Deadlift Form Check

[j.r.]

Hi all,

Linked is a PR 290 lb deadlift from Mon 11.12.18. Setup is included—skip to ~55 sec in for the first rep. Until this session, I was too focused on the error of swinging away from the shins rather than on my increasingly rounding back. I have chronic upper/mid back pain (around the rhomboids) that comes and goes. After this lift, it really flared up. Always thought it was a rhomboid strain that refuses to heal, but after reading the boards, I'm seeing facet joint dysfunction (C6/C7) as possibility. Kinda freaking me out.

Anyway, here is a warm up set from the same session—185 lbs.
I think the warm up set shows that I can keep my lumbar and thoracic spine in extension at lighter weights, but at heavier weights I'm not (thus part of the work and purpose of the exercise).

My questions:
1. Is my form dangerously bad to continue adding weight? Am I foolish to attempt 295 lbs tomorrow with this flare up?
2. Is my set up correct? As you can see in the videos, I'm struggling to keep the bar on my shins. For this session, I wore Sambas instead of my squat shoes and made sure my knees weren't forward of elbows (took this cue from Thrall).
3. A friend recommended in my log today via Barbell Logic that doing chins may help my tendency to swing away from the shins. Would this be in addition to the twice weekly Niki Sims chinning progression I'm following? My current AMRAPx2 is 4,2.


Additional information:
5'11"
172 lbs (Started at 128 lbs on 07.01.18)

3x5 Progress (in lbs)
SQ: 100-->225
BP: 45-->132.5
PR: 45 --> 87.5
DL: 85-->290
On my 3rd practice session with PC using the bar only.

My log : JR | Novice Log


Thank you for your time and advice.

[Dillon Spencer]

My dude! You're still doing that thing! You're shifting your weight backwards before you pull and getting onto your heels. Your toes noticeably lift off the ground on some of these. It kicks the bar forwards, brings your shoulders directly over the bar instead of in front of it, and makes it impossible for you to keep the bar against your legs with a flat back. I know you like geeking out to your own form videos (who doesn't) so watch it on slow mo, paying extra attention to the bar and your toes right before the bar breaks off the ground. Thinking it's more of a technique thing as the weight gets heavier than a strength thing. Focus on staying out over the bar as you leg press the ground away.

Don't know enough about injuries to comment on that part I'm afraid.