Deadlift form help

[Brian Zahn]

My deadlift looks like hammered shit to me.

I know that i need to work on keeping the bar in contact with my legs, I'd say the second rep is the worst, but all of them are bad.

The thing i can't figure out is my lower back. Sometimes it looks good to me, and sometimes it looks terrible. Here i think it could use a lot of work. I dont think my hips are too high, but i'd like your input if at all possible.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHi0c...NnOEOK4kfseYA=

[Mark Rippetoe]

Look at figure 4-12 in BBT3. Do that.

[Brian Zahn]

i looked at figure 4-12 and made some adjustments.

Do these videos appear to have me on the right track?

225x5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siGeHURyQoI

275x5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XES_XSD-SaU

315x5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aScTazU9N3Q

That last one was partly to see if i could do it without a total degradation of what little technique i have

As you can surely tell by looking my double overhand hook grip fails on the second rep and the hex plates were giving me fits.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Is the bar coming off the floor in a vertical line? No, it is not, so your hips are too low and the bar is forward of mid-foot when you start the pull.

[Brian Zahn]

Thanks Rip for making yourself more, ahem... clear. Please forgive my ignorance as i clearly dont have a good eye for this sort of thing. Thanks again for the help

[Mark Rippetoe]

Brian, believe it or not, this is not the first time I have, ahem ... pointed this out.

[Steve Hill]

Thanks Rip for making yourself more, ahem... clear. Please forgive my ignorance as i clearly dont have a good eye for this sort of thing. Thanks again for the help

Why don't you spend some time searching for and watching DL videos that Rip has said are good, and then compare?

[Brian Zahn]

sorry mate, i'll try harder next time

[Steve Hill]

sorry mate, i'll try harder next time

There's no need for an apology, my point is if you don't understand or can't see what Rip is talking about, watching a whole bunch of videos might help.

[Brian Zahn]

yeah i've been on youtube for many nights and am starting to get a better feel for what a good one should look like. On a related note, i remember reading somewhere on the site that while hamstring flexibility is very unlikely to cause lower back flexion in a squat, it can make the starting position of the deadlift difficult to attain. Am i making this shit up or am i remembering this correctly?

I ask because i've been told by a few people that i have very tight hamstrings (i have trouble sitting up straight with my legs straight out in front of me).

Thanks guys