deadlift form

[cmdubs]

Relatively new to deads - been doing them around 6 months or so. Seem to be making good progress but after doing some research it seems my form is off.

When I start the pull instead of my shoulders being behind the bar they're in line with it - so my torso is more "hunkered" over the bar.

I tried keeping my shoulders behind the bar but I have to start out with the bar an inch or two away from my shins. I'm more vertical in this position and can't pull as much.

What is the importance of keeping the shoulders behind the bar? Injury??

 

[d-dub]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBDeadlift.html
This link shows the basics of the lift.

Also check out http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459744

and
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=586815

 

[rmt99e]

i like the sumo form, you can lookup on that.

 

[Chambewy20]

I beleive the importance of keeping your shoulders behind the bar is leverage. I'm training this kid and last night, coincidently, we decided to take a weight on his dead. He's short, just turned 15, about 170'ish with medium length arms, pretty good body for deads. We were working up, I wouldn't tell what the weight was just kept having him go.

One of the best things he does is get his shoulders behind the bar, pulls the bar straight up his shings over his patellas and straight up his thighs, he's not great at arching his back but at least it's straight and not slumped over.

So we went for a PR for him, he really hasn't ever tried one, he's pretty flexible so far, he gets his ass down, shoulders behind the bar but when he sits back for the pull, the bar goes out about 2" away from his shin. Some guys teach to pull sumo, start with the bar over the balls of your feet and pull the bar back into your shins just under the patella, well this kept pulling him over the bar where his shoulders weren't behind the bar and he couldn't move it.

He missed it twice before i noticed it, the third time he hit, although at this point in the game, he's not tight in the hole, doesn't have a lot of lower back or core strength but practicing what i thought was the best form for him let him hit it.

I beleive it's more leverage than anything and whether with maximal weights you can compensate or get the bar in the right line for a decent pull, just my thoughts.

 

[cmdubs]

The weight travels straight up when I start out with my shoulders in line with the bar...back is flat not arched. If I keep my shoulders behind the bar I have a tighter arch ass down chest up but the bar is farther from my shins and I have to pull it into my body...feel it more in my quads than my back and can't pull as much.

 

[Stacemranger]

Same here dubs, I have to arch forward just a bit to feel it in my back, otherwise it's all legs.

 

[36drew]

Pardon me, but how the heck can you get your shoulders behind the bar? If you are holding a few hundred pounds aren't your shoulders going to be directly above the bar just be virtue? Or are we talking about dragging the bar against your shins and gaining leverage that way?

 

[Chambewy20]

The weight travels straight up when I start out with my shoulders in line with the bar...back is flat not arched. If I keep my shoulders behind the bar I have a tighter arch ass down chest up but the bar is farther from my shins and I have to pull it into my body...feel it more in my quads than my back and can't pull as much.

That's what the boy kept doing, he'd get his shoulders behind the bar but when he would begin to pull, the fact that in the hole his arms were inside his legs would make the bar roll forward therefore bringing the bar out further and making him lunge a little over it to start the pull, when he started with everything in the right position, he made the pull after the third try.

Good times, keep us posted on how things are going