Deadlift starting position - posterior hip tilt?

[limace31]

Hi SSCs !

I have a hard time knowing if my girlfriend has a straight back in the starting position on the deadlift.

Due to her body shape ( = flat butt; which is pretty common among Indian girls) I tend to think that it is straight but I sure could use your feedback about it.



She cannot squeeze her chest up any harder and I already fixed the low-hip start issue she had.

Thanks.

[Michael Wolf]

It looks like she does not have full lumbar extension. She may very well be squeeing her chest as hard as she can, and her upper back looks OK. But she hasn't created that "wave of extension" that travels down the back through the lumbar.

[limace31]

Thanks Wolf.

That is what I suspected. I tried the knee raises off the floor but to no avail: that is all the extension she can do.

Any suggestion as to how to correct this issue?

[Michael Wolf]

It can probably be corrected with some good in person coaching, but I can't do that over the internet.

[limace31]

Alright. Thanks for your answer Wolf.

[Michael Wolf]

There is a piece about this in the book and you might re-watch the low back control video, but getting someone who can't, to actually connect with their low back muscles, is a dynamic process usually involving tactile, verbal, and visual cues that change and adjust depending on how well the person responds to them.

Sometimes you can just say "arch your low back like you're wearing heels and trying to show off your boobs." This has worked for a lot of women, but it doesn't always.

[limace31]

She does not respond well to verbal or tactile cues. No matter what I do or have her done, that is the best she can do. I never tried the "heels" things though.

This is becoming a problem as she has the tendency to slightly round her lower back no matter what the weight is.

Here is a short video:

[Tom Campitelli]

That is not a particularly fucked up deadlift. In fact, aside from the bar being slightly forward of the midfoot and her back getting slightly soft as fatigue sets in, those are okay. The real problem is that you are coaching your girlfriend. It is very rare for that situation to work well. You heard it here first. Coaching significant others is dangerous territory.

If I were there, I would put her in weightlifting shoes, although, as I remember, getting weightlifting shoes in Reunion Island is not as easy as just walking down the block to pick them up. I would cue her to bring the bar back slightly or potentially rock back off her toes. If she dropped her butt too low while that happened, I would cue her to raise her hips slightly. I probably would lose the belt and the straps for the time being. The belt can get in the way of getting in extension with shorter people and the straps should be reserved for special cases. If flexion becomes a problem, the key is to find a weight where she can hold together and to work up in appropriate increments.

[Tom Campitelli]

A question for Michael or other coaches. Is it detrimental if she keeps deadlifting when this is her posture? If this is the very best she can do? Of course it's not the optimal setup, but this is someone with funky anatomy, not someone being lazy.

Based on her video below, she is quite normal anatomically and her deadlift isn't really problematic, either.

[shib]

The real problem is that you are coaching your girlfriend. It is very rare for that situation to work well. You heard it here first. Coaching significant others is dangerous territory.

Not to derail the thread or anything, but could you elaborate on this a bit more? I am curious why this might be considered dangerous territory.