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Thread: Deadlift Form Check

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
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    Default Deadlift Form Check

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    Hi Everyone,

    I'm about 2 months into my NLP and figured I should get someone to actually look at my Deadlift form and see how I'm doing rather than just videoing myself and trying to guess what is right or wrong. I'm 5'6" and about 155 pounds, and these sets were 5x245 and 3x255. I did the set of three to see how I did with a little heavier weight and already being a little tired from my set of 5. It feels like I am doing everything correctly but of course sometimes my lower back gets pretty sore, I've had minor issues with that part for awhile now, and these were especially re-aggravated towards the end of my summer and fall job which is doing trail work.

    5x245:
    YouTube

    3x255:
    YouTube

    Hopefully the camera angle is alright, I just set my phone up on the wall and the stack of bumper plates by the platform. Thanks for the help!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    1,541

    Default

    Welcome.
    Not sure what the wide world of deadlifts is going on with your neck, but knock that off. Just point your boobs at the wall in front of you while you lock your eyes on the ground 10ft. out.
    Hips looks a little low at the start, but I'd like to see your feet and shins. Also, you'll want to stop dropping the hips and nudging the bar forward when you set your back. "Squeeze" the chest up smoothly and slowly with the hips in place to set the back and avoid perturbing the bar.

    Hopefully the camera angle is alright
    Please check out the sticky at the top of the forum for how to film the deadlift. I even made a video! It's not a toktik or whatever tf the kids are watching, but considering the budget to produce, it's not bad. Help us, help you.

    Are you sure the low back soreness is from the deadlifts?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
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    Thanks for the reply, I'll get a video from the front quarter tomorrow. By the neck, do you mean that I am sticking it up to far? I think that is something I've probably unintentionally been doing to keep everything tight but I do seem to be straining the neck a bit.

    I think my general low back soreness is just from general physical use throughout my life including jobs, it was also a little messed up after I hiked the Appalachian Trail a year ago (5 months and 2200 miles of backpacking). I've been going to the chiropractor which seems to have helped, even if they aren't actually treating anything it at least feels better which is a good enough reason to go in my mind. The chiropractor is also a fan of Starting Strength and deadlifting so he seems to be pretty cool.

  4. #4
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    Dec 2019
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    Yesterday I Deadlifted 255x5 again, here is a video from a better camera angle. It felt like I tweaked my back a little on the 4th or 5th rep and was pretty sore the rest of the day but it felt pretty normal (with slight usual pain/soreness that I have) today.

    YouTube

    Here are also some videos of my squat at 5x225, which also feels not quite right. The two main issues I seem to have are my wrist angle, after any set with close to work set weight my wrists hurt like the dickens when I am done, and at the bottom of each squat I get a uncomfortable feeling in my hips, it feels like where the muscles connect it is being pulled or something. I have had issues with this in the past, my AT thru-hike may have caused the problem and it gets frequently reaggravated by squating and long hikes. I've tried to fix the wrist angle but anything I do to make them straight seems to make the bar have to sit higher, so it is more like a high bar squat then a low bar.

    YouTube


    Thanks for the feedback!

  5. #5
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    Dec 2019
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    Bueller? Anyone care to help a brotha out over here?

  6. #6
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    Jun 2014
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    Hey Zach
    Yes, I meant your 90 degree cervical spine. It's the least of your worries from the first video, but something that needs to be addressed. Drop your chin and get a spot on the floor about 10 feet out. Set the back by thinking of lifting the chest through the arms. You're doing a better job by not dropping the hips.
    Before all of that though, move back from the bar about a quarter inch. You're just a little too close to the bar. Also, don't deadlift in running shoes. It's like trying to lift on a mattress and makes staying midfoot a pain. Flats or lifting shoes.

    Squats aren't to depth, my dude. Please don't post high squats.
    Why are you wearing your belt backwards? And holy hell man, you gotta fix that grip. And a lot of other stuff. Watch the few videos on our youtube channel about the squat grip, take some weight off the bar (about 10-20%) where you can consistently get to depth, keep your eyes down and actually drive your hips out of the bottom.

  7. #7
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    Dec 2019
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    Today I deadlifted in socks and it did feel a little more efficient, I dropped the weight to 235 to focus on form more and moved a little back from the bar. I'll be getting new shoes soon and will post squat and deadlift videos once I get used to them.

    As far as squats, I didn't realize I wasn't deep enough so I will work extra hard on that in all my future sessions once I figure out this damn grip issue. I did some very easy sets at 135 today and still couldn't seem to figure out how to get my wrists straight and over the bar without the bar being excessively high, like a high bar squat or having a very awkward grip that caused my left arm to fall asleep and what felt like the "golfers elbow" pain in my right elbow. Maybe I have some sore of underlying mobility issue that makes it hard to get into the right position? I watched all the SS squat grip videos and did what Rip has the folks do but still couldn't get into the right position. I will try to do more research and report back again on monday, thanks for the help and pardon my dumbassery.

  8. #8
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    Jun 2014
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    Check out this thread on the squat grip. You guys are having the same issue. Start with your hands wider and work them in after you get the bar in the right spot and the wrists closer to how they should be.
    Terrible Shoulder Mobility = Lower Back Flexion?

  9. #9
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    Dec 2019
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    starting strength coach development program
    Thanks for that link, I confirmed today that the source of the wrist extension problem is poor shoulder mobility. Today I worked on doing the Paul Horn stretch to improve this and was able to mostly get into the right position (not quite perfectly), albeit with quite a bit of discomfort. Hopefully it will get less uncomfortable as I keep doing the stretch before each squat session.

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