Deadlift Technique Question

[Kevin Pavon]

I am currently pulling 375x5. A friend who powerlifts, and recently pulled 500 in competition, told me when he pulls he imagines himself just sitting back once the bar leaves the floor. I tried this, since I noticed I wasn't keeping the bar in contact with my shins very well at all. It fixed the problem, and now the weight drags along my shins perfectly, and the lift felt easier especially on the negative as the bar slid down my shins. But it almost feels like I am pulling at an angle, allowing my shins to absorb some of the weight, and keeping some of the muscles from doing as much work. What are your thoughts? Is it even possible to make the deadlift easier than it should be this way, or am I doing fine and over thinking it?

[Mark Rippetoe]

My thoughts are expressed in detail in the Deadlift chapter of my book.

[BareSteel]

Hi Kevin,

Nice that you have a strong lifting buddy.

The shins can't really provide any upward force. I'd bet that if it felt lighter, you had been pulling with the bar too far away and this cue helped you get the bar closer to your body. If you're feeling off balance though, you may still not be getting the hang of what it feels like to keep the bar over mid foot and in contact with your legs for the duration of the pull (the latter is a function of the lats, by the way). How about posting a video to eliminate the guesswork on our end?

The thing with cues is that their usefulness varies by lifter. A lifter who tries to deadlift, but has his weight over the toes, could perhaps benefit from thinking "heels," just to get him back to mid foot. Hope this makes sense.

[Kevin Pavon]

I think I got it now. I reviewed the Deadlift section of the book extensively. I believe I had the bar too far in front of my shins at first, and my friend's cue had me overcompensating by getting too far back on my heels. Today I pulled 385x5 and it felt much more vertical, with the bar touching my shins but without it feeling like it was coming up at an angle. Thanks to both of you for the advice.