Bar Rolling Forward (not backwards) When Beginning Pull

[Jon S]

First of all, many thanks to the SSC's who read and reply to these posts for free. It's a huge help and is much appreciated!

As we know in the deadlift, starting with one's knees too far forward and hips too low causes the bar to roll forward on the setup thus forcing the bar forward of the midfoot. When this set up happens, upon the initial pull we usually see the bar roll backwards to the midfoot while the hips rise and knees straighten allowing the bar to leave the floor. My question is this: is it possible that if you start with the opposite problem (bar too close to the shins and hips too high), the bar would actually roll forwards to the midfoot when the lifter begins his/her pull?

If this is not the case, what other factors could contribute to the bar rolling away from the lifter rather than towards the lifter upon the initial squeeze off the floor? Please let me know!

[Pete Troupos]

Hey Jon.
If the bar swings away from the from the shins at the start, it could be a few different issues.
Setting up too close typically puts people in a position where they're pulling from their toes. The shoulders will be way out in front of the bar, and the bar will swing away from the shins. This could also happen even if you set it up in the correct spot, but start with your weight on your toes rather than midfoot. Further, I've seen people set up perfectly on midfoot, but as soon as they go to initiate the pull, they'll subtly cant toward their toes. Whatever the issue, the weight shift to the toes changes the relationship between the shoulder position and the bar, putting them further forward than prescribed.
The bar could also lose contact with the shins if the lifter opens the hips to start the pull rather than extend the knees to break the bar off the ground.
Those are some things to look for when correcting the cause of the bar moving away from the lifter at the start.
Hope that helps.

[Jon S]

Coach Troupos,

Thanks for the quick response. I went back to look at the video of the deadlifts where this problem occurred and it appears that neither of those things are happening. Unless I'm wrong based on the included video, I don't think I am pulling from my toes or extending my hips too early. The first and second reps look decent however you can see on the third and fourth (failed) reps the bar definitely swings away on my initial squeeze of the floor. Hopefully this will help someone with a similar problem. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated!

[Pete Troupos]

Hey Jon.

Do you see how far forward of the bar your shoulders are? You're set up a little too close.
You also start slightly forward of midfoot with more of your weight on your toes, then try to rock back as you pull.
And you're trying to initiate the pull by opening the chest rather than extending the knees, but being that you're so close you don't have a lot of knee extension to help.
They're all subtle, but they're happening.

We're happy to help, but for any more form critiques, you'll need to go through the verification process outlined in the stickies at the top of the forum.

[Jon S]

This is a huge help...thank you!