How dead is my deadlift?

[BenM]

Hello

Given I am starting to get challenged a little by deadlift I thought I'd better get it looked at - so here is a video of a set I did this morning @ 85kg. Any feedback would be appreciated.



Sorry for the slightly crappy angle, it's hard to get the camera very side on the way my gym is setup.

Thanks in advance.

[chrisd]

Well, the bar goes up, so you have met the challenge. I'm guessing that 85kg is a little over your body weight, that's where it starts to feel like you are lifting a weight.

I think you might be setting up with the bar a little to far forward. There seems to be quite a bit of shin travel as you get down to the bar.

On the last rep, you rocked back on your heels and the bar seems to be out of contact with your legs above the knee. that suggests a bar that is swinging forward.

You don't have full back extension. Possibly because the excess ankle flexion has put your hips too low to keep your back flat.

A really deep breath can help to open up the chest and abdomen, so extending the spine.

First, I'd check the shin distance at set up. reach down and actually measure the distance from shin to bar.

[David Geiger]

These look fine overall; and they do not look very hard (that is fast bar bar speed). You could (and should) improve on step 4: Deadlift starting Position Critique Rotate your chest up between your shoulders, and point your chest at wall. It probably wont be comfortable, but it is going to get your back tighter.

[BenM]

Thanks fellas. Yes chrisd, it's about 1.3 x my body weight, there's still more in the tank but I was concerned about going at 110% with this lift particularly if my technique isn't spot on.

Based on both your comments you're both right, I am setting up too far from the bar, it's more than an inch from my shin anyway..... It's where I thought the midpoint of my foot was but that link clarified, thanks AtlantaDave. I'll bring it forward a touch next time.

Then I'll try and get my back tighter. I read in a few other places that the starting position should be uncomfortable to get into - mine isn't that, yet! I am tightening everything before the pull but obviously not getting my chest up enough.

[Peter Dempster]

Thanks fellas. Yes chrisd, it's about 1.3 x my body weight, there's still more in the tank but I was concerned about going at 110% with this lift particularly if my technique isn't spot on.

Based on both your comments you're both right, I am setting up too far from the bar, it's more than an inch from my shin anyway..... It's where I thought the midpoint of my foot was but that link clarified, thanks AtlantaDave. I'll bring it forward a touch next time.

Then I'll try and get my back tighter. I read in a few other places that the starting position should be uncomfortable to get into - mine isn't that, yet! I am tightening everything before the pull but obviously not getting my chest up enough.

Yeah, I don't think its (just) your lack of tightness (abdominal and low back) it's (as other noted) the lack of chest up before lift:


"4. Hard part: squeeze your chest up as hard as you can. DO NOT MOVE THE BAR. This establishes a "wave" of extension that goes all the way down to the lumbar, and sets the back angle from the top down. DO NOT LOWER YOUR HIPS – LIFT THE CHEST TO SET THE BACK ANGLE."

You are tilting your neck back instead of lifting your chest up. At say second 9 or 10 you lift your head but it's really supposed to be chest up, and as is your back stays pretty rounded. Your upper back should de-round, if that makes more sense. Take a look at this at about 1:50.

How to Deadlift With Mark Rippetoe | The Art of Manliness - YouTube

[BenM]

Thanks for the video and confirmation. The bar position will be easy to fix, the chest up maybe a bit harder - I don't have very good proprioception, I don't think! But I do have a camera and time to practice it so I'll give it a go. Definitely don't think I'm the only one with this issue, I see a lot of rounded upper backs in DL videos here, but I know this brings an increased risk of injury and I'd rather fix it now.

I like deadlifting funnily enough. As Mark says in the video it's the simplest of the lifts, maybe that's why - I don't have to think about too much.