Deadlift Dilemma. Overthinking! Please help!

[joelk511]

Hello SS coaches,

Ive had a dilemma the past few months and it really has held me back in making progress in my deadlifts. Just some information about me before I begin. I am 6 foot 1, 195 lbs, top squat is at 305 x 5, top bench is at 190 x 5, OHP is at 115 x 5.

I was pulling much more weight about a month ago but my back would round significantly and my hips would shoot up. I brought the weight down to fix these issues. The problem is that I feel like my back isn't as flat as it should be.

So I've read Starting Strength, Practical Programming, Strong Enough, and watched a lot of the youtube videos on Rip's channel. After months of trial and error and learning on my own, Im still not sure if I should start progressing with the form below or if I should keep reducing weight and working on form to keep closer to a near-perfect flat back.

Im not sure if I am deviating too much from "perfect" form to the point where I should go back and work on form with lighter weights. I feel like every time I go back down I just can't progress once I build up to about 315 without rounding my back. Its been a never ending cycle of reducing weight to work on form, keeping it flat at about 275 lbs... working up to about 315 and then it starts to round a bit again... repeat the cycle. I could really use some guidance, advise, and form tips. By the way, is there anyway that I can also post this on the Rip Q&A section of the forum or is that not ideal for him because its just a form check?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsRvaRMqn34

[Michael Wolf]

I suggest you set up in the way described in Starting Strength and repeated in the "pulls from the floor" sticky in this forum. But the very minor amount of rounding you display wouldn't normally concern me in and of itself. You can probably keep it flat better, though, if you set up as we suggest.

You can post form checks on Rip's Q&A if you want to, but it's not considered good form to post the same form check there and here.

[joelk511]

Sounds great. Thanks for the advise.

So take away point, that slight bit of rounding is safe and slight enough to continue progressing with that form once I fix the setup?

[Michael Wolf]

I don't think you need to take weight off the bar, but I do suggest changing your set-up, so that even that slight amount of rounding is no longer occurring.

No one can predict how much rounding your back can take; some people are more tolerant of it than others. I have never seen the small amount of rounding you display cause an injury, but it is an inefficiency that isn't yet justified by the amount of weight you're lifting.