iliocostalis syndrome?

[Ajgeb21]

My deadlift has always sucked, I’ve noticed I can barely fit the palm of my hand between my lowest rib and iliac crest. Also I have a difficult keeping lumbar extension with any kind of weight it just doesn’t look right at a warm up weight where I’m extending my low back as much as psychologically possible. I would describe it looking like how the average person looks right before pushing their belly between their thighs with there being the slightest bit of flexion, except with me extending as much as possible. It occurred to me this may not be anatomically normal and I’m wondering if this could be putting me in a mechanically disadvantaged position for a deadlift. Also my fingers only reach mid thigh. Would that qualify as short arms? On the positive I do quite well with overhead pressing and it has always seemed to be my best lift.

On linear progression

5’7” 200lbs
Current lifts

Squat 270 3x5
Dead 285 x5
Press 172.5 3x5
Bench 225 3x5

[Mark Rippetoe]

Obviously, I can't see from here. Post a video.

[Maybach]

Having a short torso is in fact a pretty decent ADVANTAGE on the deadlift. Your hips are closer to the bar, the moment arm between the shoulders and the hips is shorter. The fact that the difference between extension and flexion is small is a good thing, not a bad thing: normal people have to do a lot of work to stabilize a long, wiggly column. You just have to inhale.

[Ajgeb21]

https://streamable.com/q15blt

[Ajgeb21]

Here is my form with the bar lifted a bit, however I had some SI joint pain for a few days after trying this. Not sure why

https://streamable.com/chiadi

[Jason Donaldson]

My deadlift has always sucked, I’ve noticed I can barely fit the palm of my hand between my lowest rib and iliac crest. .
...
Also my fingers only reach mid thigh. Would that qualify as short arms? On the positive I do quite well with overhead pressing and it has always seemed to be my best lift.

On moral grounds, I wouldn't kill for my fingers to reach all the way to mid-thigh, but I would be sorely tempted to maim for it... My deadlift locks out with the bar at my bladder - if you're locking out below your groin, you're probably fine there. I have about the same distance between my lowest rib and iliac crest. That distance doesn't seem to be that important, so don't worry about that part, and it isn't the only factor in torso length, as I can attest. Short arms + long torso are what's the recipe for deadlift suffering.

Regardless, you cannot change your anthropometry, so there's nothing to do about that anyway. However, the good news is that keeping lumbar extension is a skill (and strength) issue, not an anatomical one. Getting experienced eyes on your form is what you need, so a form check like what Rip said is in order.

[Satch12879]

The bar is forward of mid-foot in these videos.

I agree that you need in-person coaching. I don't think you know how to control your back and need tactile stimulus to show you how.