Help!! Deadlift problems. Bar coming off one leg.

[mna]

Hi all,

This is my first form check on the forums. The angle of the videos was the best I could get in my home gym, I hope it's ok.

I'm having an issue where my left leg straightens out faster than my right one on my heavy pulls. It results in the bar coming off of my left leg and the bar path getting all screwed up. The bar ends up swaying from side to side on the way up during the second half of the lift. I can't figure it out - I usually have pretty good body awareness but no matter how much I remind myself to stand up with both legs at the same rate, this keeps happening. It doesn't really happen when the weight is lighter. I'm linking a few videos below - the first is one of my warmup sets (170x3). Next is my work set of 205x3. It was supposed to be 205x5 but my form was so bad I stopped at 3. The next is a backoff set at 185x5, that I filmed to see whether I had this issue on a 5 rep set at a lighter weight.

The work set video is where you can see the issue, the others are here to show what my "better" form is and see if there are other issues.

170x3 Warmup: YouTube
205x3 Work Set: YouTube
185x5 Backoff Set: YouTube

Could this be caused/exacerbated by mixed grip? I did one rep of 205 with an overhand grip to see if that helped and other than slipping out of my hands it looked and felt a little better in regards to the knee/leg problem. Then again, it was only one rep and the issue seems to creep up in the later reps of a set.

205x1 overhand: YouTube

Thank you!

[Adam Skillin]

Could this be caused/exacerbated by mixed grip?

Yes, it could. Have you ever used the hook grip? It might be a better choice. How do your squats look? Symmetrical? Can you take a video from the back next time you squat?

[mna]

I've used the hook grip w/ power cleans but don't do them often. My squats look pretty symmetrical. Here are two videos: 160x5 from early Feb and 175x5 a week ago. I'm trying to fix knee cave and my tendency to do a good morning squat.

YouTube
YouTube You can't see my feet in this video b/c I forgot my camera and had to use my phone. I'll take a better video tomorrow.

I have some other asymmetries that might be coming into play which I've posted pics of below. My back/shoulder muscles on my right side are bigger than the left. This has been a problem since I was young - my doctor thought I had scoliosis so I got an x-ray when I was ~9 years old that showed it was not scoliosis but just my muscles. I also have a tracking issue on my right knee where when my feet are both straight, my right kneecap points inward more than the left. I saw an orthopedic guy about it around 5 years ago who told me it was chondromalacia. For a while the back thing was making my squat bar uneven and it took a while to fix. I've got it mostly fixed now but sometimes during my squat the bar will roll up the right side (b/c of the extra muscle?) and will rest on my scapula accidentally.

I'll film my squats tomorrow and post them here, just in case that gives any insight.

Thanks so much for your reply.

IMG_5119.jpgIMG_5118.jpgIMG_5132.jpg

[Adam Skillin]

I've used the hook grip w/ power cleans but don't do them often. My squats look pretty symmetrical. Here are two videos: 160x5 from early Feb and 175x5 a week ago. I'm trying to fix knee cave and my tendency to do a good morning squat.

YouTube
YouTube You can't see my feet in this video b/c I forgot my camera and had to use my phone. I'll take a better video tomorrow.

I have some other asymmetries that might be coming into play which I've posted pics of below. My back/shoulder muscles on my right side are bigger than the left. This has been a problem since I was young - my doctor thought I had scoliosis so I got an x-ray when I was ~9 years old that showed it was not scoliosis but just my muscles. I also have a tracking issue on my right knee where when my feet are both straight, my right kneecap points inward more than the left. I saw an orthopedic guy about it around 5 years ago who told me it was chondromalacia. For a while the back thing was making my squat bar uneven and it took a while to fix. I've got it mostly fixed now but sometimes during my squat the bar will roll up the right side (b/c of the extra muscle?) and will rest on my scapula accidentally.

I'll film my squats tomorrow and post them here, just in case that gives any insight.

Thanks so much for your reply.

IMG_5119.jpgIMG_5118.jpgIMG_5132.jpg

Quite a history of odd things. I don't know that a directly from behind squat video is likely to add much to the conversation. I think the logical conclusion here is to abandon the mixed grip (that leaves the options of hook grip or straps) and work back up from whatever weight you can deadlift with your knees extending symmetrically.

[mna]

Ok, I’ll try the hook grip next time and work back up. While I’ve got you here... does my deadlift form and setup look ok other than this issue?

[Adam Skillin]

does my deadlift form and setup look ok other than this issue?

We typically prefer you to do them in weightlifting shoes. You're also dropping your hips a little bit as you initiate the actual pull (which pushes the bar forward - watch the letters on the plates), and you are bending your knees early on the way down, interfering with the bar's ability to return to its spot on the platform in a vertical line.

[carson]

I agree with Adam's analysis. Mixed grip always causes the bar to move away from my left leg. I'm moving to the hook grip and except for the top weight I've accomplished it. It keeps the bar on my legs. It works for me maybe it will work for you.