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Deadlift Form and Possibility of Injury

Whether I am doing something wrong while doing deadlifts

animax001
animax001 g Animesh Kumar
10 Post(s)
10 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: May 5, 2018
Posted

Hi,

I used to deadlift with small weights and have recently started to increase the weight for Barbell Deadlift.

I had calculated my one rep max for deadlift around a month back and it came around 205lbs. (I was able to deadlift 185lbs for 4 reps) and then i used the calculator on this website:

https://muscularstrength.com/Full-Workout-Programs/One-Rep-Max-Calculator

After that i went back to lifting smaller weights (around 95-105 lbs). Things were fine till here.

But in the past two weeks I did 5 sets of 4 reps of my 80% to 90%.

First week, I did 90% (185lbs) and the next week I did 80% (165lbs) and on both the weeks, once I was done with the deadlifts, I started soreness in my back area (hopefully it's just soreness). The soreness lasted for an entire week but at different places of my back at different times. Although, the soreness reduces slowly and goes away completely in a week. But then my next deadlift session comes up and after I am done with my session, helloooo soreness.

I have never lifted this heavy before, is it because of that? Or did I injure my back? 

It's highly unlikely that I would have injured my back but I still wanted to check on the forum.

How do I differentiate between and injured back and a sore back?

 

Here's a video of me lifting 135lbs today (couldn't get anyone to record on the heavier days),

 https://photos.app.goo.gl/q7MjSugCP8T8dJ5u7

 

 

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM4TL1lbCqkQuqR12mOEH2h2w_25X_2zCukFUkrXg4jTyfn39dGZvGML9LUM6BBew?key=aTJoYk5BeGpsNHFDTHl0UUR3N3FBRnliMVdtQ2J3

 

 

I was looking for criticque on my form and mistakes I am doing.

I have watched several videos on common mistakes while doing deadlifts by Scott and others too and 1 mistake I saw was that my hips go up before I the weights come off the ground and I am still working on it.

PS: I don't touch the weights on the ground on purpose as it messes my rhythm if I touch them to the ground. The weights in my office gym keep rotating on the barbell which makes it difficult to touch them without the barbell moving forward or backward.

 

Please help me identify the mistakes which can help me peform the deadlifts better and prevent injuries.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: animax001

Hi,

I used to deadlift with small weights and have recently started to increase the weight for Barbell Deadlift.

I had calculated my one rep max for deadlift around a month back and it came around 205lbs. (I was able to deadlift 185lbs for 4 reps) and then i used the calculator on this website:

https://muscularstrength.com/Full-Workout-Programs/One-Rep-Max-Calculator

After that i went back to lifting smaller weights (around 95-105 lbs). Things were fine till here.

But in the past two weeks I did 5 sets of 4 reps of my 80% to 90%.

First week, I did 90% (185lbs) and the next week I did 80% (165lbs) and on both the weeks, once I was done with the deadlifts, I started soreness in my back area (hopefully it's just soreness). The soreness lasted for an entire week but at different places of my back at different times. Although, the soreness reduces slowly and goes away completely in a week. But then my next deadlift session comes up and after I am done with my session, helloooo soreness.

I have never lifted this heavy before, is it because of that? Or did I injure my back? 

It's highly unlikely that I would have injured my back but I still wanted to check on the forum.

How do I differentiate between and injured back and a sore back?

 

Here's a video of me lifting 135lbs today (couldn't get anyone to record on the heavier days),

 https://photos.app.goo.gl/q7MjSugCP8T8dJ5u7

 

 

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM4TL1lbCqkQuqR12mOEH2h2w_25X_2zCukFUkrXg4jTyfn39dGZvGML9LUM6BBew?key=aTJoYk5BeGpsNHFDTHl0UUR3N3FBRnliMVdtQ2J3

 

 

I was looking for criticque on my form and mistakes I am doing.

I have watched several videos on common mistakes while doing deadlifts by Scott and others too and 1 mistake I saw was that my hips go up before I the weights come off the ground and I am still working on it.

PS: I don't touch the weights on the ground on purpose as it messes my rhythm if I touch them to the ground. The weights in my office gym keep rotating on the barbell which makes it difficult to touch them without the barbell moving forward or backward.

 

Please help me identify the mistakes which can help me peform the deadlifts better and prevent injuries.

@animax001 Well, what you're doing in the video is actually more of a Romanian deadlift (RDL) than a conventional deadlift. And your form for a RDL isn't actually too bad. Your hips did shoot up a little bit when you first pulled the weight off the floor. Aside from that, you weren't sitting enough and like you say, you weren't letting the weight come to a dead stop either. I understand the potential problems with the weights, but for a true deadlift you would need to both sit more (to get more leg drive) and you would need to come to a dead stop after each rep.

 

Your back looks pretty neutral. Granted this is only with 135lbs, it's possible that your form is breaking down more and you're getting an arch in your lower back when you go to the heavier weights.

 

One thing I do notice is that you don't fully squeeze and contract your glutes through at the top of the movement - you kind of rely on sticking your chest out and pulling your shoulder blades together to get the weight to the top of the movement. You should be squeezing your glutes and thrusting them forward more when you complete your lockout.

 

Are you doing any lower back warm-ups?

 

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animax001
animax001 g Animesh Kumar
10 Post(s)
10 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: May 5, 2018
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

@animax001 Well, what you're doing in the video is actually more of a Romanian deadlift (RDL) than a conventional deadlift. And your form for a RDL isn't actually too bad. Your hips did shoot up a little bit when you first pulled the weight off the floor. Aside from that, you weren't sitting enough and like you say, you weren't letting the weight come to a dead stop either. I understand the potential problems with the weights, but for a true deadlift you would need to both sit more (to get more leg drive) and you would need to come to a dead stop after each rep.

