A Clarification... on the Deadlift Hitch

[kasra_kes]

Dear Mr Rippetoe,

In the blue book, you describe the reasoning against a double knee bend in the deadlift by saying that a heavy deadlift "will not allow a further loss of bar speed without actually stopping the pull and creating an illegal "hitch."" In your article, you again characterize the deadlift hitch by a knee re-bend and the "typical" stopping of the bar. I also read the 2016-07-10 revision of your Strengthlifting rulebook, and I could not find anything against the knee re-bend, but rather the "halt in the upward motion of the bar."

I ask, then, about the case in which the trainee performs a double knee bend while maintaining the upwards momentum of the bar. Has he, too, hitched the deadlift, or is the lift valid since it never came to a stop?

Thank you in advance,
Kasra Keshavarzi

[Mark Rippetoe]

You cannot flex the knee during a deadlift while maintaining upward momentum on the bar. Post a video that shows otherwise.

[kasra_kes]

You must either be generous with what you consider a knee bend, or you must not mean a true stop in vertical movement. In the video below, I demonstrate a re-bending of the knee, but the bar never ceases its upwards movement.

520×1--PULL @ 0:50 - YouTube *

Please help me understand.


* I have left the video untrimmed on purpose to avoid the forced YouTube shorts. Please skip to the 50 second mark for the pull.

[Mark Rippetoe]

You got me. Your right knee rebends a tiny bit, even though your left does not.

[kasra_kes]

Have I done a hitch, then?

[Mark Rippetoe]

No, but you pulled the bar from a position forward of the mid-foot.