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Originally Posted by
Will Knowland
Read Austin Baraki's articles on pain and rehab so you don't waste your time on stupid stuff.
Use light weights to begin with, and work back up slowly with textbook form. I pulled semi-sumo to begin with because conventional would just make my back spasm/cramp so hard between sets that I couldn't get much volume in. But I went back to conventional as soon as I could, and it helped more.
Be patient with yourself, especially with the deadlift. Unlike the squat, where you get to feel the weight before you have to lift it, which can have the effect of psyching you up (a bit like getting hit first in a fight), a heavy deadlift requires a definite resolve to break the bar off the floor. Doubting yourself can sabotage the lift. 'You're either in, or you're in the way.' You see this a lot when guys don't even budge a weight, get in the right frame of mind, and then come back and crush it. This doesn't happen as much with the squat or bench.