Newbie deadlift form check

[El_Snapo]

Hello!

I feel i have some trouble controlling my lower back during the deadlift, especially on the negative:
20160513 093321 - YouTube

any suggestions?


Please don't tell my i need to eat more. I got it, thanks!

[Brodie Butland]

What problems do you have with your lower back? Because it looks fine on the ascent. You are right that it sometimes unlocks during the descent, but that is easily fixed--force yourself to hold it in extension until the bar hits the ground, and drop the weight (much) faster.

Candidly, these look pretty good. Two comments. One, make sure the bar stays in contact with your leg the whole way up. Two, add weight, because this looks easy for you.

[El_Snapo]

Thanks alot for your reply!

Since i started training, i have been dealing with some minor lower back pain every now and then. Nothing too bad really, just a little bit of a dull ache right above the sacrum when flexing or overextending. But it's still making me think i am doing something wrong.

I originally thought that this is caused by my failure to keep my back in extension in the bottom of the squat, but since apparently no one commenting on my form checks thought it was much of an issue, i considered my deadlift form to be the culprit. Also, i figured that any abnormal weakness/inflexibility/imbalance (...) that messes up my squat would probably show up in the deadlift as well.

In particular, i was worried that i could not produce a sufficient 'arch' in my lower back during the pull: Ask Rip #11 - #AskRip Video Series - YouTube
In this video, Mr. Rippetoe clearly states that the back does not have to be visibly concave to be in extension, and that a muscular man's spinal erectors make his back look flat in that position. In the deadlift section in the book, he has written the same thing. But to me, this statement also seems to imply that a skinny man's lower back (like mine, for example) must be in clearly visible lordosis in order to be neutral. There is also a picture in the book of a woman with a really concave lower back (SSBBT 2nd edition, fig 4-30.)

Two comments. One, make sure the bar stays in contact with your leg the whole way up. Two, add weight, because this looks easy for you.

I'll do that. Thank you very much!

[Brodie Butland]

I'm guessing that you may be overextended on the squat, or that you've overextended on the deadlift some time other than the video you posted. Overextension is a pretty common culprit for the pain you've identified. Squeeze those abs hard.

[El_Snapo]

Thank you! I have been so worried about lumbar flexion that the thought that i might actually be hyperextending didn't even cross my mind. During my squats this morning, i really focused on squeezing my abs, and my lower back immediately felt much better.

[Brodie Butland]

Thank you! I have been so worried about lumbar flexion that the thought that i might actually be hyperextending didn't even cross my mind. During my squats this morning, i really focused on squeezing my abs, and my lower back immediately felt much better.

Not that we like flexion...but a little bit of lumbar flexion is far preferable to a little bit of overextension. A little lumbar flexion is unlikely to hurt you. A little overextension can, as you've observed, ruin your day.