1st time round back deadlifting

[gzt]

I did my last session of persistent experimenting today, I have decided to reset and switch to moderate sumo.

Aren't you only DLing in teh neighborhood of 100kg?

[Dastardly]

Yes, but no matter how light the weight is I cannot set my back into extension without legs being too wide to have straight arms.

I have deadlifted for a year conventional but have shyed away from progressing past 115kg or so because my back is not in extension even at the beginning of the lift.

I can get back extended while legs are justoutside arms but can only actually pull 15% less than my conventional.

[nisora33]

looks very similar to my first attempt minus the sumo. protracting the shoulders and almost "pushing" the bar away before extending the lower back really helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql6YK_SFlgU

and i do feel a lot more soreness in my lats, as well.

Felt like butter, though, while you were doing them, didn't they?

I wonder whether that setup will become more automatic as I practice it. Like you, I have to do every rep in two stages, one to round the upper back, one to extend the lumbars and hike my tail-end up.

My rhomboids and upper lats are in knots right now, so I agree with you that the lats are getting hammered.

-S.

[milesdyson]

Felt like butter, though, while you were doing them, didn't they?

I wonder whether that setup will become more automatic as I practice it. Like you, I have to do every rep in two stages, one to round the upper back, one to extend the lumbars and hike my tail-end up.

My rhomboids and upper lats are in knots right now, so I agree with you that the lats are getting hammered.

-S.

definitely felt quicker off the floor. last friday was my third session, and i did 10lb more than i'd ever tried before. setting up was also easier the third time, so it definitely gets better. i expect after a few more times it won't look like separate stages at all.

it also makes it much easier for me to take a mixed grip on the bar, imo. anyone can see this by extending his arms and retracting his shoulders. pronate one hand, supinate the other, and watch how much easier it gets when you protract your shoulders.

soon i will try the way it was done in that other thread. fully flexed and loose lumbar. JK guys.

[jameson]

The statement PMDL gives in his log, when discussing the round-back DL, "The weight just seems to snap right off the ground and it has a much smoother bar-path in comparison to 'regular' conventional." certainly applies to your video. This is the cleanest DL I've ever seen you do.

I may give this a shot, and see what happens.

[famendoza]

I'll need to figure out where to put what...

I cut out bench a while ago, and I doubt I'll be benching again anytime soon, so I usually do some variation of pressing three times a week. Right now I'm using Shaf's ladder approach to boost my press. I could cut out the Wednesday pressing and hit the shrugs real heavy instead. That's also the day when I'm doing stiff-legged deads. We'll have to see about rows, I guess...

EDIT: Matt how 'bout "Pendlay" rows instead of SLDLs?

Hey Nisora, I'd be interested to see your ongoing progress on the press with the ladder approach. I'm tempted to use the ladders (Shaf's explanation of the method is very intriguing), but for right now I'm committing myself to go through the 5/3/1 at least until I hit my tested 1RM press max (155lbs), which will be in a few months time. I may change things up after then. Do you have a training log on Internet land?

[nisora33]

Do you have a training log on Internet land?

Not yet, but I'll probably start one.

-S.

[Magnetotail]

How are you finding the ladders for the press?

I recently started doing 5 sets of 3 instead of the usual 3x5 and I feel way happier with it. When sets across stop feeling useful for me I might give ladders a go as they look quite interesting from what I remember. I'll have to go and find Shaf's post on it cause I can't remember exactly how they work.

[nisora33]

Okay, here are my initial impressions of the round back deadlift:

First of all, these wrecked my shoulder girdle. Today was the first day that I've felt recovered since doing these Monday. Miles, you were right about the lats being particularly stressed by these. Here's an illustration of where exactly I felt "wrecked":




I can appreciate why inexperienced lifters are encouraged not to try round back deadlifting until they are much stronger: their muscle control is very poor, and teaching them to remain rounded but tight would be challenging, to say the least. The risk is that, starting with the upper back rounded, the upper back will round even more, muscles having relaxed, putting all the stress on the skeletal components. Therefore, my initial impression is that the round back deadlift in some ways requires more upper back control and strength that its flat-backed counterpart (those of you out there who've done it this way, would you share this opinion or not?).

-S.

[cjangelo]

I can appreciate why inexperienced lifters are encouraged not to try round back deadlifting until they are much stronger: their muscle control is very poor, and teaching them to remain rounded but tight would be challenging, to say the least. The risk is that, starting with the upper back rounded, the upper back will round even more, muscles having relaxed, putting all the stress on the skeletal components. Therefore, my initial impression is that the round back deadlift in some ways requires more upper back control and strength that its flat-backed counterpart (those of you out there who've done it this way, would you share this opinion or not?).

Stacey, I'm not sure I understand why if my upper back rounds more during the lift, the stress is transferred to the skeletal components. Can you elaborate on how this works?

Just thinking out loud here: if the stress is transferred to the skeletal components when your back rounds, then wouldn't the safest technique be that which causes the least amount of movement in the back?

In other words, it doesn't matter if you start with a round back, as long as you hold it. If you start with a straight back, but don't hold the position, that's actually worse than starting with a round back and holding it.