Belly or flexibility messing up my deadlifts?

[masterb403]

Hey there guys and gals,

After doing deadlifts wrong for almost a year, i've finally begun to correct my form by using the technique outlined in SS3. My biggest issue is getting any sort of flex in my lower back while setting up on the bar. I can't seem to get my chest up properly, so i'm more or less pulling the bar with my hips too high, putting way too much strain on my lower back. I'm starting to get the warning signs of a possible injury by some mild pain in my lower spine when I bend over.

I'll post a video when i'm home from work. Why not just lower your hips and raise your chest more? Well, the problem is my fat frigging belly gets in the way of my legs, so when I try and lower my hips with a conventional stance, my fat belly prevents me from doing so... It just pushes against my thighs and prevents any lower back flexion. (i'm 277 lbs)

Any fellow fatties that carry the weight in front of them have any tips for form? Should I go sumo until I drop some more weight?

[Dastardly]

Try a wider grip, and then place your legs (with knees out) like you would do for a squat. This will make room for your belly & hips.

If this is not sufficient, try sumo deadlifts. (arms in between legs)

[Tom Campitelli]

Why not just lower your hips and raise your chest more?

There is a pretty extensive discussion of why this is the case in the deadlift chapter of SS3. A very brief summary is that no matter what you do, if the bar is heavy, your body is going to assume a position with the bar over the midfoot and your shoulders in front of the bar. Might as well get there at the start. For the rest, the book says it far better than I could.

Also, back flexion is not what you want. Extension of the lumbar spine is.

[John Bono]

Hey there guys and gals,

After doing deadlifts wrong for almost a year, i've finally begun to correct my form by using the technique outlined in SS3. My biggest issue is getting any sort of flex in my lower back while setting up on the bar. I can't seem to get my chest up properly, so i'm more or less pulling the bar with my hips too high, putting way too much strain on my lower back. I'm starting to get the warning signs of a possible injury by some mild pain in my lower spine when I bend over.

I'll post a video when i'm home from work. Why not just lower your hips and raise your chest more? Well, the problem is my fat frigging belly gets in the way of my legs, so when I try and lower my hips with a conventional stance, my fat belly prevents me from doing so... It just pushes against my thighs and prevents any lower back flexion. (i'm 277 lbs)

Any fellow fatties that carry the weight in front of them have any tips for form? Should I go sumo until I drop some more weight?

My guess is probably not. However, there is no way to say for sure w/o a form vid.