The Most Common Deadlift Mistakes and How to Fix Them
You may wonder how difficult it is to bend over and lift something heavy, but do it wrong and your back will emphatically tell you that it is very difficult. The deadlift is an incredible and practical full-body exercise , but so many things, from how you hold the weight to how you “stand,” can go wrong.
You are not flexing your hips enough
The first thing to note is that squatting to raise the bar and then back is a good way to show your body that you hate it. The main movement in the deadlift should be forward and backward . As we explained in our deadlift textbook , this maximum hip flexion with minimum knee flexion is called the hip joint .
Doing the hip joint looks like you are pushing your butt back, but flexing your hips instead of just arching your back as if you were trying to punch someone behind you. In a neutral spine position, with your entire back and neck in line, you then push your pelvis forward to rise again and complete the deadlift. The hip joint is the essence of the exercise that many people get it wrong.
Your starting position sucks
A good deadlift starts before you even lift the weight. Deadlift novices usually tendto lean too much forward over the bar, putting a lot of stress on the lower back when they are actually lifting the weight. The video above, created by ATHLEAN-X , explains how to properly prepare for the deadlift. Many settings, such as stance, foot width, bar distance, etc., will depend on your body structure and some personal preference.
Before lifting the weight, take a deep breath and hold your breath to increase the pressure and pressure on your abs. Contract your lats (the main muscle that provides a straight and stable back) as if you were squeezing juice under your armpits, releasetension from the bar and be ready to pull as hard as you can, transferring your weight to your heels. All this, of course, should happen smoothly and quickly enough. It will come with practice.
You rounded too much
It may be that the weight is too heavy, you are not physically prepared to support the weight, keeping your spine neutral and tightening your abs, or your back or hip muscles are too weak. There are a number of reasons why you arch your back when lifting heavy items.
If you don’t deadlift for a very long time, it is normal for your back to remain neutral. You are probably just not used to maintaining this initially uncomfortable position. Don’t worry, you will get better with more practice and as your body gets stronger. But if you find it difficult to reach the barbell on the floor without rounding your back, increase the height of the barbell by placing it on top of two or three stacked kettlebells or pins in a squat rack; and work on thepartial deadlift to work this neutral spine position.
Your grip is too wide
When you grip the bar too wide, you cannot properly engage the lats, which are an integral part of the deadlift. This is probably a little awkward too.
Eric Cressy , performance coach at Cressey Performance in Boston, suggests getting your hands as close to your hips as possible . From now on, you can still reach and grab the rings on the barbell and find the width that works best for you. Plus, with a tighter grip, you can hold the bar closer to your body for better control during the exercise.
Your hands are doing too much “work”
The main role of your arms in the deadlift is to keep the bar steady and close to your body throughout the exercise. From beginning to end, the arms should remain straight and fully extended. Your hands should never help when pulling or yanking the bar up. Keep your elbows close to your body.
This video by Omar Isuf explains in great detail why it is so important to keep your arms straight. He explains that outstretched arms help keep the lats in motion. (Are you starting to see a sample here?)
The bar is moving away from you
In a good deadlift, imagine the bar moving up and down in a straight vertical path. If it deviates from this path, it usually means that you started leaning too much forward, you didn’t cut your lats enough, or the bar was too far from your starting position. In addition to keeping your lats tight, try adjusting the distance between your shins and the bar early in the exercise. If your shins are against the bar, try sliding it back a couple of inches. If you’re too far away, come a little closer.
You are over-stretching your back at the top of the lift
When you move your hips forward to reach the top of the deadlift called a lockout, many people arch their lower back upward, bulging their pelvis a little when they shouldn’t. To fully lock the deadlift, your hips and knees need to be locked in that position. Using the back instead of the buttocks shifts the knees forward and prevents hips and knees from locking. Instead, consider pulling in your tail and squeezing your glutes tightly as the bar goes past your knees. To reinforce this idea, watch the video above from Diesel Strength & Conditioning.
You don’t get down to business
This is more mental than anything else, and I recently learned about it first-hand. The other day I wasn’t sure if I could pull 250 pounds, but I tried anyway. On the first try, I couldn’t even move the weight. Fortunately, a friend of mine who was watching me told me that I needed to make a commitment. “Just sit down and pull as hard as you can,” he told me. When I did this, the weight increased (well, staggered).
Sure, I was in awe of my new personal record, but it also made me fully appreciate the truism of“pulling myself together.” Even if the weight is scary as hell, you have to be serious about getting it off the ground. There is no “weight check”. You either pick it up or you don’t. Any hint of indecision can spoil your setup and spoil your mood.