Deadlift check for my wife

[Cambrian]

Hi, I've enjoyed running my LP for about five months now with some great improvements in my strength. My wife has noticed this and wants in on the action! We've been through the book and the videos, and I've told her what I've learnt about technique, but I think she has a few issues with her deadlift. I've included a couple of videos, the first is a warm up set at 40kg and then her work set at 50kg.

Warmup - YouTube
Work set - YouTube

I'm mainly concerned that she is rounding her lower back at the start of the lift. Do you agree that this is an issue for her? I've suggested that she try moving her knees forward so that her shins touch the bar (hoping that this might lower her hips a little, and let her back flatten), but she's finding that her shins are already in contact with the bar when she sets up, so this isn't possible.

I heard Jordan F mention in a podcast recently that he will occasionally get women whose hips are very high to try the sumo deadlift. I was wondering if this could apply to my wife, or if you think we should just try to iron out the kinks with the conventional deadlift?

Many thanks for your help and advice.

[Tom Campitelli]

Dear Cambrian,

Are you aware there is an explosion named after you? It was pretty cool. I approve of your name. Me? I am more of a Cretaceous guy, although I do have a soft spot in my heart for the Devonian. That was when the Acadian orogeny occurred. I got to see the ash layer from the erupting volcanoes off the coast of proto-North America that is preserved between the limestone beds in Central Pennsylvania. As that island arc and its volcanoes collided with North America (which my homies in geosciences like to call Laurentia), they helped to build the Appalachians. Those were the good old days, man. Those were the good old days...

Where were we? Deadlifts. Yes, deadlifts. Your wife's deadlifts are, indeed, troubled. However, by following the steps outlined in the sticky for how to set up a pull from the floor, she could fix all of them. The reason your wife's hips are so high is because she is out of position, not because she has super long legs. She need to drop her butt a bit. Right now her shoulders are too far in front of the bar and you can see it swing away from her as she breaks it from the floor. Your wife's spine is quite flexed, too. This is because she is not actively extending it and arching her back. This is what she needs to do when someone says, "Squeeze the chest up." She is also not dragging the bar up her legs. Once again, this would all be fixed from the outset by following the steps to the letter.

[Cambrian]

Many thanks Tom. We went through the sticky and then went to the gym today. I think there was a definite improvement in her technique. We still have a few kinks to iron out, so we'll spend the next few sessions working on technique, then maybe submit another form check video.

Onto other matters... Yes, I have heard of the Cambrian explosion! I have a background in geology and currently work in geophysics. I'm not too familiar with US geology, but the Acadian Orogeny and the Appalachian mountain building events are very interesting. I haven't visited the US yet, but the Appalachians are one of many parts I'd like to see.
I'm from Wales and the geological period 'the Cambrian' is named after the Latin name for Wales - Cambria. I little geo-tidbit that I thought you might find interesting!

[Tom Campitelli]

A fellow geoscientist. From England, no less! Former home of William "Strata" Smith, who I mentioned in a response to another post just yesterday. Poor dude never got his due during his lifetime... Unfortunately, the Appalachians are not what they once were. They are still beautiful, but it would have been better to see them a few hundred million years ago. While I am at it, I really would have loved to see a live T. Rex from a safe distance. The Rockies look a good deal cooler these days.

Make sure your wife get here back flat at the bottom of the pull and holds it that way throughout the lift. That is of primary importance.