Wendler Deadlift Form

[Jigga]

The Deadlift

• To figure out the best stance for your deadlift, pretend you’re about to perform a vertical jump. Get your feet and body into position. Now, look down and move your feet in slightly. This is your starting position. This varies from lifter to lifter, but I’ve found this to be an optimal starting point.

• Your toes should be pointed slightly outward.

• Don’t deadlift with your weight on the balls of your feet. This is an injury waiting to happen. Your weight should be on the middle of your foot or toward the rear.

• Start with the bar just in front of your shins, but not touching them. Once you reach down and grab the bar, your shins will meet it.

• Your upper back should be pulled together with your shoulders over the bar.

• Your lower back should be arched or held static in whatever position you’re in. I don’t deadlift with a perfectly arched back, but it’s not rounded either, and it won’t round during the lift.

• Your hands should be placed just outside your feet – wide enough to allow you to get your hips through at the top of the lift. You’ll have to experiment with this.

• Most people deadlift with a mixed grip. One hand is supinated (like you’re doing curls), and the other is pronated (palm facing toward you). Using a double overhand grip (both hands pronated) is fine, but using straps is not. Choosing which hand to supinate is a matter of personal preference.

• Before lifting the bar, fill your diaphragm (not your chest) with air.

• Begin the ascent by easing pressure into the bar. Do not jerk the bar off the ground. This is how you tear a bicep or hurt your back. The best way to do this is to squeeze the bar hard with your hands and squeeze your butt.

• I try to keep my eyes focused on a point on the ground about 15 feet in front of me.

• Before the bar is lifted, I always think, “Butt down, chest up.”

• The first movement of the deadlift should be initiated with the legs, not the back. This is why it’s imperative to have strong quads to deadlift.

• Once the bar begins moving up your shins, start pulling back and onto your heels. Don’t let the bar come out in front of you. Keep it close to your body at all times. It should touch your thighs on the way up.

• Once the bar passes your knees, push your hips through to complete the lift. At this point you should be standing erect (not back), and your knees should be locked.

• You can either lower the bar slowly to the starting position or drop it. This depends on how quickly you want to get yourself kicked out of a public gym.

• There are two options for doing multiple reps with the deadlift. You can either touch-and-go the reps (slight bounce off the floor), or you can do dead stop deadlifts. For these, you’ll reset for each rep. I’ve done both, and both work. The downside to touch-and-go is that when you build up momentum, you can bounce too hard and lose your tightness. If you’re strong enough to hold your position and you have the control to do it, this option will work for you. The dead stop option is good for most people, but make sure you reset perfectly each time. The beginning portion of the lift is where most back injuries will occur. In this regard, the touch-and-go style is a little safer.

He says pull your shoulder blades together but I don't really see him do that in his videos:

Also, wouldn't pulling your shoulder blades back shorten your arms and force you in to a more bent-over position?

Interested in how the PLers here explain this.

[ThePman]

[nate225]

Matt Anello?! :pfft: :grin:

[Jigga]

OK I'm just gunno do this then:

I'm more interested in building muscle and using good form than the numbers I'm using.

[Big john]

everyone deads with a rounded back...expect weak people :pfft: :pfft: :grin: :grin:

[Old Bull]

King of the RoundBackers

[devil_911]

i think those are very good tips for proper deadlifts thogh i dont know about pulling shoulder blade back.i have heard about it but havent seen anyone doing it at decent weights

i am quiet intrested in rounding the back vs keeping it straight.i see people rounding their back when trying to go heavy but i dont like to compromise my form.i used to round my back but was adviced not to by more experinced lifters so i dropped the weights right back and work my way up with good form

would like to hear more about it

[Big john]

King of the RoundBackers

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeea thats what im talking about ..queasy moto deadlifts :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[drizzt]

I tend to keep the back straight where I can, but I don't fight it if the roundbacking takes over :gunfire:

[ThePman]

i think those are very good tips for proper deadlifts thogh i dont know about pulling shoulder blade back.i have heard about it but havent seen anyone doing it at decent weights

i am quiet intrested in rounding the back vs keeping it straight.i see people rounding their back when trying to go heavy but i dont like to compromise my form.i used to round my back but was adviced not to by more experinced lifters so i dropped the weights right back and work my way up with good form

would like to hear more about it

Roundbacking

[devil_911]

thanks Pman intresting read.i like this

When you’re competing in any of these strength sports, you have to accept that you’re taking on the risk of injury. It just comes with the territory. If you don’t like it, then you’d do best to find a new hobby

[OnlyHuman]

I would like to contribute to the debate if I may.

In my opinion it is very important to maintain the neutral spine position during the execution of the lift.

I understand it is not always possible when one competes in powerlifting and tries to pull there max weight or perhaps attain a new personal best.

My reason for not encouraging the rounded back version is due to the fact that it has a tremendous negative effect on structures associated with your spine. Namely the layers of the Annulus fibrosus. In layman terms these layers make up the disks that are between your vertebras. They very much look like layers of onions. In the center of these obliquely oriented fibers is the nucleus pulposus. A Jelly like substance that is high in H2O thus can't be compressed.

I will try to attach a few pictures so those who are more visually inclined can have a better grasp of what I am trying to explain.

I marked the nucleus pulposus with red for your convenience.The bones above and below are vertebras (Vertebra = the bones in your spinal column. Together the disks and vertebras make up the spine.)

