Deadlifting With Perfect Form
By Jason
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Image Credit: Cronfeld
Deadlifts, if they’re done properly, can be one of the best exercises for developing overall muscle mass on your body.
If you’re not careful to use proper form, however, deadlifts can also be one of the most dangerous exercises. Don’t let that scare you too much – if you start out with a light weight and perfect form and then slowly work your way up, you’ll be just fine.
In addition, the deadlift is going to help you avoid future injuries. It will strengthen your lower back and stabilizer muscles in a way that will make other lifts safer. Even every-day activities such as lifting heavy items, doing yard work, and other tasks will become safer as you strengthen your back and other muscles.
Let’s walk through the deadlift and discuss the proper form every step of the way:
1. Start light: Light is a relative term. Light might be 95 pounds for one person or 135 pounds for another. No matter where you are at, don’t do any more than 135 pounds for your first try. Building muscle on your first workout is not as important as learning good form so that you can build muscle for the rest of your life.
2. Progress slowly: Once you have your form down, you can progressively increase the weight until your deadlifts become difficult. Don’t jump up to your max in a single workout. Think about your future.
3. Take a solid stance: Stand with your feet in the position that you would put them in when you jump. You can jump up and down a few times if you really want to and figure out what this stance is like. In general, the feet should be closer together, and probably will be directly below where your upper leg bone connects to your pelvis.
This is very different than a squat stance. Squats will require a wider stance with the heels at about shoulder width and the toes pointing out at about 30 degrees. Deadlifts will have a narrower stance with the feet just barely pointing outward.
4. Keep the bar close: Begin with the bar touching your shins or very close to touching your shins. This means that the upper part of your shins will be over the bar when you start.
This is just fine, because your knees will straighten and move out of the way as you stand up. Keeping the bar close to the body on the way up means that it has to travel less distance. The movement of the bar should be as close to a straight line as possible.
5. Fix your vertical alignment: The bar should line up vertically with the middle of your foot and your shoulder blades. This means the bar starts directly above the middle of your foot and is directly below your shoulder blade.
Keep in mind that the top of your shoulder is above your shoulder blade. This means that when you begin your deadlift, the top of your shoulders will be slightly more forward than the bar.
6. Arms straight: This helps to keep the movement more safe. Begin with your shoulders as high up as they can go while still holding onto the bar that’s on the ground.
7. Don’t round the back: This is the biggest mistake that beginners will make. Do not let your lower back bend downward. Begin with your back straight in the normal curvature that it would have if you were standing up straight.
8. Don’t arch the back too much: This can be dangerous as well. Your back should use the natural arch in your spine that you have when you are standing upright. To get a feel for this, stand upright and pull your chest up slightly. This will put a very slight arch in your back, and this is the right amount of arch that you should use.
Be careful when you are getting into position for your deadlifts, however. Like I said before, the most common mistake is to have a rounded back, not an over-arched back. When you begin this lift, just getting your back straight will feel like you’re purposely arching it for many people.
Go ahead and practice at home in front of a mirror if you need to. Use a broomstick for practice and look at the side of yourself as if you were about to begin a deadlift. Make sure your back isn’t rounded. Look at the picture at the top of this article for a good idea of how this should look.
9. Begin with the legs: Don’t start this movement with your lower back. Think of the deadlift as a pressing movement instead of a pulling movement. You are pressing the weight upward with your legs as your back muscles stabilize the movement.
Be sure that your hips do not rise up faster than your shoulders do. This will make your upper body more horizontal. Don’t let this happen; your upper body should become more vertical as this movement progresses.
10. Lock out the movement: Lock out your knees at the top and end with your body in a fully upright position. Don’t pull your shoulders back excessively at the top, as this can be dangerous as well. There’s no heed for you to hyperextend your back at the top of this movement.
The deadlift is hands-down one of the best movements for adding solid muscle mass. Learn to do it the right way so that you can get the benefits of this great exercise while staying injury free.
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Topics: Training Tips |
January 5th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Great advice. Too many people perform incorrect deadlifts.
January 7th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Daniel- Yeah, that’s true. Even more people don’t even do them at all, which is too bad since it’s a great exercise.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:47 am
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