A Little Better Insight Into The Dead Lift

Setup for Deadlift. Don’t move the bar to get into proper position. Walk to the bar & position your feet correctly. Then grab the bar & Deadlift.

• Foot Stance. Shoulder-width stance with toes slightly pointing out. Curl your toes up. Jump up a few times: that’s the stance for Deadlifts.
• Bar Position. Bar should be 5 to 10cm (2-4″) from your shins when standing. Remember the position of your laces under the bar.
• Chest Up. Make a big chest & lift it up. Pull your shoulders back. Keep this position at all time & your back will never be able to round.
• Look Forward. Looking down makes your back round. Looking to the ceiling can cause neck pain. Look forward during the whole lift.
• Grip Width. Too small & your hands touch your legs on the way up. Too wide & you have to pull the bar higher. Use about 51cm/20″ grip width.
• Gripping the Bar. Put the bar close to your fingers, not in the palm of your hands. This will minimize callus formation & torn skin.
• Straight Arms. Deadlifting with bent arms can tear your biceps muscles. Keep your arms straight. Tighten your triceps.

Performing The Deadlift. Deadlift by pushing from the heels & bringing your hips forward. Not by pulling back with your lower back. If you Deadlift correctly, you’ll feel most stress in your upper-back, glutes & hams.

• Shoulder-blades over Bar. Put your shoulder-blades directly over the bar, shoulders in front of the bar. Your hips will be at the correct height.
• Bar Against Shins. Pull the bar up in a straight line. The closer the barbell to your shins, the better. No need to scrape your shins.
• Push From The Heels. Simple trick: curl your toes up. This automatically puts the weight on your heels.
• Bar Close to You. Keep the bar in contact with your body during the whole lift, rolling the bar over your shins & thighs. The closer the bar, the less stress on your lower back & the more weight you can Deadlift.
• Squeeze You Glutes. Bring your hips forward by pushing from the heels & squeezing your glutes hard. This prevents pulling with the lower back.
• Lock The Weight. The Deadlift ends when your knees & hips are locked. No need to roll the shoulders or hyper-extend the lower back.

Bringing the Weight Down. Don’t lose time bringing the weight down. Do it controlled but not slow. The rule: hips unlock first, then knees.

• Chest Up, Look Forward. Neglecting to do both will make your back round. Keep your chest up, shoulders back & look forward.
• Bar Close to You. Keep the bar in contact with your thighs until it reaches knee level. It’s friendlier on your back.
• First Hips, Then Knees. Flex at the hips first to return the bar below knee level. Then bend at the knees until the bar is on the floor.

courtesy StrongLifts.com

http://www.crossfittherack.com/