Yet another Deadlift thread

[GoneAway]

I hate Deadlifts. Plain and simple. I just can't get the form right. Such a vital exercise, it really annoys me each time I step up and try, but fail miserably on all accounts. I've been trying for a long time, with different grips but nothing works.

The bar isn't straight, both vertically and horizontally, and I'm pulling the weight back onto me (like the last 9/10th of a pullover, except with a barbell, arms straight and for my lats).. instead of bringing it up in a straight line, virtually touching my legs all the way.

Do I need them? If so, how can I correct my form? One of the reasons I hate back day! Oh yeah, what is so good about Deadlifts that makes them a "must have" ? Thanks for any help.

[Always Sore]

Sometime you can get so bend up on doing a certain exercise that you psych yourself out of doing in correctly and enjoying it. If everytime its back day and you are kicking deadlifts all the way to the gym and during your warm up and you finally get set and do them your rushing to get threw it you have missed what makes them such a great exercise and have convinced your mind (were more strength lies then your muscles) that they suck. So you defeated yourself before even starting.

Try not doing them for a while but every back day mentally think about "wanting" to do dead lifts, after some time you will correct your mind and find you have to do them. Pick a weight you can do a certain rep count to (say 10) do one all out set at the end of your normal back workout so you reach failure at or about 10 but only do one set. For the next couple ofr back workouts always end with one set but keep working either the reps or the weight up train your mind to push yourself like a comptition until you find yourself wanting to do more sets.

Its all about what you can see yourself doing in your mind not about what you can force yourself to do because everybody says do deadlifts. You have to enjoy and get excited or your going to get nothing out of them, and they are like squats as they work so many muscles and help your overall building or weightlifting goals.

good luck.

[DNewbie]

Try doing some partials out of the power rack. Put the pins so the bar is right above your knees and lift from there. Much easier on the back and you will be able to lift over 100 pounds more than normal deads.

[Hedgehog]

Here's what I usually recommend for those with problems with form, and new lifters:

Regular deadlifts from a block, 4-6'' high.

This will force you to keep the back straight and dig down deep while performing the lift.

Do deadlifts this way only for a few weeks, then try the regular deadlift again.

YIP
Zack

[Arnold jr]

Here's what I usually recommend for those with problems with form, and new lifters:

Regular deadlifts from a block, 4-6'' high.

This will force you to keep the back straight and dig down deep while performing the lift.

Do deadlifts this way only for a few weeks, then try the regular deadlift again.

YIP
Zack

That's not bad advice at all...I've never thought of that.

[davie]

HEDGE u know i heed ur advice but i wander what 4 to 6' block make to ur overall deadlift? im quite happy to be put in my place here but im just wandering.
Iv had lower right ligament prob  for a while but at same time my dead lift has been my best lift and has progressed the quickest (weird i no), my prob was that i never let the bar touch the ground between reps (keep tension on muscles more), and i still progressed.
So any actual tips that could progress it even more would help as i know it is the staple and basis of buildin muscle.

davie

[GoneAway]

Always Sore, I will try your advice. Thanks everyone else, as it helps to get different ideas when I don't have any myself!

[Always Sore]

Always Sore, I will try your advice. Thanks everyone else, as it helps to get different ideas when I don't have any myself!

good luck man keep us posted on how it works out.

[Yev33]

Once you get your form down right you will no longer wonder what makes them so important. The results will speak for themselves.

[headhuntersix]

I stopped doing em from the floor. I'm doing partials off the rack. I'm still trying to figure out above or below the knee.to set the pins. I pulled 600 doing the partials but i still feel like I'm cheating not going from the floor. The full deads were killing my siatic nerve so i think I'm going with the partials for awhile as mentioned above.

[WOOO]

I hate Deadlifts. Plain and simple. I just can't get the form right. Such a vital exercise, it really annoys me each time I step up and try, but fail miserably on all accounts. I've been trying for a long time, with different grips but nothing works.

The bar isn't straight, both vertically and horizontally, and I'm pulling the weight back onto me (like the last 9/10th of a pullover, except with a barbell, arms straight and for my lats).. instead of bringing it up in a straight line, virtually touching my legs all the way.

Do I need them? If so, how can I correct my form? One of the reasons I hate back day! Oh yeah, what is so good about Deadlifts that makes them a "must have" ? Thanks for any help.

find a powerlifting coach near you and get some instructions

[GoneAway]

find a powerlifting coach near you and get some instructions

Not a bad idea.

[dontknowit]

Try dumbells

Not so hard to figure out.

During the exercises, keep looking forwards or up, don't look down, let gravity do his thing, and you focus on keeping a straight back.
Partial (but not as in quarter or half) reps are as good as full reps,
cause as Davie posted you're keeping tension on the muscle, and physically your not putting to much stress on the wrong place.

Also try to keep a certain degree of relaxedness during the exercise. Sounds strange, but your not able to bend that much forward if your stressed before you begin.
Try to touch your toes for instance.
Everybody is able to do that, but you have to be mentally willing to do it and relax certain types of muscles.

[elcid92]

I had a problem with my form also. Primarily keeping my butt as low to the ground as possible. To correct the problem I started doing Sumos with lower weight concentrating on strict form. The sumos forced me to keep my back straight all the way down. I also incorporated box squats. The results are coming slowly but steady. I would recommend getting a trainer or someone who does alot of deads to watch and critque your form.

