Deadlift Form Check

[Adam Doyle]

Here is the video for my 300x5 workset this week:


YouTube


So a few weeks ago I was stalling in progression at around 275lb. I would pull and start to feel my back round, then drop it. Through watching my videos, I saw that my back wasn’t really rounding much at all so I just started pulling through this sensation and have been able to progress up to this point.


My question is whether or not you see too much rounding in the video above? How much is too much? Any form critiques? I see some mild rounding in reps 4 and 5, but felt it earlier than that. Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this!

[Justin Smale]

I think you should be setting your back harder in step 4. If you didn't have to fight to get that tightness you probably didn't get there. Point your chest at the wall and shove your stomach between your legs.

[Pete Troupos]

Hey Adam

The back coming undone will usually feel way worse than it is.
You're a bit too close to the bar to start and these become almost stiff-legged deadlifts toward the end. Setup a little further back, and you'll be able to bend the knees more and drop the hips a little lower. As Justin pointed out, you could do with setting the back harder to start. But setting up a quarter inch further back from the bar will help get you into a position to more easily set the back.
Work on that and you should see an improvement.
Good luck.

[Adam Doyle]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. Pete, the last time I posted my deadlift video, you told me I was too close. I moved back, but I guess not quite enough. I'll move my reference point a little more and try again. I think I got into a rush for some reason and didn't take as much time and effort to set my back initially. I'll definitely work on that. I also ordered a 3" belt from Dominion to see if that will help. Thanks again for your time!

[Adam Doyle]

Update 320x5: YouTube

Hey Pete, can you please look at my latest DL form? 2 Questions:

1. Is my setup any better? I tried to setup slightly farther away from the bar and am concentrating on setting my back hard.
2. Is the rounding in reps 4 & 5 still within an acceptable range? I feel like my back is getting exhausted and I’m unable to keep form on reps 3-5. I’m towards the end of LP, would it be better back off 10-15 lbs and switch to 2 sets of 3? I program DL once a week.