Stiff/Straight Leg Deadlift

[Tom Treutlein]

How does one do these? I ask because I would like a fairly detailed description so I do not injure myself on these. I hear they are good, and the fact that I was going to ignore them due to the possiblity of injury pisses me off because I don't like to give up. So, would someone be so kind as to explain these to me

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Bumpidy Bump

 

[Cut]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBStiffLegDeadlift.html

 

[Tom Treutlein]

I knew about that website but I don't trust it. I remember it left out a few key things to avoid on other exercises, and the videos demonstrating the exercises are horrible. Can someone please provide a better description or things to beware of?

 

[Tom Treutlein]

...

 

[Olsen Twins Banger]

keep your legs straight and keep the bar close to your shins start very light untill you perfect the form......ask a big dude in your gym to help you out

 

[Debaser]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBStiffLegDeadlift.html

Terrible form. Realgains described it well:

"This is one of the most abused exercises out there. Most people simply don't have a clue...you have seen them, and dare I say that you may be one of them....they stand on a platform or bench and bend over and go WAY DOWN reaching with their arms so they touch the tops of their shoes. This is NOT how to do them and it WILL eventually result in injury to the low back as the deep position simply opens the lumbar spline up way too much AND your lower back will round ...and I don't care if you can touch your elbows to the floor. Allowing the low back to round by going too deep WILL injury you in time.
Some can SLDL more than they can squat ie: my wife. At any rate you should be able to SLDL about 80% of what you squat for reps.

This is how you do them....

Take a shoulder width palms facing you grip. Use straps when you start to use a weight that causes your grip to fail as you cannot "re-set" your grip between reps like you can in a regular deadlift. Lift the bar off the pins set at about upper thigh height on the outside of a rack.
Take a deep breath and hold it. Stick your chest out and up. Keep the back straight or slightly arched all the time! DO NOT allow the low back to round or you will get injured sooner or latter. Keep your legs slightly unlocked. Now stick your butt backward and PIVOT at the HIP. ****The pivoting motion at the hip is key.
Go down to no more than mid shin and most people get full ham stretch at just below the knee. DO NOT reach down with the arms. Keep the bar close to your legs all the time.
Do not explode out of the bottom ...do the movement slowly and very strictly. Keep holding your breath until you feel yourself breaking through the sticking point on the way up.
DON"T ache your back backwards at the top of the movement.

Try to do the motion without any weight or bar. PIVOT at the hip as you bend over and stick your butt back and you will feel a FULL HAM STRETCH when your hands are between knee and mid shin depth...for most it is around the knee. There is no need to go lower than mid shin even if you are very flexible. I have not seen one person that is able to keep their low back from rounding by going past mid shin, not even my wife who is extremely flexible.
I can put my palms to the floor with locked legs but I never go beyond slightly below knee height. If you keep you back straight or slightly arched you will feel a full ham stretch at this point.
"

 

[Debaser]

keep your legs straight and keep the bar close to your shins start very light untill you perfect the form......ask a big dude in your gym to help you out

Your legs should not be straight they should be bent a bit, different for each person but it probably looks something like 15-30 degrees from the vertical.

Also, "ask a big dude to help you out"? No offense to you personally, but that's some of the worst advice I've heard.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Very nice Debaser. Thank you very much man! Karma your way. I can't wait to try these things, I hope they produce good results.

By the way, would you mind checking out my DC Split threat I posted?

 

[anabolicmd]

I knew about that website but I don't trust it. I remember it left out a few key things to avoid on other exercises, and the videos demonstrating the exercises are horrible. Can someone please provide a better description or things to beware of?

Thats too funny, I just checked out that site today through a link at IT. I agree, the excercise instructions are horrible. Im surprised no one has gotten hurt and sued them yet, lol.

 

[anabolicmd]

Thats too funny, I just checked out that site today through a link at IT. I agree, the excercise instructions are horrible. Im surprised no one has gotten hurt and sued them yet, lol.

Here are just two examples I just found. On the squat video, the guy is leaning forward around fifteen degrees, and the description says to equally distribute the weight between the front of the foot and the heel. But in all fairness, its prolly a good site for a beginner, as long as they dont use it as their only source.

 

[casualbb]

Debaser... that sounds like a description of Romanian Deadlifts. I figured most people could at least get the bar to the floor on SLDL's while keeping their backs straight.

The main difference between RDL and SLDL is the pivot point. RDL's has your hips rocking back and forth (sitting back) while in SLDL the hips stay relatively motionless while the upper body bends at the hips to haul weight.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

So which is it then? Are those Romanian Deadlifts? Do they still both work hamstrings?

 

[Longhorn85]

When doing stiff-legged deadlifts I always get more out of it when I concentrate on sticking my butt out and my head and eyes to the front while at the lower part of the movement.

 

[casualbb]

RDL's will probably target the hamstrings a bit more than SLDL, which engages the glutes more heavily. SLDL still hits the hamstrings pretty hard though.

 

[Backlash]

Another point: concentrate hard on relaxing your hams on the way down and contracting them to pull the weight up. I find that if I don't concentrate on using my hams I tend to try to use my lower back too much.