I hurt my back four years ago and did not squat or deadlift anything until last March. I’ve slowly progressed with a couple of minor setbacks, but nothing that kept me from lifting. I have more confidence in my squat than my deadlift, and I squat about 50 pounds more than I deadlift right now. Deadlifts have never felt comfortable if I go above 225, which is probably just me being too conservative and timid to lift anything heavy. I’m sure there’s stuff to clean up on both. I appreciate any feedback.
These are some pretty sweet lifts, dude. I honestly don’t have any critiques to give, they both look good to me. Perhaps a more experienced eye could find something minor.
If your deadlift is pain free, or very manageable pain, I see no reason you can’t keep adding some weight to keep strengthening your back. Good work!
Thanks for the feedback, y’all. As far as pain on deadlifts, there honestly isn’t much. It’s more-so that it just feels weak and not set, if that makes sense. I feel like I have a harder time keeping my back tight and in the correct position if it’s too much over 225. I lifted 245 or 250 for 5 reps a bout a week and a half ago, which is the heaviest I’ve gone, but I didn’t get a video, unfortunately. I did not feel like I had very good form on it so I haven’t attempted it again. There was no pain during or after the lift.
Not that I don’t appreciate y’all’s feedback, but I assume Jordan and Austin don’t post in particular forum much? I searched around for form check threads and thought this was the correct place for them to post it.
Squat - looks real good. Only thing I’d say, elbows may a tiny bit too high at bottom.
Deadlift - Slightly too much quad drive. You lower your hips and sit back before executing the lift. Once in set up, do not move. Remember, bar over mid foot (check by looking down from your side, not birds eye view, otherwise you cannot determine where your midfoot is), bend knees until shins touch the bar, chest up and tight, and then initiate.
Piggy-backing off the comment above, I would try to “stay over the bar” a bit longer towards the top, you might experience some ramping/hitching with maximal weights. Austin talks about it a bit here - https://youtu.be/NYN3UGCYisk?t=505
Your squat is quite good. The second and third reps were better than the first, which it seemed you broke at your hips first rather than both hips and knees at the same time. Good depth.
Your deadlift needs to be reset. Your hips are too low and too far back, you need to be over the bar more, the bar needs to stay in contact with the legs the entire way up and down whereas the bar drifts off the legs after the knees on the ascent, you are not retracting your lats hard. Your descent is better than your ascent, to the point that if you can replicate your descent on your ascent you may have a decent deadlift. Rather than me critique your deadlift technique further, watch these (multiple times) and follow the 5 steps exactly. Niki’s video is quite good.
• How To Deadlift: Starting Strength 5 Step Deadlift - Alan Thrall
• The Deadlift Teaching Method with Niki Sims
It will feel strange. It will feel that your hips are too high. However, you will deadlift pain free and you will deadlift more (which I think you can from watching your video and from what I can gather it seems you may have a fear about lifting more weight).
Thank you very much for the feedback. I wish I had checked the forum before now since today was my deadlift day. I took a video, but I think my hips were even lower this time than last. I upped the weight to 240 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V95z_hMqMYg). I think I lower my hips more when I’m fatigued. This was my 2nd or 3rd (last) set at 240. It felt like my upper back rounded slightly at this weight, which I assume could be because I don’t contract my lats enough like you said. And yes, I do have a fear of lifting too much weight, especially on deadlifts. I’ve gotten over it for the most part on squats, but can’t seem to get over the mental hurdle on deadlifts. I’ll watch those videos and hopefully can apply them to my lift. Thanks again!
Yes, your hips looked lower and you would lower them even more just before you pulled. It seems that you are overthinking things.
I would rather not get stapled under a squat. A deadlift? Easy! Just drop the barbell. If you can get over your fear of heavier weights on squats, you can surely do it for deadlifts. Having said that, don’t quit too easily.
Apparently this is going to be a harder habit for me to break. I felt like I was doing it correctly until I matched it with my previous videos. I stopped adding weight at 225 since I was focusing on form. It feels impossible for me to pull my chest up and not lower my hips.
Once you have set your shins against the bar and are about to chest up and tighten your lats, focus on not moving your hips and legs. Keep the hips where they are while chest up tightening your lats hard.
It will be uncomfortable. I repeat, it will be uncomfortable. Sitting back relaxes by some degree all the muscles you have just tightened and is more comfortable. We are not going for comfort.
Then focus on dragging the bar up the legs and keeping contact all the way up and down.
So: 1. Dont move hips once set shins against bar. HIPS UP
2. Flex lats hard while not moving your hips. HIPS UP CHEST OUT AND LATS HARD
3. Drag the bar up in contact with legs all the way up. HIPS UP DRAG UP
I am hoping (from here) that those cues work. 'Tis hard from a distance and in person SSC is best. I promise I am not yelling, just trying to highlight what I think the proper cues might be for you.
So on the deadlift videos you posted and in what I read in Starting Strength, you’re supposed to bend down and grab the barbell without your shins making contact with the bar. No matter how hard I tried, I always made contact with the bar on my shins immediately. I have had back issues in the past that have greatly improved with getting back into squats and deadlifts, but I still have issues with bending over while maintaining that much stiffness in my legs. Does that just mean that that’s where I stop lowering my hips? Sorry if that is a stupid question, but I feel like I’m cutting out a crucial step into getting me into position.
Haha, I don’t think you are yelling. The cues make sense and I understand what you’re telling me to do. In person would be great, but unfortunately there are none in Arkansas. I love my state, but physical fitness isn’t a high priority here.
t_angeirias: (sorry, I don’t know how to reply like you did) that makes sense, never thought of it that way.
So I’ve had about a month to piddle around with my deadlift, and thanks to y’alls suggestions, I think it’s coming together. Felt weird at first, but the last couple of deadlift days I have lifted 250 (4x4) and they all felt good. I didn’t felt like there was much weakness in my back. I probably still dip my hips a little when I get fatigued, and I’m sure there are still a few things to clean up, but I feel more comfortable over the bar now.
Awesome, man! You got a lot
of good feedback here, and as long as you keep reminding yourself about the mid foot and staying tighter than you want to, you’re going to do very well.