Hi there -
I’ve watched numerous videos on deadlift technique (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYN3UGCYisk) - my question is regarding instances when the barbell drifts away from the legs.
The attached video states that if the barbell drifts, you should focus on using your lats to keep it against the shins. Does this technique still hold up when the weights get heavy (maybe too heavy for the lats to do this?).
The reason I’m asking, is that when the bar drifts, I assume this is because the bar is moving to the natural place for it to be when gravity acts on it - i.e hanging without any force pushing it in a different (lateral) direction - so does this mean that’s the optimal position for it to be in when moving upwards? If so, would it be the case that standing closer to the bar would achieve contact with the legs whilst allowing the bar to achieve it’s optimal path, as opposed to relying on the lats so much to achieve contact with the legs?
Hope that makes sense!
Thanks
The attached video states that if the barbell drifts, you should focus on using your lats to keep it against the shins. Does this technique still hold up when the weights get heavy (maybe too heavy for the lats to do this?).
Yes, it still holds up.
The reason I’m asking, is that when the bar drifts, I assume this is because the bar is moving to the natural place for it to be when gravity acts on it - i.e hanging without any force pushing it in a different (lateral) direction - so does this mean that’s the optimal position for it to be in when moving upwards?
No, this is not a sound assumption. The shoulders start out and remain in front of the bar for a substantial portion of the pull. Thus, gravity alone would have it hang straight down from the shoulders in a position that is well forward of the mid-foot (and thus effectively “further away” from you, making the lift harder than it needs to be).
If so, would it be the case that standing closer to the bar would achieve contact with the legs whilst allowing the bar to achieve it’s optimal path, as opposed to relying on the lats so much to achieve contact with the legs?
No, because standing closer to the bar leaves your hips even higher, and your shoulders even further forward (i.e., a stiff-leg deadlift position), whereby it’s even harder to keep a heavy load close to you (i.e., on your legs). If you remain skeptical, try setting up and pulling this way with a challenging load and you will quickly realize the issue.
Thank you Austin that makes sense