Dead lift form video (of me) - JP Fitness Forums

laxcdn · 11-10-2006, 08:58 AM

After reading the post on scraping your shins with deads, and taking the advice in there, I have changed my form a bit and wanted to get some feedback. I have a video here (sorry it is so slow) www.lax-it.ca/weight/deads.wmv

A couple things to note, I only have 35lb plates and I am 6'1", so I have to go down a little further, I am getting 45s this weekend. Also I am lifting 215 and this was the second set of 10. I have a bad lower back and focus mainly on keeping the arch or flat back when lifting. I know that I am not straightening out and need to lock it out better.

I. Kay · 11-10-2006, 12:09 PM

After two looong downloads, the file wouldn't play for me. Sorry man.

laxcdn · 11-10-2006, 12:35 PM

I will try to find a faster host. Thanks for trying.

pjb923 · 11-10-2006, 01:29 PM

I can temporarily host your video on my site:
http://www.pberge.com/jp/deads.wmv

I'm not the most qualified to critique your form, but here are my thoughts.

You appear to be leaning forward throughout the entire range of motion. Your shoulders should not be in front of the bar.
It also look to me like you are locking out your knees too early and turning this into a Romanian deadlift.

Hopefully with the faster video download more people will be able to help you.

Lisa~ · 11-10-2006, 01:58 PM

The video worked for me. It just took a long time to d/l.

The deadlift is not bad at all! I wish some of my clients could deadlift that well! But I'll pick it apart for you since you've asked for it. The goal is to make it perfect and feel the majority of the work in your hips and hamstrings.

Your hips are at a good height in your start position. I know that was one of the new things you were trying out. Your low back looks good too. But your shoulder are in front of the bar, like Paul said. First, I think when your 45's arrive that the higher bar will help a lot, but even now with this deficit deadlift, try shifting your whole body back. Push your hips back to bring your shoulders behind the bar.

If you watch in slow motion, on your first rep especially, you bring your hips up just a bit quicker than your shoulders. It's not severe, but it does keep your body position forward and that's what you were feeling. Keeping your center of gravity back will keep the load in your glutes.

Your limbs are so long that I would like to see you try a sumo stance. You stated that you were concerned about your low back. A sumo stance puts more load on the hips and hamstrings and keeps your back more upright. It might be just what you need to get the posterior chain emphasis you're looking for.

laxcdn · 11-10-2006, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjb923

I can temporarily host your video on my site:
http://www.pberge.com/jp/deads.wmv

I'm not the most qualified to critique your form, but here are my thoughts.

You appear to be leaning forward throughout the entire range of motion. Your shoulders should not be in front of the bar.
It also look to me like you are locking out your knees too early and turning this into a Romanian deadlift.

Hopefully with the faster video download more people will be able to help you.

Thanks for the critique and the hosting. I use to pull back more, but I was running the bar up and down my shins when I did that. So that is why I was wearing sweats and usually socks to the knee.

laxcdn · 11-10-2006, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa~

The video worked for me. It just took a long time to d/l.

The deadlift is not bad at all! I wish some of my clients could deadlift that well! But I'll pick it apart for you since you've asked for it. The goal is to make it perfect and feel the majority of the work in your hips and hamstrings.

Your hips are at a good height in your start position. I know that was one of the new things you were trying out. Your low back looks good too. But your shoulder are in front of the bar, like Paul said. First, I think when your 45's arrive that the higher bar will help a lot, but even now with this deficit deadlift, try shifting your whole body back. Push your hips back to bring your shoulders behind the bar.

If you watch in slow motion, on your first rep especially, you bring your hips up just a bit quicker than your shoulders. It's not severe, but it does keep your body position forward and that's what you were feeling. Keeping your center of gravity back will keep the load in your glutes.

Your limbs are so long that I would like to see you try a sumo stance. You stated that you were concerned about your low back. A sumo stance puts more load on the hips and hamstrings and keeps your back more upright. It might be just what you need to get the posterior chain emphasis you're looking for.

I see what you are saying about the shoulders. I will have to research the sumo dl as I have never done one. Thanks

Lisa~ · 11-10-2006, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laxcdn

Thanks for the critique and the hosting. I use to pull back more, but I was running the bar up and down my shins when I did that. So that is why I was wearing sweats and usually socks to the knee.

When you think about tearing up your shins, the hope would be that the higher hip position at the start would keep the bar off your shins. You still want to keep the bar as close to your shins as possible (and you did) and keep your shoulders behind the bar (which you didn't).

Lisa~ · 11-10-2006, 04:45 PM

First I want to correct my brain fart. It's guys with shorter limbs that seem to prefer sumo stance deadlifts. I just got it backwards for some unknown reason.

Eric Cressey wrote:

Quote:

If you're unsure of which style to use, try both and see which feels more comfortable. Generally speaking, if you squat wider and have shorter arms and legs, you'll take nicely to sumo pulling. Conversely, if you squat narrow and have long limbs and a short torso, conventional is probably the way to go.

That quote is from his Deadlift Diagnosis article and there is a picture of a sumo deadlift in that article.

I still think it might be a good idea to give a sumo dead a try and see if you like the way it takes the load off the low back. That was one of your big concerns. If you have the hip mobility to get into the sumo stance, you might like it.

Since I already looked up all this sumo dead info :p , I'll go ahead and post it for anyone who's interested.

Conventional or Sumo? by Tom McCullough

10 Tips for Sumo Deadlifting from Elite FTS

Deadlift Sumo Stance This is a good picture of the set-up position. He's very flexible and his hips are really low. You don't have to get them that low.

http://www.midwestbarbell.com/videos.htm If you click on the speed deadlift video you'll see a pretty good sumo deadlift. Remember that she's doing speed deads, so you don't have to get this kind of tempo when you do yours.

laxcdn · 11-10-2006, 05:04 PM

Thanks for all the help, I am going to read up on that this weekend and maybe try some out.

kuri · 11-10-2006, 05:26 PM

Thanks for the links Lisa! The research on shear forces in that McCullough article are interesting and have convinced me to give sumos another go.

I. Kay · 11-10-2006, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuri

Thanks for the links Lisa! The research on shear forces in that McCullough article are interesting and have convinced me to give sumos another go.

I'm with Kuri. I used to pull sumo and I think with the forces on L4-L5 that when I start to pull again it'll be sumo. Long torso vs. short arms here.

Eric Cressey · 11-10-2006, 08:04 PM

Decent, but you didn't finish a single rep. It sounds silly, but hump the bar at lockout. Fire your glutes, retract your scapulae, and stand up tall.

I. Kay · 11-10-2006, 08:15 PM

Finally got to watch it! I see what Eric is saying: your shoulders never come back behind the bar. Often this happens just at the beginning, but you never really lockout. I bet fixing just the shoulder position will be huge for ya.

laxcdn · 11-10-2006, 09:43 PM

Until I saw it I thought I was going back far enough, so once I frist viewed it I knew I had to lock it out. Thanks to everyone for the help, this week the deads should be 100% better.

karky · 11-11-2006, 10:11 AM

its the same thing i have problems with, getting my shoulders behind the bar, it feels weird for me. If i lean that much back i dont feel like i have the same power.. maybe its because ive gotten used to the setup for the oly pulls.

RacerBill · 11-11-2006, 02:51 PM

That was really educational! Thanks Mike, for posting it, and experts for your critique.

Frank.S · 11-11-2006, 03:38 PM

My arms are quite short.. Currently I pull conventional but im slowly trying to make the switch to sumo.

I think its a better way to pull unless you are a very large person. Seems like its easier on the body.

I cant get that video to work, not sure why. You should just throw it on youtube or something.