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Thread: Deadlift Form Check

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2025
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    Default Deadlift Form Check

    • starting strength seminar april 2025
    • starting strength seminar april 2025
    Hello SS community! Requesting form advice on my deadlifts. My max is 565, but I definitely feel either soreness or pain in my low back the day after volume. Within a deadlift session, it feels like my low back is the limiting factor and gives out first. Not sure if that’s leverages and bad luck, or if there’s something major I should work on.

    Video of a recent 410 x 5 x 4 from volume day:
    https://youtu.be/DgUUyv3yinU?si=qUI9lAQfIHPKos1d

    5’11”, 217lbs, training for 2 years, intermediate after 8 months or so

    S: 525
    B: 330
    D: 565
    P: 195

    Any help is appreciated!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    North Texas
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    55,286

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    See the bar being pushed forward off the floor?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Germany
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    316

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    Are you progressing well on your current program, as an intermediate?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2025
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    Yes sir. So hips dropping too low?

    On some reps, the bar stayed in place; anything to adjust on those?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2021
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    1,052

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    Quote Originally Posted by brayanruizarias View Post
    Yes sir. So hips dropping too low?

    On some reps, the bar stayed in place; anything to adjust on those?
    The bar moving forward can be from bad setup (starting with shins too far from the bar -> shins not vertical enough, thus having to move forward around the knees). It can also come from pulling off the deck by raising the back instead of pushing the floor away to get started. Pushing the floor away straightens the knees out of the bottom, thus getting them out of the way of the bar to allow it to come straight up.

    Some people take too long between reps - I think you're rushing it. Try slowly, deliberately doing the five-step setup before every rep, as five distinct steps by the numbers.

    Regarding your initial question about soreness, low back, and so on, I see this in your video description:

    410 x 5 x 4 preceding some EMOM sets
    You're doing four sets of five deadlifts at 78% of your 1RM, then followed by more sets every minute, on the minute. That's making my back sore just thinking about it....

    What are you working to accomplish with all this deadlift volume? And are you trying to gain, lose, or maintain your current body weight while you do this?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2025
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    Thank you both for the feedback, I appreciate y’all

    Jason:
    This is a week 1 of Greg Nuckol’s 1x/week intermediate deadlift program. Week 1 of 4 is the highest volume, week 4 a new single (no major form deviation). I was burnt out on 4-day Texas Method and pissed off my knee with the heavy squatting; more importantly I was having trouble maintaining 5lb jumps per week on squat and deadlift (more effort was made, I’m just trying not to ramble too much to focus on the form check) so I decided not to rush it and settled for 5lb/month

    I would like to trade some body fat for muscle before increasing my weight again, since I got to 228 with a bit too much fat. I’ll slowly increase weight by eating cleaner, but doing a slight calorie reduction for these few weeks, maybe until 215 or 210

    I tried a powerlifting meet last year and enjoyed it, so I’ve signed up for one in May 2025 and would like to prepare to attempt something close to 600

  7. #7
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    Fascinating.

  8. #8
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    Dec 2021
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    Quote Originally Posted by brayanruizarias View Post
    This is a week 1 of Greg Nuckol’s 1x/week intermediate deadlift program. Week 1 of 4 is the highest volume, week 4 a new single (no major form deviation). I was burnt out on 4-day Texas Method and pissed off my knee with the heavy squatting; more importantly I was having trouble maintaining 5lb jumps per week on squat and deadlift (more effort was made, I’m just trying not to ramble too much to focus on the form check) so I decided not to rush it and settled for 5lb/month
    Seems to me that you have a lesson staring you in the face about training volume.

    Quote Originally Posted by brayanruizarias View Post
    I would like to trade some body fat for muscle before increasing my weight again, since I got to 228 with a bit too much fat. I’ll slowly increase weight by eating cleaner, but doing a slight calorie reduction for these few weeks, maybe until 215 or 210

    I tried a powerlifting meet last year and enjoyed it, so I’ve signed up for one in May 2025 and would like to prepare to attempt something close to 600
    217 lb is light for a man almost 6 ft tall, and all the more so if you're looking to compete in May. You are currently looking at two contradictory goals. You've got somewhere between 15 and 18 weeks for your meet prep, and you're hoping to add upwards of 10% to your deadlift in that time. If you try to take pounds off of your body and add pounds to the bar at the same time, you're going to be like the proverbial dog chasing two rabbits - you won't catch either.

    If there's a unifying theme here, it's to focus on doing fewer things better.

  9. #9
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    How does one trade body fat for muscle? Asking for a friend.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2025
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    starting strength coach development program
    Thank you Jason, I will be making some changes!

    I would like to lower my body fat percentage and be a bit cleaner about my eating as I head towards 230+ BW again, but I’ll definitely focus on that after the meet.

    I have considered hiring a coach to help out with coaching and programming, but I feel stubborn having gotten this far from reading the books. Do you provide paid, online coaching/form checks?

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