Part II of my deadlift (DL) series. Today, a bit on technique. What's scarier than zombies? The deadlifting "techniques" I see in most gyms.
You've got your shoes and chalk or gloves, right?
You've got clearance to exercise, right?
You've done your dynamic warm-up, right?
OK, then.
IN GENERAL ( will discuss some variations in the next post),here are a few keys to keep in mind before you perform a traditional deadlift with moderate load:
1. Feet will be shoulder-width or a bit narrower
2. You will use a mixed grip
3. You will maintain a neutral lower spine
4. You MAY have some thoracic rounding ( with heavy loads), but never any lumbar rounding
5. Your shoulders will remain stable but relaxed
6. You will hip hinge ( more on this below)*
7. You will maintain straight arms ( elbows extended)
8. You will sit back into the lift, not squat the lift
9. You will squueze the bar very hard during the lift
10. You will push throught the heels while lifting
11. You will "spot" yourself about 10 feet away to keep your cervical spine neutral
12. While lifting, the hips and shoulders move simultaneously
13. Fire your glutes and extend your hips at the top of the motion
14. During descent, maintain form by leading with the hips- agai "sit back"
15, The bar will stay as close to the body as possible at all times
16. The weight is placed back on the floor at the bottom, NOT dropped or banged ( do not use momentum)
*When you hip hinge you use the ball and socket design of the hips and the surrounding gluteal (butt) muscles rather than abusing spinal joints. You know that crease where your thigh meets your torso? THAT'S where you're supposed to bend, not at the low back or upper back.
So many low back injuries result from improper bending, we need a remedial "Bending 101" course. Practice hip hinges before you start DLing in order to get the feel of it.
Then, practice your DL form with the bar only, and increase weight slowly. If you can't lift the weight with proper form- it's TOO HEAVY.
So practice that and next time we'll cover some variations and programmatic issues. Ooooo!
No comments:
Post a Comment