 

Your back looks pretty neutral. Granted this is only with 135lbs, it's possible that your form is breaking down more and you're getting an arch in your lower back when you go to the heavier weights.

 

One thing I do notice is that you don't fully squeeze and contract your glutes through at the top of the movement - you kind of rely on sticking your chest out and pulling your shoulder blades together to get the weight to the top of the movement. You should be squeezing your glutes and thrusting them forward more when you complete your lockout.

 

Are you doing any lower back warm-ups?

 

Hey Scott,

True what I do is romanian deadlift only. I have seen your videos on different kinds of deadlifts, and I guess I do these because I find them easier than conventionals. Haha.
But I understand that I need to start including conventional deadlifts into my routine and I need to sit more.

What would you suggest I should try to do so that I get to the right depth and am not too high? Because when I am actually doing the deadlifts, and setting myself up fort the lift or bringing the barbell down, it felt like I was low enough. But when I saw the video, after finishing my set, I realised that my hips were too high and they never came as low as I had thought them to be.

I have tried the elevated platform technique and with the kind of weight plates we have at the gym, it becomes very uncomfortable and unstable for me to perform the lift.

About the part where you mention:-
"you don't fully squeeze and contract your glutes through at the top of the movement - you kind of rely on sticking your chest out and pulling your shoulder blades together to get the weight to the top of the movement. You should be squeezing your glutes and thrusting them forward more when you complete your lockout."

 

I somehow am not able to perform the squeezing the glutes and thrusting motion while doing the deadlift. I have tried doing that and it's looks very different from what you do in your videos. It looks something like the arching backwards which you had asked not to do in your 8 dumbest deadlift mistake video.

https://youtu.be/4oaoB_7qTdk?t=669

 

Can you please suggest any videos with accessory sets which I can do to learn squeezing of glutes and thrusting them forward.

Also, in addition to squeezing the glutes, is sticking the chest out and pulling shoulder blades together okay or I shouldn't do that?

 

I do 8-10 minutes of warmup before starting any workout. On the days I do deadlifts, I also do squats in the same workout.

So my warmup usually consists of :-

1. Toe touches and then stretching the hip (Don't know the name of this) - 10 reps

2. Split Stance - 5 for each leg

3. Squat and Reach - 10 reps

4. Mountain Climber Stretch - 10 reps

5. Glute Bridges - 10 reps

6. Single Leg Side Raise - 10 reps for each leg

7. Single Leg Front Raise - 10 reps for each leg

 

 I also found a video of me doing 185lbs deadlift. My back does get rounded.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/d1jywA6cEonu8Tgv7

 

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: animax001

Hey Scott,

True what I do is romanian deadlift only. I have seen your videos on different kinds of deadlifts, and I guess I do these because I find them easier than conventionals. Haha.
But I understand that I need to start including conventional deadlifts into my routine and I need to sit more.

What would you suggest I should try to do so that I get to the right depth and am not too high? Because when I am actually doing the deadlifts, and setting myself up fort the lift or bringing the barbell down, it felt like I was low enough. But when I saw the video, after finishing my set, I realised that my hips were too high and they never came as low as I had thought them to be.

I have tried the elevated platform technique and with the kind of weight plates we have at the gym, it becomes very uncomfortable and unstable for me to perform the lift.

About the part where you mention:-
"you don't fully squeeze and contract your glutes through at the top of the movement - you kind of rely on sticking your chest out and pulling your shoulder blades together to get the weight to the top of the movement. You should be squeezing your glutes and thrusting them forward more when you complete your lockout."

 

I somehow am not able to perform the squeezing the glutes and thrusting motion while doing the deadlift. I have tried doing that and it's looks very different from what you do in your videos. It looks something like the arching backwards which you had asked not to do in your 8 dumbest deadlift mistake video.

https://youtu.be/4oaoB_7qTdk?t=669

 

Can you please suggest any videos with accessory sets which I can do to learn squeezing of glutes and thrusting them forward.

Also, in addition to squeezing the glutes, is sticking the chest out and pulling shoulder blades together okay or I shouldn't do that?

 

I do 8-10 minutes of warmup before starting any workout. On the days I do deadlifts, I also do squats in the same workout.

So my warmup usually consists of :-

1. Toe touches and then stretching the hip (Don't know the name of this) - 10 reps

2. Split Stance - 5 for each leg

3. Squat and Reach - 10 reps

4. Mountain Climber Stretch - 10 reps

5. Glute Bridges - 10 reps

6. Single Leg Side Raise - 10 reps for each leg

7. Single Leg Front Raise - 10 reps for each leg

 

 I also found a video of me doing 185lbs deadlift. My back does get rounded.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/d1jywA6cEonu8Tgv7

 

@animax001 Deficit deadlifts (the platform lifts you talk about) are really going to help you get lower. It might feel awkward because you might be lacking a little bit of mobility in your hips and lower body, so I'll link you to a video with some exercises you can do that will help you with that mobility for both deadlifts and squats.

 

You might benefit from some thrusting movements, like hip thrusts, glute brdiges and cable pull-throughs to work on contracting your glutes more and squeezing them through at the top of your deadlifts.

 

Sticking your chest out and retracting your shoulders blades is good, just make sure you don't over-compensate those with the fact that you're not squeezing your glutes through (what I mean by that is don't over-arch your upper body, don't rely on leaning back more to complete the lockout).

 

That warm-up sounds alright. Try those lower back ones as well, even do them in-between your warm-up sets (and regular sets if you need to).

 

And yes there is a little bit of rounding in that video and you are kind of doing two movements where your hips come up first and then you pull. Again, deficit deadlifts can help with that.

 

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