Deadlift question and a problem I found out with my form

[Mon]

Should I go to sumo deadlifts until my hamstring flexibility increases? I compared a video of myself off of my digital camera today doing the deadlift with eric cressey's deadlift and I see a difference. My lack of hamstring flexibility and anterior pelvic tilt is causing me to have to go into a squat position when I bring the bar to the floor. I also have trouble getting my hamstrings into the movement unless I do a RDL and I can only go barely passed the knees. My hamstring flexibility when stretching them is barely passed the knees, so that is not a good thing. During my deadlift, I am doing everything correctly except for the part that the hamstrings come into place and having to go into a parell squat position to do my deadlift.

When I re-read Mike Robertsons article http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=1508256 after coming home from the gym and seeing my form, maybe I should move to a sumo deadlift.


So, should I should stop doing a regular deadlift and move to sumo deadlift until my anterior pelvic tilt goes away and can touch my toes or is it okay to continue on and my anterior pelvic tilt will go away and my hamstring flexibility will increase and go with lighter weight that my hamstrings can take? or will it get worse if I go on with it? Pro's and con's?

also, could height may be why I have to go to a squat position to reach the bar? I do have the bar positioned next to my shins above my feet like I am supposed to and my chest up. I am thinking it may be my anterior pelvic tilt that is causing a) cannot touch my toes.... b) causing me to go to a squat position.

what do you guys think I should do? I can deadlift at 90 pounds if I wanted to with this form. Today I did it with 80 lbs and then I did upper body pull work.

A long with the deadlift (regular or sumo), should I add on like lower abdominal work like reverse crunches, hanging leg raises, floor leg raises, glute work with bands to put my glutes on fire, back extensions (hyperextensions/reverse), etc. ?

I really want to fix this problem and finding out my anterior tilt and hamstring flexibility is affecting my deadlift form is making me want to fix this even more and be able to touch my toes. I am also going to stretch my hamstrings like crazy a few times a day and rarely sit down anymore. I want to either kneel or stand now to help get rid of anterior tilt.

[LisaS]

You don't need to touch your toes to deadlift.
Just line up the bar over the middle of your foot (which will be close to your ankle BTW), bend over, grab the bar and then bend your knees until your shins just touch the bar. Then lift.

If you can't use the big plates to get the bar a normal height off the ground, then you'll have to put it up on something or find some bumper plates or do an alternative until you are strong enough to use at least the 35s on the bar.

[CharlieShnoskyIII]

Moon your completely wicked in a different astral plane but Im of the thoughts that mabey your thinking to much about stuff when mabey you can just hush up and lift!!

[Mon]

Originally Posted by LisaS

You don't need to touch your toes to deadlift.
Just line up the bar over the middle of your foot (which will be close to your ankle BTW), bend over, grab the bar and then bend your knees until your shins just touch the bar. Then lift.

If you can't use the big plates to get the bar a normal height off the ground, then you'll have to put it up on something or find some bumper plates or do an alternative until you are strong enough to use at least the 35s on the bar.

oh okay. so height does matter than? I thought it might have been hamstring flexibility and anterior pelvic tilt that did it. I know I need to focus on hip dominant exercises like the deadlift to get rid of my anterior tilt. Now I am not worried anymore about if I can do the deadlift or not.

Is it okay if I do RDL's until I can get the weight to at least 25 lb on both sides and then start on the ground each rep? The same muscles are used right? I do need to build hamstring strength first anyway because when I try and deadlift with heavy weight using my glutes and posterior chain, I have trouble getting the slight stretch in my hamstrings going down to the floor. My legs start bending the minute I start going back down, which cressey doesn't do in his video's on t-nation on teaching the deadlift. legs stay straight until reaching knees and then they start bending.

by the way, whats the difference between sumo deadlift and regular deadlift other than the difference in lower back load and stance? Mike Robinson's article does say sumo deadlift for anterior pelvic tilt, so thats why I am asking why it says sumo and not regular. I would like to do the regular deadlift to include the hamstrings or I can do an RDL and also sumo deadlift. which exercise is actually better and faster to get rid of anterior pelvic tilt?