I alternate my training routine: Light/Heavy every other week.

[elcid92]

I had a problem with my form also. Primarily keeping my butt as low to the ground as possible. To correct the problem I started doing Sumos with lower weight concentrating on strict form. The sumos forced me to keep my back straight all the way down. I also incorporated box squats. The results are coming slowly but steady. I would recommend getting a trainer or someone who does alot of deads to watch and critque your form.

I alternate my training routine: Light/Heavy every other week.

[shiftedShapes]

SUMO DEADLIFTS or TRAP BAR DEADLIFTS

look into them.  Better results, less risk of injury, easier to execute.

[JOHN MATRIX]

sometimes with deads just thinking about it too much will mess you up.

your mind is racing with 'ok do this, do this, do this like this, make sure this is like thsi, ect ect ' and by the time you actually perform it you end up doing some stupid unnatural  move and you arent focused on just lifting the wieght.

try just clearing you mind, think 'oh im going to just go pick that thing up over there' and just walk up and pick it up like you would anything else.

[shiftedShapes]

sometimes with deads just thinking about it too much will mess you up.

your mind is racing with 'ok do this, do this, do this like this, make sure this is like thsi, ect ect ' and by the time you actually perform it you end up doing some stupid unnatural  move and you arent focused on just lifting the wieght.

try just clearing you mind, think 'oh im going to just go pick that thing up over there' and just walk up and pick it up like you would anything else.

exactly...but don't forget to engage your glutes, spread the floor with your toes, breath in to the stomach and tighten the core, keep a hard arch in your lower back, round your upper back, THEN YOU CAN START THINKING ABOUT GRABBING THE BAR

[GoneAway]

I had a problem with my form also. Primarily keeping my butt as low to the ground as possible. To correct the problem I started doing Sumos with lower weight concentrating on strict form. The sumos forced me to keep my back straight all the way down. I also incorporated box squats. The results are coming slowly but steady. I would recommend getting a trainer or someone who does alot of deads to watch and critque your form.

I alternate my training routine: Light/Heavy every other week.

Yeah, I might look into getting a trainer to help. Someone who knows their stuff. I haven't looked much into the variations, so sumos and box deads sound good to try.

sometimes with deads just thinking about it too much will mess you up.

your mind is racing with 'ok do this, do this, do this like this, make sure this is like thsi, ect ect ' and by the time you actually perform it you end up doing some stupid unnatural  move and you arent focused on just lifting the wieght.

try just clearing you mind, think 'oh im going to just go pick that thing up over there' and just walk up and pick it up like you would anything else.

Good attitude. If I start to pick up deads again (should be a month or so), I will give that attitude a go. It's so simple, but just very hard for me to do it.

Any good websites that teach the correct form?

[dontknowit]

Sounds stupid,
but try a couple of lessons of (power)yoga to learn how to relax. Looks likes a contradiction, relax before performing an excersise,
but for deads it works.

[GoneAway]

Sounds stupid,
but try a couple of lessons of (power)yoga to learn how to relax. Looks likes a contradiction, relax before performing an excersise,
but for deads it works.

Yeah, I totally get that. As with life (even moreso), training/fitness is equally as mental a challenge as physical.

[krazee]

I stopped doing em from the floor. I'm doing partials off the rack. I'm still trying to figure out above or below the knee.to set the pins. I pulled 600 doing the partials but i still feel like I'm cheating not going from the floor. The full deads were killing my siatic nerve so i think I'm going with the partials for awhile as mentioned above.

Ever since I went down in a heap of pain from deadlifts from the floor, I have done them in the powerrack as well, I set the pins below my knees and pull keeping the bar against my legs all the way up. I have not noticed any difference in my backs thickness or width, but my lower back is thanking me.

Just a piece of advice though, make sure you are doing a regular ab routine and goodmornings/hyper-extensions. When I stopped doing these as frequently, that's when I pulled my back. Alot of strength is from the mid torso, even your squat will increase.

[Hedgehog]

HEDGE u know i heed ur advice but i wander what 4 to 6' block make to ur overall deadlift?

davie

If I understand the question right (asking what this will do for your regular deadlift), then the answer is that the block (use a couple of plates if you don't have a block platform) will make you keep the back erect throughout the lift, as you will have to lean back more at the start of the lift.

YIP
Zack

[dontknowit]

Using a block doesn't do much except damaging you back in the near future.


Bending over to much puts a massive stress on a wrong spot, cause the lower back is limited in flexibility due to the natural arch,
and therefore the stress will be transfered to a higher weakers part of the back.

There's also the possibility of a hernia.

So if you want to wreck your back with this method, bending over as much as possible on a plateau with weights, make sure you have a good insurance.

[Hedgehog]

Using a block doesn't do much except damaging you back in the near future.

Bending over to much puts a massive stress on a wrong spot, cause the lower back is limited in flexibility due to the natural arch,
and therefore the stress will be transfered to a higher weakers part of the back.

There's also the possibility of a hernia.

So if you want to wreck your back with this method, bending over as much as possible on a plateau with weights, make sure you have a good insurance.

From my experience, using a block will force the lifter to keep an erect back.

It's the excersise we use to help lifters get better form during their lifts. We never had any problems with it, and I've never heard about lifters getting injured from it. Stiff legged deadlifts from a block, yes. But not regular deadlifts.

Too bad that you have had bad experience with this excersise. Exactly what happened to you?

YIP
Zack