questions on deadlift

maradona10

im using the deadlift and am lifting the bar from a flat platform about 15 inches high cos of an old knee injury. am i losing the real benefit because of this

also i use a wider than shoulder width hand grip(over and under) and a wide foot spacing. again am i losing the intended benefit

Hanley

On the first point, what you're doing is basically a "rack pull". It's normally used to strengthen weak points in the lift by choosing an appropriate height to train at, but in your case since you're injured it should be a good alternative until you can deadlift from the floor.

Are you actually trying to work down to the floor or is it something you've decidded will never happen??

Also, using a wide grip and side stance just makes the movement less effcient and doesn't provide as good an overload to your muscles. Most people will be in their strongest position with their feet under their hips, and their hands just ouside their legs.

maradona10

i have trouble clearing my knees using your stance.

do u have or know of any pics or demos of the proper lift

i havent been trying to lower to the floor as my knee normally hurts when i go lower than the 15 inch mark

thanks for the help

Hanley

maradona10 wrote: »

i have trouble clearing my knees using your stance.

do u have or know of any pics or demos of the proper lift

i havent been trying to lower to the floor as my knee normally hurts when i go lower than the 15 inch mark

thanks for the help

Sounds like the same problem my girlfriend had when she got started training in like May, she can now deadlift 1.5x bodyweight perfectly with some weight in the bag so it's something you can definately fix.

Without seeing you deadlift, I would guess you have long legs? I would alos guess that you're starting position is too low and you're no pushing your hips back far enough (this basically turns it into a squat with the bar in your hands).


EDIT: On the knee issue, that would be another reason I'm guessing you lift the way I mentioned above. If I am correct then your current start position would be putting a hell of a lot of shearing forces on your knees already. Depending on what injury you actually had, I proper deadlift start position really shouldn't hurt.

Look at the start position here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZICFp4xxoE
-hips relatively high
-knees over heels (this allows the bar to come straight up the leg and not actually have to "clear" the knee, it'll happen without thinking of it).

Either try and get a video from the side of you deadlifting, or a photo of your start position. It'd be much easier to tell you what's going on with one of them.

Colm_OReilly

Here's some vids on the DL that might help as well, courtesy of Rip:

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html#Power

You'll see there's 7 vids on the DL there.

maradona10

thanks colm, i will check those out now.

i will be moving into town to work shortly and need a proper weight lifting gym to join. can u recommend one. i think i need some proper coaching. i dont want to go to a commercial gym

also can u explain this, i can squat with 260lbs max but only deadlift 114lbs for 5 reps. why is there such a discrepancy seeing as leg power is the dominant factor in these exs

thanks again, much appreciated

maradona10

thanks also hanley, forgot to thank you on last post

Colm_OReilly

Proper Gym with Proper Coaching

As for the discrepancy between your squat I can't conclusively say but at a guess: you've trained the squat a lot more than the DL so it's more developed.

Is your squat a full squat? Are you breaking parallel? You can squat an absolute shed load more if you're not breaking parallel.

maradona10

parallel or thereabouts. i train on my own so cant say exactly. i try to parallel at all times but no further

ive just been checkin various deadlifting articles on the web and theres so much contradictory advice.

should my hips be lower than my knees in the starting position. what angle should my back be at the start

Colm_OReilly

Well that's why you can squat so much, you're not going below parallel. At parallel, your knees are at their most unsupported. You should aim to break parallel with every squat - even if that means you have to drop the weight you're lifting (which I imagine it would)

As for the DL, have you checked out the Alignment 2 video? The criteria for a DL are:

Back in normal extension
Arms straight
Barbell over the midpoint of the foot
Scapula over the barbell

This creates the anatomically correct structure for lifting. I'll presume you're lifting for greater strength and conditioning so as such you should look for sites with this being their primary focus.

Colm

maradona10

colm i just tried the deadlift following your recomendation above. had no reaction from the knee but i do get a lot of pressure build up in the lower back. i am conserned that a disc might pop out. built up to the the same weight i was using with the modified lift.

what rep range would u advise training in. i want to try and double my lift within 6months to a year. what exercises are useful as supplementary exs to the deadlift. i was thinking of bent rows,cleans does anyone use the clean and press performed with a reverse curl in the middle

Jumpy

Ah crap, I have been doing it wrong.

I start from crouched. I didnt realise you were supposed to be partly standing.

I wonder if that is why its been so bloody hard for me.

Jumpy

Also, can anyone tell me what weight the average bar is?

The gym I am in only goes up to 45kilos in one piece barbells, and they are too light now.
I dont want to overdo it when I switch to the bar and weights.

Also will I need a belt?

Colm_OReilly

had no reaction from the knee but i do get a lot of pressure build up in the lower back.

Without seeing you, this suggests that you didn't keep your back in neutral alignment as you lifted, therefor your back went into flexion (bent forward, like a crunch) and then the extension to finish is too much strain.

This is caused by bad posture at low weights, which you can correct with technique. Focus on lifting your chest up, this cue usually gets people to fix their spine.

Another way this is caused is the weight is too heavy and your form breaks down. Judging by the fact you built up to your previous weight range, I'd say it's definitely a contributing factor.

what rep range would u advise training in

For strength gains reps of 3-5 with sets of 3-7 and the occasional testing of your 1RM with a couple of sets of 1.

I start from crouched. I didnt realise you were supposed to be partly standing.

Common mistake with beginners I've found. But now you know!

Also, can anyone tell me what weight the average bar is?

An Olympic bar weighs 20Kg (45lb) but I've found most gyms have bars that weigh 10Kg or 15Kg. The best thing to do is stand on the weighing scales in the gym with the bar. Then stand on the scales without.

Also will I need a belt?

I'd say no. You're training for strength and conditioning and equipment by and large is there to compensate for a weak link in the chain. As you're a novice lifter you should only be lifting weights that you can do with good form. Very few people reach the point where they can't get any stronger at one point in the chain and need equipment.

Now I will admit that for some the belt is used as a kinesthetic awareness aid for big lifts.

Colm

maradona10

colm ive a few qs for you off topic

about crossfit, i live not far from tallaght so would be interested in going to the openday. i dont think i could afford the fees though to join. are there deals for board members. i think i need to join a proper club and would like to anyway. i play gaa but am on the
verge of retiring and am looking for a new interest

is tea dehydrating? i know water is important but with the days being cold now is drinking tea ok. i have heard conflicting theories about this

i use york bar 14lbs. am i losing benefits by not using heavier and thicker bars?

do u have any experience of tudor bompas preiodization system
crossfit sound like undulating periodization. is this so?
thanks
david