Deadlift Inflexibility

[pumped2112]

Rip,
I have no problem coming up on the deadlifts. Its just on the way down I cant tip my hips to get the bar past my knees to start bending at the knees. I bend a little before I get to by knees, causing the bar to have to slide over my knees. Is this okay? Im 6 foot 2 btw.

[Mark Rippetoe]

No, it's not okay. You're unlocking your knees before your hips, so knees go forward and the bar has to go around them if you do this. Read the book.

[pumped2112]

I read the book. It says to bend at the hips first until you reach the mid knee area and then bend the knees. I found out that I had been keeping my knees locked during this which basically makes me do a hamstring stretch while holding a barbell. I felt such a stretch on my hamstrings that I could not go down any farther without bending my knees. I am unlocking hips first, but only going down to lower thigh area before bending knees.

[stef]

Well, you might have read the book, but you missed sections of it including the point.

If you're deadlifting it up and straight-legged deadlifting it down, then you're not reversing the movement as the book instructs.

Lowering the bar by bending the hips until the bar is below the knee does not mean that the knee joint is straight. There is movement around the knee as the femur moves to a more parallel position. This is very different from bending the knee joint to lower the bar. Here the femur moves more parallel to the ground at the same time that the tibias incline forward. Doing this will force you to move the bar out forward, around the knees.

If you've had a problem with this kind of misunderstanding, try cueing yourself to keep your knees still until the bar passes the knee as you lower by bending at the hip. If your knees are moving forward (= joint/knee cap moves toward your toes) then you'll have to go out around the knees. If your knees are moving back (= joint/knee cap moving toward heel) then you are trying to lower it straight-legged. Either one is off.

[zephed56]

Punch your hips/ass back instead of bending over forward at the waist. The knees unlock in the first without the knees moving forward.