I've been doing deadlifts now for a couple of weeks now and I'm having a really hard time finding a balance between form and what I can lift. Here's my problem...

a) if I lift at a weight where I can keep my form, I feel like it's nowhere near the weight that my muscles can actually handle.
b) if I lift with a weight that will get me close to failure, I can't maintain my form very well at all. Not gonna do that.

The problem I have with my form has to do with getting the bar up over my knees. I just can't seem to maintain a perfectly straight back while that bar is sliding up and out over my shins and knees. Once it gets over my knees and it is no longer pulling outward from my body, I'm fine.

So what do I do about this? My gut tells me to do the most weight that I can keep perfect form for. However, I don't think it's the weight that's making me have bad form, it's the mechanics of the excercise. Maybe I'm not flexible enough, I don't know. Are there any stretches I can do to help? FWIW, I have not problem at all with squats and SLDLs, just deadlifts.

Your lower back is the key muscle after you get it to your knees. To avoid injuring your back, you need to keep it straight through the initial lift off the ground. Don't go heavier than what you can lift off the ground without hurting your form. This exercise always gets my heart pumping too!

Great exercise, but you must be careful or you will hurt yourself badly!

Do them Sumo style with your hands inside tour knees and feet wide, toes at 45 degrees.

Or do multiple sets of low reps like an 8 x 3 scheme. This will allow you to lift a moderate-heavy weight without having any form breakdowns. When you switch to a higher rep scheme you'll have much improved technique.

Your lower back is the key muscle after you get it to your knees. To avoid injuring your back, you need to keep it straight through the initial lift off the ground. Don't go heavier than what you can lift off the ground without hurting your form. This exercise always gets my heart pumping too!

Great exercise, but you must be careful or you will hurt yourself badly!
Yeah, my lower back is definitely the weak link in the chain here... so how do I choose a proper weight, and how do I know when to increase weight. My lower back muscles will go to failure way before my legs will on this excercise, which I've never even come close to. I guess I'm just scared of trying to work my lower back to failure, but that's what I'll have to shoot for, maintaining proper form. Man I wish my knees didn't get in the way on this excercise, it feels so awkward.

Do them Sumo style with your hands inside tour knees and feet wide, toes at 45 degrees.

Or do multiple sets of low reps like an 8 x 3 scheme. This will allow you to lift a moderate-heavy weight without having any form breakdowns. When you switch to a higher rep scheme you'll have much improved technique.
I thought about sumo style... I really want to be able to do traditional deadlifts, though. I'm not sure about the low rep idea, I think I'd rather do higher rep/lower weight until I get more comfortable at this, I think.

Actually, in this exercise you should keep your feet shoulder width.

I would bet that your weight should be just shy (-10%) of your squat weight. You need to use your legs to lift first, but you are lifting off the ground.

I used to have my back get sore riding in the car or sitting for extended periods. Not any longer! This builds up lower back muscles which are part of your core muscles along with your abs. VERY IMPORTANT muscle groups for MANY MANY things. From weights to cardio to daily activity.

Thinking about what you said regarding your knees. You should have an angle in your back, not straight up and down. You just need to ensure you don't have any arch or bend in your back. A little different position than a squat that keeps your back more upright.

VERY IMPORTANT muscle groups for MANY MANY things.
Yeah, I can tell, it's not a muscle group I'm used to working out and it shows. During the first half of the lift is where I feel like my back really wants to arch. The higher it gets up my shins, the more I feel it wanting to arch. It's not untli it gets over my knees that that goes away and the lift feels normal to me.

Let me ask another question, if you could break it down by percents, how much of the lift is back vs legs before the bar gets to your knees and how much of the lift is back vs legs after you get it past your knees? Does that percentage change for the two different stages of the lift?

Yeah, I can tell, it's not a muscle group I'm used to working out and it shows. During the first half of the lift is where I feel like my back really wants to arch. The higher it gets up my shins, the more I feel it wanting to arch. It's not untli it gets over my knees that that goes away and the lift feels normal to me.

Concentrate on the first part of the lift so you do not pull with your back, but push with your legs.

Let me ask another question, if you could break it down by percents, how much of the lift is back vs legs before the bar gets to your knees and how much of the lift is back vs legs after you get it past your knees? Does that percentage change for the two different stages of the lift?

I'm going to say 80/ 20 legs until you get the weigh past your knees. Then 80/20 back.

Perhaps you can do hyperextensions to build up your lower back muscles until they get to a point where you are more comfortable doing deads? If the hypers are too easy try holding a weight plate across your chest and do them. Just remember to go SLOW and don’t use too much weight on the plate.

I have added hypers as part of my back routine and they have helped allot with my posture and lower back pain. (Losing most of my gut helped also I’m sure, lol)

Mugsy

This is all great advice, thanks!

OOOPS, I'm doing my weekly deads today. I just checked my chart and realized I do 10% more weight than squats, but I just squat my bodyweight so ...

Slush,
I feel your pain, no pun intended. When I started doing these I think I had too much weight, anyway, I recommend lifting something heavy enough but not too heavy, I think form is more important. And if you go higher in your reps, believe me you will FEEL it. For me personally, I think the deadlift is compared to the squat so you are trained to think you should lift HEAVY weight, again I am not lifting as a body builder so I start with something lighter and then I start adding, 10lbs, 15lbs etc. to the bar. I would focus more on form, high reps and slowly increasing weight, I promise it will work the proper muscles!!! Good Luck.

hi
i was about to post on deadlifts myself
i'm having trouble with them
i've read a ton of descriptions on how to do them..and i've asked the people at my gym..none of which have helped..i just got back from there and i'm frustrated
i know to start i squat down to pick up the weight...then i don't know what i'm doing from there. on the way up what do i do..bend my knees, pivot my hips..i'm not feeling it
please help!!|

Lindsay

just stand up (push from heels).

Position shoulder behind or above the bar, restract shoulder blade to prevent shoulder rounding forward. Hold one hand underhanded, and the other overhanded (IMO better grip that way). As you push off, As you lift your hips up, to straighten your legs, at the same time bring the weights up simultaenously. Arms straight at all times, and dont lean back to far. Bring shoulders back if forward. Dont have bar too far away otherwise you'll injure yourself. Then reverse action.

Here's how you do them.
Sumos (http://www.rpweb.com/~timber1/sumos1.htm)

You could try rack pulls from just below your toughest point. also to strengthen your L back heavy good mornings "power lifter style" will help.

The good morning this way is an exercise Pl's use to help in the Dead. It is done with more knee bend and with concentration on sticking your but out.

Q: when ppl want to add weights to a deadlift, do they hoist it onto a rack to change it?. Trying to add 20KG to one side at a time by lifting one side up (which may already have a lot of weight on it) is annoying.
So in short is there such a thing as a deadlift rack?

Q: when ppl want to add weights to a deadlift, do they hoist it onto a rack to change it?. Trying to add 20KG to one side at a time by lifting one side up (which may already have a lot of weight on it) is annoying.
So in short is there such a thing as a deadlift rack?
There's a thing called a bar jack that's used to lift one side of the bar at a time. If you don't have one of those, lift up one end of the bar slightly and slide a 25 lb plate under the weights. If it's really heavy, roll it onto the 25 lb plate. That will lift it up enough so that you can add another plate.

:tu: good idea never thought of that.