Deadlifts...not feeling it in my hams and glutes!

[Bill2380]

Do what you can with what you have available.

[chaddukes]

Originally Posted by John Izzo

Lack of hip hinging....

I don't know whether this was the issue or not for the question I posed in this thread, but I am becoming more and more aware that I don't have good hip hinging/flexibilty. Any suggestions?

In other news, I have a barbell coming to me this week. No more pulley based deadlifts!

[Darkmind]

Originally Posted by chaddukes

I don't know whether this was the issue or not for the question I posed in this thread, but I am becoming more and more aware that I don't have good hip hinging/flexibilty. Any suggestions?

In other news, I have a barbell coming to me this week. No more pulley based deadlifts!

Good news on the barbell! As far as mobility work go, stretch your hamstrings, glutes, and inner thighs. I hope you know how to stretch your hamstrings and inner thighs, since they were like elementary P.E stretches. Hamstrings.. sitting on the floor, legs out close together, reach for your toes.. inner thighs.. butterfly stretch sit on the floor putting your feet together bending forward while trying to keep your legs as close to the ground as possible. As far as the glutes go though...

Sit on a chair put your left ankle (side of the ankle) on the top of your right knee so your toes are pointing in front of you, and just bend over forward placing your left hand on your left knee and right hand on your left foot. Do the opposite for your right side now.

Another stretch to do is the lunge stretch. Look up lunges and just do that but hold at the bottom part. Also, put the side of your back foot on the ground so it looks like you're kinda dragging it along.. I find for me this targets my adductors (inner thighs) moreso than the butterfly stretch.

[chaddukes]

Originally Posted by Darkmind

Good news on the barbell! As far as mobility work go, stretch your hamstrings, glutes, and inner thighs.

I've been stretching those muscles with the stretches that you mentioned for months now. I'm not sure that its helping the particular issues that I have.

For instance, If I try to do a good morning I can't get a "normal" range of motion without flexing my lumbar spine or bending my knees and externally rotating my hips. Perhaps this is normal, but it doesn't look like it when I see videos of other people doing GM's.

[RacerBill]

I had similar problems and while stretches can help, they're not going to completely solve the problem. You'll need some other mobility work as well. Something like Magnificent Mobility will help.

I mentioned this in another thread, but you can good mornings with a stick. These are unweighted. Take a broomstick or something similar and hold it vertically against your back. The back of your head, thoracic spine and tailbone should stay in contact with the stick. Bend forward as far as is comfortable (you might think of it more as pushing your hips/butt back), then back to standing. That's your hip-hinging motion. Try to increase the range of motion as you progress.