Deadlift form check

[JBodwell]

Hello,

I began the NLP about a week ago after reading most of the blue book and watching some of the deadlift form videos on YouTube.

I'd like some feedback on my deadlift form before it gets too heavy and I persist in bad technique. To me it seems like my back is rounding.

Thank you for your time,
Joe

Shared album - Joseph Bodwell - Google Photos

[Roy Thomas]

You're not getting into extension. You're back should be totally flat before you begin the pull and that shouldn't change until you set it back down. Think about shoving your belly between your legs when you set up.

[JBodwell]

Thanks, Roy. I think you're correct. I've been thinking about that cue but I'll focus on it more. I'll take that feedback and review the book and YouTube for more cues or tips.

[Satch12879]

To be clear, these are five singles, not a set of five.

Be absolutely maniacal about following the five steps until the motor pattern is ingrained. Even with the clean reset between reps, these were a challenge and you could stand to take some weight off the bar.

I don't like the bar coming away from your legs at the start of the pull, and the commensurate drift of the bar forward of midfoot, nor do I like the ramping that you're ending the rep with. You have to really focus on getting much tighter than you are now, pushing the floor away, staying over the bar longer than you think, and really holding the bar on your legs.

Let us see your next pulls from the front quarter at a distance where we can see all of you and the bar on the floor at the beginning of the pull.

[JBodwell]

Thanks for the analysis, Satch.

What do you mean by "ramping"?

I am resetting between reps because I'm not confident that the next rep's bar position is correct unless I slow down and check.

I watched several of Starting Strength's YT videos about setting the lower back so I'm going to focus on that for the next workout.

[Satch12879]

Ramping is when the bar gets to about mid thigh with your knees sill appreciably bent. The bar ends up sitting on your thighs as if on a ramp. You're using your legs to take some of the weight off the bar as you pull as a consequence of a form error. The combination of successive ramps and advancement of the bar up your legs is called hitching.

[JBodwell]

Here's my DL from this morning. I took 25# off my work set and I tried to do a true set of 5 instead of singles. What do you think?

Shared album - Joseph Bodwell - Google Photos

[JBodwell]

I got the weight back up to where my first video was taken. I believe it's a true set of five now and it looks better to me. Feels better too.

Thanks for the feedback, it was helpful.

Shared album - Joseph Bodwell - Google Photos

[Mark Rippetoe]

Your lower back is not set.

[JBodwell]

Thank you for calling it out and not letting me think I had figured it out yet!