor. Its helped me deadlift some big numbers, all be it with terrible form.

Ditch the shoes, narrow your stance, pull the slack and keep your neck straight.

Those eccentrics are bloody awful. You're giving up on your bracing at the top, rounding your back and then trying to slow the bar. That'll fk you up if it already hasn't. Either drop the weight down or commit to the descent by maintaining your brace so that you're not in a compromised position.

I'll go back to my chucks, I go quite wide because of my hips but i'll experiment with a narrow stance. I think it has ****ed up my back! I'll bare in mind the lowering.

Thanks to everyone again, i'll post up some more vids next time I do a deadlift session.

[WolfRose7]

Thanks to everybody who has responded.



Is it rounded the whole time? I thought some reps were OK. I can't do sumo, my levers are completely wrong for it, I far suit conventional. I'll go back to my chucks for deadlift then.



Can you please explain what you mean by extending your knees? I've never heard of that, i'll bare in mind the rest of the points.



Thats because I have extremely long arms, if you have long arms your back is going to be more parallel to the floor. Its helped me deadlift some big numbers, all be it with terrible form.



I'll go back to my chucks, I go quite wide because of my hips but i'll experiment with a narrow stance. I think it has ****ed up my back! I'll bare in mind the lowering.

Thanks to everyone again, i'll post up some more vids next time I do a deadlift session.

Setting up top down will likely help you massively.
Bottom up currently you are just pulling yourself into a worse start position

[cosm0]

Setting up top down will likely help you massively.
Bottom up currently you are just pulling yourself into a worse start position

Thanks for the link Wolf and nice to see a familiar face on here still! I have been trying to setup bottom down.




I have recorded two deadlift sets from two separate weeks. Are there any improvements?

Last week


This week


Critique from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

[gcoulson]

Still looks to me like you're standing up (straightening the legs) before you actually start the lift.

[blazy4lyfe]

Thanks for the link Wolf and nice to see a familiar face on here still! I have been trying to setup bottom down.




I have recorded two deadlift sets from two separate weeks. Are there any improvements?

Last week


This week


Critique from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

i don't even know why you put over 225 lbs on the bar if you're trying to learn a exercise. just lower the weight and learn how to do it right first...* SMH+facepalm*, the first portion of deadlift is to leg press the bar to under your knee caps. when the hips goes up, the bar has to move up as well. meaning that everytime your hips shoots up, the bar should be shooting up as well, if you're struggling and your hips are moving up slowly, the bar should be moving up slowly at the same time, and at the same pace. right now, your hips are shooting up close to locking out while the bar is still sitting on the floor, and then you pull with a rounded lower back.

[gcoulson]

right now, your hips are shooting up close to locking out while the bar is still sitting on the floor, and then you pull with a rounded lower back.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[cmacken]

Hips are shooting up OP, you're basically "good-morning" the weight.

[cosm0]

i don't even know why you put over 225 lbs on the bar if you're trying to learn a exercise. just lower the weight and learn how to do it right first...* SMH+facepalm*, the first portion of deadlift is to leg press the bar to under your knee caps. when the hips goes up, the bar has to move up as well. meaning that everytime your hips shoots up, the bar should be shooting up as well, if you're struggling and your hips are moving up slowly, the bar should be moving up slowly at the same time, and at the same pace. right now, your hips are shooting up close to locking out while the bar is still sitting on the floor, and then you pull with a rounded lower back.

Because 225 is very light for me. I pulled 375 pretty easily 3 weeks ago, and I was doing 305 for 3 sets of 5 with ease with poor form of course. Im worried with dropping this much i'm going to lose muscle. Do you have any tips to stop the hips shooting or vids? I know i've had this issue in the past but I can't do anything to correct it. Ive had this issue for years.

[tiffany090]

I would sit your hips back more, so you look a little closer to be “seated” when you pull but not entirely.

Another thing that can help is stretching out your lower back beforehand for mobility.

[TLWeight]

Because 225 is very light for me. I pulled 375 pretty easily 3 weeks ago, and I was doing 305 for 3 sets of 5 with ease with poor form of course. Im worried with dropping this much i'm going to lose muscle. Do you have any tips to stop the hips shooting or vids? I know i've had this issue in the past but I can't do anything to correct it. Ive had this issue for years.

Bruh lower the weight and work on form
You’re just gonna injure yourself later on.


Swallow your pride

[dski79]

Thanks for the link Wolf and nice to see a familiar face on here still! I have been trying to setup bottom down.




I have recorded two deadlift sets from two separate weeks. Are there any improvements?

Last week


This week


Critique from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

do this next time... THINK drag the bar up your body and dont let the bar get away from your legs etc.... what i meant the first time with knee extension is that your locking your knees before the bar is dragged up to your knees, which means the bar is about 3-4 inches away from your body when you start extending your hips and the bar passes your knees.......THINK this also before you pull, use your lats to almost pull the bar into your body, and then squeeze the bar off the floor.... your getting better bud.... and like others said, drop the weight 20% if you dont want to drop to low and work on it with that weight.... then once you "got it" you will progress quickly to what you pulled before with bad form....

[dski79]

do this next time... THINK drag the bar up your body and dont let the bar get away from your legs etc.... what i meant the first time with knee extension is that your locking your knees before the bar is dragged up to your knees, which means the bar is about 3-4 inches away from your body when you start extending your hips and the bar passes your knees.......THINK this also before you pull, use your lats to almost pull the bar into your body, and then squeeze the bar off the floor.... your getting better bud.... and like others said, drop the weight 20% if you dont want to drop to low and work on it with that weight.... then once you "got it" you will progress quickly to what you pulled before with bad form....

also think chest up on set up! that will help your lower back not start rounded!