Deadlift Form Check Video

[JesseSands]

Hi guys. I made a video hoping I can have some of you check out my form on deadlift and see if there is anything I can improve on. I want to make sure my form is on point to prevent injury as I start to get close to the 400 lb mark. Thanks a lot for your comments guys.

You can Find the video on YouTube by searching for --> "June 2013 Deadlift Movie - Power Level Over 9000"
Author = Jesse Sands (I cant post links here yet or I'd link it)

PS - The video turned out pretty cool.... and theres an added bonus in there for Dragon Ball Z fans haha....

 

[PaulBlack]

It is not the best angle to critique. Side shots are best.
IMO, at the pull, your hips raise first as you start the pull on pretty much all the sets, which shifts your shoulders more out over the bar and makes the hips farther away, thus having the bar swing out away from the body. This is not the best position for heavy lifts. If you stop the vid around 252 or something on the #370 single, you can see that your legs are nearly straight and the bar is only 4" off the floor as it starts to swing out away from your legs, hips are back away from bar, your chest is still down, turning it into a more high hipped round back pull.
Try keeping the chest up a bit more and pulling more back and straight up without moving the hips up first.
You want to keep the bar as close to your body's center of gravity as you can, moving the hips forward as you pull and moving the chest & shoulders up and back as the bar rides up your thighs. Keeping everything tight throughout the entire lift.
Some practice and you will get there.

Others may have some more input

 

[JesseSands]

Thanks for the input PaulBlack! That definitely some stuff that I can focus on this week when I do some more deads. The last thing I want to do is end up injuring myself from trying to push it too hard and not keeping proper form.

 

[tigerdb2]

I was watching the sets at 275 and as mentioned, before the bar even breaks the floor your shoulders move over the bar and the hips rise. On the 370 attempt, this also causes the bar to drift out in front which is why it looks like it bangs against your thighs as you try to lock out

 

[PaulBlack]

If you can get us another vid (from the side is best) of your next W/O that would be great.
Otherwise, I think this vid from MR, is not a bad start for most....

Mark Rippetoe: Deadlift Set-Up - YouTube

As you can see, when a lifter starts the pull, the bar moves off the ground instantly & pretty much straight up with all the other body parts moving in the right order. Legs straightening/while the hips come forward/while the shoulders and chest move up and back.

 

[JesseSands]

OK guys, I made a new video this weekend of 225 x 5 and 275 x 5 again and tried to really focus on my form. Let me know if its looking any better. Im still not positive that I have everything firing off in the right order. I focused on form and light weight sets this week, but would like to move back up and set a PR again next week if I feel like I have the form down and Im not risking lower back injury. Thanks for your input!

Video Title on YouTube = 'Jesse Sands Deadlift Form Check Video 2 - June 8 2013'

 

[PaulBlack]

Okay, IMO and from that angle it looks like your hips start high (as high as the shoulders nearly) and your shoulders are a bit out over the bar. Your chest is kinda down, which does not appear to help your low back set as it looks slightly rounded or tucked. (You want that slant from shoulders to butt.) When you pull it looks like it is mostly low back/waist bending, not a lot of leg drive with the higher hips and you can see the bar have a tendency to drift out slightly away from your body/knees.
Try getting the hips a little lower and squeeze/lift the chest up to set the low back a bit before the pull. BWeight even on feet between heels and balls of feet or even more back on the heels. Some guys say you should be nearly able to wiggle your toes in your shoes before the pull.
Don't get impatient with setting PR's. They will come, but take the time to learn the set up and pull. You'll be better in the long run and be able to pull more with the better leverage set up.

 

[JesseSands]

Thanks Paul. Looks like I've still got some work to do to clean this up. I was trying to keep my butt in the air as high as I could because of that Rippetoe Set up video (I had actually seen that in the past, but had forgot some of the intracacies). You are right though I do feel the weight more in my back than I do in my legs so Im sure I am not getting the proper leg drive. I'll do some more practicing before I lift heavy again.

 

[PaulBlack]

I was trying to keep my butt in the air as high as I could because of that Rippetoe Set up video

Well, if you stop that vid at around 2:01, you can see at his start, his butt is lower than his shoulders and when he pulls, the weight moves up, pretty much simultaneous to everything else.
There is no doubt that higher hipped heavy pullers are out there and who use almost no quad. But if you are just starting out, it is my opinion, that you should make a solid effort to learn the best leverages and firing order for your body with the best form possible.
Nearly everyone (non athletes) bends at the waist to pick up a pencil from the floor, since it is the easiest way, but the pencil has no real sheering weight. If you are training to lift the most possible off the ground however, you want to keep the bar path the straightest, the weight more in thru the center of your body, and the the very best safest form, to be able to do it for years to come.

 

[JesseSands]

Since this old form check post I have switched to Sumo Deadlifts, I feel like I have had more success with them as I am able to keep my torso more upright and not put so much pressure on my lower back (I have a bulged disk from 2006 that has never felt the same since then). So, anyways I will be making a new thread soon with my latest Sumo Deadlift form and hopefully you guys can give me some pointers on it too. I got some good side angle videos of 315x3 and 375x2 last night. I've been lifting hard and bulking and am quite a bit stronger now. I even did my first benchpress competition at a powerlifting meet a week ago (hit 290 with the competition pause).