Deadlifts - pulling each rep from the floor

[BenMcgowan]

I'm in week 9 and just realized I've been deadlifting wrong. I've been pulling the first rep from the floor, then just touching (sometimes not even that) the floor on the following reps.

I was at 90kgs with the incorrect style, so I figured I'd just re-do them properly. I only got 2 reps, and during the third I got a major tweak in my lower back. It was not just normal muscle ache, it was that sharp shooting pain. It disappeared straight after, I don't think any damage was done.

So I'm guessing pulling from the floor engages the lower back more, and this area is now relatively weak. So I have two questions:

Should I deload, and if so by how much?
Are there any cues that are helpful to ensure everything stays tight pulling from the floor?

[mrcosmic]

You know the book this forum is named after?

Read it.

[kurt1911]

http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=38978

Follow those directions exactly. It will not be a comfortable or pleasant position but it will be considerably more comfortable than a back injury. You probably also need to get your shins closer to the bar. Even moving 1" closer to the bar makes a difference, especially when the weight gets heavy.

[I_iz_a_fatass]

http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=38978

Even moving 1" closer to the bar makes a difference, especially when the weight gets heavy.

Concur. I stalled at 105kg because of bar position. It took all of two inches of change in my set position to break over it with ease.

[kurt1911]

Same here. I pulled 255 lbs from the wrong position and my hamstrings and calves were straining, my legs were shaking, it was miserable. Fixed the bar position by about 1" and two weeks later I pulled 295 lbs with none of those problems. It was still hard but I didn't feel the same sense of strain in the back of my legs and once the bar cleared my knees it just snapped into lockout.

[Gunnhild Bruno]

Should I deload, and if so by how much?

Try 10%, see how that works, then adjust as necessary.

Are there any cues that are helpful to ensure everything stays tight pulling from the floor?

Post a video so we can see what kind of failure of tightness, exactly, we're dealing with.

[John Hanley]

I sometimes have SS newbies pull 5 singles instead of sets of 5 for the first month or so.

[BenMcgowan]

http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=38978

Follow those directions exactly. It will not be a comfortable or pleasant position but it will be considerably more comfortable than a back injury. You probably also need to get your shins closer to the bar. Even moving 1" closer to the bar makes a difference, especially when the weight gets heavy.

Thanks, that's a good link. I've read it all in the book of course, but it's good to see a nice condensed version of it for easy remembering. I haven't been focusing on some of those steps as much as I should.

[BenMcgowan]

Try 10%, see how that works, then adjust as necessary.



Post a video so we can see what kind of failure of tightness, exactly, we're dealing with.

Ok thanks, I'll try to put a video up on this thread later.

[BenMcgowan]

My back still felt a bit off today, so I just did 3 reps at 60kgs. Hopefully this is enough for someone to tell me how my form looks. I find it hard to keep my knees out of the way so the bar goes up vertically. When I try to push my glutes/hams back more I fall backwards. Any advice greatly appreciated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6e...ature=youtu.be