[banny]

Originally Posted by Mon

Should I go to sumo deadlifts until my hamstring flexibility increases? I compared a video of myself off of my digital camera today doing the deadlift with eric cressey's deadlift and I see a difference. My lack of hamstring flexibility and anterior pelvic tilt is causing me to have to go into a squat position when I bring the bar to the floor. I also have trouble getting my hamstrings into the movement unless I do a RDL and I can only go barely passed the knees. My hamstring flexibility when stretching them is barely passed the knees, so that is not a good thing. During my deadlift, I am doing everything correctly except for the part that the hamstrings come into place and having to go into a parell squat position to do my deadlift.

When I re-read Mike Robertsons article http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=1508256 after coming home from the gym and seeing my form, maybe I should move to a sumo deadlift.


So, should I should stop doing a regular deadlift and move to sumo deadlift until my anterior pelvic tilt goes away and can touch my toes or is it okay to continue on and my anterior pelvic tilt will go away and my hamstring flexibility will increase and go with lighter weight that my hamstrings can take? or will it get worse if I go on with it? Pro's and con's?

also, could height may be why I have to go to a squat position to reach the bar? I do have the bar positioned next to my shins above my feet like I am supposed to and my chest up. I am thinking it may be my anterior pelvic tilt that is causing a) cannot touch my toes.... b) causing me to go to a squat position.

what do you guys think I should do? I can deadlift at 90 pounds if I wanted to with this form. Today I did it with 80 lbs and then I did upper body pull work.

A long with the deadlift (regular or sumo), should I add on like lower abdominal work like reverse crunches, hanging leg raises, floor leg raises, glute work with bands to put my glutes on fire, back extensions (hyperextensions/reverse), etc. ?

I really want to fix this problem and finding out my anterior tilt and hamstring flexibility is affecting my deadlift form is making me want to fix this even more and be able to touch my toes. I am also going to stretch my hamstrings like crazy a few times a day and rarely sit down anymore. I want to either kneel or stand now to help get rid of anterior tilt.

I don't think it's your anterior pelvis that's tilted.

[Mon]

anterior pelvic tilt is when your pants in the anterior go downward and the posterior part goes upward. Thats how I know I have it.

[DanceDiva]

Originally Posted by Mon

anterior pelvic tilt is when your pants in the anterior go downward and the posterior part goes upward. Thats how I know I have it.

or you could just have a butt that can be seen.

[Mon]

I dont like the looks of my butt. its too flat from sitting on the computer all the time when I was addicted to it a while back if anyone remembers how much I was on all the time and posting all the time.

what I am going to do at the gym tomorrow (opens from 7am-4pm memorial day) for my deadlift is actually use the lowest rack I can get it in the squat rack and then add a step that is used for weightlifting (not sure what its called..but there are different heights) to stand on and put the bar where it needs to be.

Thank you guys for your help!

[coreJack]

I also have very tight hamstrings, and can't get into proper pulling position with the bar on the floor. I've been doing RDLs instead - can lower the bar to around my kneecaps, and I have long arms. Pretty pathetic.

As an aside, I think the anterior pelvic tilt issue is widely misunderstood. I think the body is designed so that the pelvis is tipped such that if you wear a belt, it hangs lower in the front than the back. The real problem mostly sedentary folks have is swayback, and this also creates the belt hanging lower in the front effect.

[Mon]

a thread thats a little old, but thats ok.

I don't have a problem with my deadlift form anymore. The problem I had was that I did it from the floor with plate size that did not get the bar above my ankles (between the ankles and the knees..can't be right at the ankles. have to be a little above or I will have to squat down lower). I fixed it by using a power rack (the bars that are on both sides) to where its supposed to be. I am fine with my deadlift form now.

[CharlieShnoskyIII]

The bar was at you're ankels Moon?! That must be a small kind of plates of some kind or you have some high ass ankels!!! Its wicked that you got the fixing of the deadlift though so that now you can do wicked good deadliftings!!!