The picture next to the right shows the layers and fiber orientation of the anulus fibrosus.

While our 3rd picture shows how the nucleous pulposus moves (in different directions due to vertebral movements. )

Now the problem with spinal flexion during a deadlift is that by loosing the neutral spine position the nucleus is FORCED (remember you can't compress liquid) towards the fibers of the disk at the posterior aspect (the back parts). In many of our disks such as the L5 - S1 disk the fibers at the back are weaker and smaller (L5 - S1 is wedge shaped and is smaller at the back than the front.) On top of this, the ligaments re-enforcing the spine are stronger in the front and are attached to the discs and are wider. While at the back we have two overlapping longitudinal ligaments re-enforcing the discs and vertebra they are not attached directly to the disk nor are they as wide or strong than the single anterior longitudal ligament. (I'm only talking about ligaments in close proximity/DIRECTLY IN CONTACT with the disk... as there are more than these ligaments such as ligamentum flavum re-enforcing the posterior aspect of the spine.

The last picture meant to show this ... you can see the arrow within the vertabrea showing flexion (bending over/caving in during deadlift) and the corresponding movement of the nucleus towards the back.

Now if I recall correctly Stuart McGill (One of the most respected reserchers on spinal/back health) stated that it took him like 7000 repetition to chew his way through a disk in a research/lab setting. If I remember correctly in this experience he was not even using any significant external load either. (If you are interested to read up on this than get the book from the library called something like Ultimate Back fitness by him Stuart McGill .... the wgtn library has it I'm sure.)

The point I'm trying to make is disks do degenerate overtime without any unnecessary encouragement (repetitive overuse from bad posture etc + they dehydrate crack and weaken on their own unfortunately just like any other structure in our body) from bad lifting form, and it is paramount that we try to do our best in trying to preserve the health of our structures.

Disk herniation is no fun and ended more than one sporting carrier in the past...

So in my humble opinion keep away from the spinal flexion during deadlifts and squats. Work on your weaknesses so that you can maintain a neutral spine during these movements.

I love the iron game, body building, power lifting, oly-lifting or any other iron warrior is my brother / sister in the trenches! I meant to offend no one with my post only to share my point of view on a subject that is close to my heart / intrest.

I wish you all a healty injury free year with lots of PBs and new found muscle growth.

I'm a bit tied now and while what i wrote makes perfect sense to me, I only hope I explained my self clear enough for the anyone to understand regardless them having any anatomical background or not.

[devil_911]

good post mate the forth pick really shows what happens to spine when its in flexd positon

Disk herniation is no fun and ended more than one sporting carrier in the past...

i have heard about herniated disk in pros like rich gaspari,ronnie coleman.i dont want to go through that so i try not to let my back curve.

looking on internet i find its not as uncomman as one might think

[drizzt]

Nice post OH :nod: As a roundbacker on the heavier lifts it does give me a bit of food for thought.

[ThePman]

I really wonder about a lot of McGill's research. Of course I pay attention to it, but I also wonder how much the spine of a dead pig is going to resemble the stresses placed on a living human (who still has the ability to grow and adapt those tissues with training).

I actually cited a paper that McGill himself did in strongman competitors, where he concluded that roundbacking on a stone lift probably isn't that big a deal as long as you're bracing the midsection and keeping the spine fixed during the movement.

[OnlyHuman]

Nice post OH :nod: As a roundbacker on the heavier lifts it does give me a bit of food for thought.

Thank you Drizzt! I think it is good to be "aware" on what could go potentially wrong and try to avoid it if we can. I understand it is not always possible on max attempts but there might be stuff we can do to avoid or minimize round-backing.

I really wonder about a lot of McGill's research. Of course I pay attention to it, but I also wonder how much the spine of a dead pig is going to resemble the stresses placed on a living human (who still has the ability to grow and adapt those tissues with training).

I actually cited a paper that McGill himself did in strongman competitors, where he concluded that roundbacking on a stone lift probably isn't that big a deal as long as you're bracing the midsection and keeping the spine fixed during the movement.

For sure :nod:

There is a saying "There is nothing more dangerous than a person with only one book." (I think Mark Twain but I could be wrong.) However, I always listen when McGill has to say something... How could I not, he has been in his respectable field for such a long time and is a leading figure in back pain research. Is he always 100% right? Highly unlikely. Still, I find it hard to ignore what he has to say, I just have so much respect for his knowledge.

Also, I like to make it clear that when I say maintain a neutral spine I have a little lea-way in my mind.

A high level power lifter deviating from absolute neutral in an "even" amount over some of his lumbar and thoracic spine wont make my eye water at all.

Seeing Joe Average belted up, round backing up 140 in a "commercial" gym with a spinal curve that reminds me of a camel (hinging between his lumbar and thoracic area) makes me cringe.

I fully agree with you on a lifter's ability to adapt and grow supporting structures should help and significantly reduce potential problems. :nod:

I guess all I am saying is if you are a gym junkie than best make sure you keep a nice neutral spine during your deadlifts. If you are a HIGH level power lifter and aware of the potential risk benefit factor... you will have to make the decision for your self and take precaution in order to elongate your lifting carrier as much as possible.

[chaos]

I don't think I've seen anyone deadlift at or near their max that didn't have some sort of roundbacking going on. My opinion is that it is not an unnatural position so it shouldn't affect you nearly as bad as say log presses, where you lean back and put your spine in a compromised position.