How to Deadlift Sticky Questions and Comments

[Bodybygamma]

I just made a new thread on Deadlift set ups,tips and tricks,but ask that all questions and comments be directed to this thread so that, that thread can be easy to read and consult for information.

Thank you for the support and cooperation.

That Thread can be found here : http://muscleandbrawn.com/forums/beg...al-thread.html

[CoopDawg]

do you think you may could make another deadlift vid bbg , ive looked at a few u made and it was very helpful

[Bodybygamma]

Originally Posted by CoopDawg

do you think you may could make another deadlift vid bbg , ive looked at a few u made and it was very helpful

My internet connection has been crappy as of late, so it may take me awhile but sure I will try to give a more in depth and better audible deadlift how to by this weekend.

[CoopDawg]

thanks alot i appreciate it

[tank]

i've got 2 deadlift questions:

1) i have a very large back naturally, but i also have short arms. because of this i've lately tried training sumo-deadlift because of the shorter range of motion. however, the sumo-deadlift style does not allow me to take advantage of my big back. does the size of my back advantage outweigh the disadvantage of the length of my arms?!

2) proper deadlifting technique involves a tight lower back, if i'm not mistaken. i read recently an article that basically said once the weight gets to a certain point the lower back can and will round in order to get the weight off the floor. point being, getting the weight up no matter how, which seems contrary to what i've always learned.


my decision to switch to sumo was also the result of feeling rounding in my lower back at heavy weights, which is almost completely alleviated by sumo stance. however, i feel because the size of my back ultimately i'll be able to pull more conventional, but seemingly at the expense of rounding my lower back.

note that this rounding does not occur with lower weights. thanks in advance bros!

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by tank

i've got 2 deadlift questions:

1) i have a very large back naturally, but i also have short arms. because of this i've lately tried training sumo-deadlift because of the shorter range of motion. however, the sumo-deadlift style does not allow me to take advantage of my big back. does the size of my back advantage outweigh the disadvantage of the length of my arms?!

The key with back is strength. I have found a correlation between strong rowing strength and the ability to lockout a deadlift. I don't know if there is an advantage either way - sumo or conventional. I am guessing with upper back it's fairly even, though I may be wrong.

2) proper deadlifting technique involves a tight lower back, if i'm not mistaken. i read recently an article that basically said once the weight gets to a certain point the lower back can and will round in order to get the weight off the floor. point being, getting the weight up no matter how, which seems contrary to what i've always learned.

My advice is to not overthink it. Sometimes guys overthink the lower back so much that it form locks them. Make your lower back strong. A little rounding might occur on heavy lifts, but I wouldn't encourage it. If you back rounds early in the lift it will be stressed the entire way.

I simply try to keep my back in a neutral position the entire lift, not forcefully arched, and not rounded. Keep your chest up, lead with the head and stand up. Not sure if this is helping much...

Here I am deadlifting 545 for 2 reps earlier this year. Notice my back position stays the same.

Trenton Bash 2 - YouTube

Trenton Bash 2 - YouTube

note that this rounding does not occur with lower weights.

My advice is to build a brutally strong upper back, with lats capable of maintaining a contraction while holding an elephant off the ground. If you build amazingly strong lats you can help to maintain a constant shoulder position throughout the lift, will resist your shoulders slouching forward, which will help to keep the lower back more neutral.

I thought my upper back was strong until I really started to push myself. I currently strict Pendlay row 365 x 5 reps, and have hit dumbbell rows of 215 pounds for 10 reps:

215 Pound Dumbbell Rows - YouTube

215 Pound Dumbbell Rows - YouTube

Upper back rounding is not necessarily bad but it will change the mechanics of the lift forcing you to pull more with the lower back, and this may lead to lower back rounding.

Am I making any sense here?

Matt Kroc also believes that heavy rows helps with deadlift lockout, so at least I have one partner in crime. At one point a few years ago my rack pulls were pathetic compared to my deadlift, until I upper my rowing strength.

EliteFTS.com - 225x25 Kroc Row - YouTube

EliteFTS.com - 225x25 Kroc Row - YouTube

[tank]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

The key with back is strength. I have found a correlation between strong rowing strength and the ability to lockout a deadlift. I don't know if there is an advantage either way - sumo or conventional. I am guessing with upper back it's fairly even, though I may be wrong.



My advice is to not overthink it. Sometimes guys overthink the lower back so much that it form locks them. Make your lower back strong. A little rounding might occur on heavy lifts, but I wouldn't encourage it. If you back rounds early in the lift it will be stressed the entire way.

I simply try to keep my back in a neutral position the entire lift, not forcefully arched, and not rounded. Keep your chest up, lead with the head and stand up. Not sure if this is helping much...

Here I am deadlifting 545 for 2 reps earlier this year. Notice my back position stays the same.

Trenton Bash 2 - YouTube



My advice is to build a brutally strong upper back, with lats capable of maintaining a contraction while holding an elephant off the ground. If you build amazingly strong lats you can help to maintain a constant shoulder position throughout the lift, will resist your shoulders slouching forward, which will help to keep the lower back more neutral.

I thought my upper back was strong until I really started to push myself. I currently strict Pendlay row 365 x 5 reps, and have hit dumbbell rows of 215 pounds for 10 reps:

215 Pound Dumbbell Rows - YouTube

Upper back rounding is not necessarily bad but it will change the mechanics of the lift forcing you to pull more with the lower back, and this may lead to lower back rounding.

Am I making any sense here?

Matt Kroc also believes that heavy rows helps with deadlift lockout, so at least I have one partner in crime. At one point a few years ago my rack pulls were pathetic compared to my deadlift, until I upper my rowing strength.

EliteFTS.com - 225x25 Kroc Row - YouTube

thanks for your response. in the realm of not over-thinking it, i think i might stick with conventional so long as the weight continues to go up and my lower back isn't rounding severely because i think in the long run a big back might benefit me more in the deadlift.

is that sound logic or am i way off base?

[LtL]

For the record I am now working on improving my rowing strength to see if that helps my lockout so if you give me a few more months, I will be able to confirm or refute your claim Steve

LtL

[Soldier]

I also think that mid-upper back strength can alleviate a lot of issues with all 3 big lifts. I was trying to help some kids bench better the other day, and they couldn't arch for sh!t. They also couldn't hold their shoulder blades back. This, of course, has nothing to do with mirror muscles and everything to do with the fact that these guys had never rowed a thing in their lives. If I thought they'd actually listen to me I'd tell them to stop benching anything other than the bar for 6 months and do rows, pull ups and dips 2x a week. They'd all add 50lb to their bench.

As far as the dead lift, I know that when I'm overly protective of my lower back then I just can't get any real weights off the floor. I DON'T round my back, but I also don't force an arch. If your back is as strong as it should be, it won't be a huge issue. Guys who start trying to pull lots of weight when they've never worked anything but those mirror muscles, I think they're the ones who end up having issues.

[BendtheBar]

I think this is all rather simple. If you are able to Pendlay row 365 from a dead stop over and over again using strict form, your deadlift will be beastly. Same applies to dumbbell rows.

I certainly can't turn any of this into an equation, but I can say that if you get beastly strong on rows, I am certain it helps your deadlift.

Think about the deadlifter with the weak upper back. As he explodes the bar weak back/lats are going to limit the pull. Because the top is weak it would make sense that extra pressure would be added to the middle and lower back.

I deadlifted last week with weakened lats and it impacted my pulls.