jehan60188 Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 i feel like adding deadlifts to my (admittedly minimal) lifting repertoire would be beneficial, but when I look at videos, it seems like very few muscles are being used (mostly lower back). any tips/pointers on getting started?it also looks like a great way to injure my lower back if I do it wrong.any tips/pointers on avoiding that?where should I deadlift (right now, I'm thinking the squat rack, since my gym has limited space/options; but I don't want to be 'that guy') Link to comment
chairohkey Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Google "rippetoe deadlift" or better yet buy Starting Strength 3rd Ed. Link to comment
dgreenwood Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 I second the recommendation above, that's how I learned to dead lift. It may seem like very few muscles are used when you watch but it doesn't feel that way when you do them. I've read that no other single exercise uses more muscles than the dead lift, something like 62% of the muscles in your body. Link to comment
Knightwatch Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 To quote the above-referenced legend himself: You just step up to the bar with a vertical-jump stance width, with toes out and your shins about an inch from the bar, grab it just outside your stance with your knees still straight, then bend your knees forward and out a little bit until your shins touch the bar, squeeze your chest up until your back is flat, take a big breath, and drag the bar up your legs until you're standing up straight. See? One (admittedly run-on) sentence describes the whole thing. "The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder." --GK Chesterton Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo et sanabitur anima mea... http://www.facebook.com/#!/jbaileysewell Link to comment
Zorch Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 it also looks like a great way to injure my lower back if I do it wrong.any tips/pointers on avoiding that? Couple things: 1. Back position is everything - focus on keeping your back straight(not rounding it) throughout the lift.2. Bar path - as others have mentioned, the bar goes up and down along the front of your legs. If the bar goes farther from your body, that's BAD - it generally leads to more torque on your back and increased injury risk. Personally, I wear windpants/warm-ups when I deadlift to limit the damage from the bar scraping my shins.3. Be sure to use your legs too - note that in the video the initial motion of the bar off the ground is driven largely by the legs. Too much back and not enough legs is one of the ways to hurt yourself on the deadlift. If you have good ROM on your hamstrings(as indicated by the ability to squat heavy at good depth) it makes good form easier to maintain. "Restlessness is discontent - and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man-and I will show you a failure." -Thomas Edison Link to comment
SuperUnison Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 +1 for starting strength. Also video yourself if you can so that you can compare your form. A good tip I got was keep your head looking ahead rather than down, helps keep your back straight. Link to comment
This is Seth Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 where should I deadlift (right now, I'm thinking the squat rack, since my gym has limited space/options; but I don't want to be 'that guy') Everyone else has answered the "how", so I'll answer the "where". Any where you want. Squat rack, fine. Power cage, fine. Middle of the floor, fine. You honestly don't need a ton of space, just enough for the barbell to start on the ground and make its way up your legs. My gym only has one power cage, no squat rack. So, I leave it alone and will usually just grab a bar off of a bench and set up shop right next to said bench. You ever see those guys who look like they totally used to be in shape? I'm working to get back to that... Link to comment
Gainsdalf the Whey Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 My gym only has one power cage, no squat rack. So, I leave it alone and will usually just grab a bar off of a bench and set up shop right next to said bench. Ditto for when I still went to the gym. Don't take up space in the squat rack using it to DL unless you are doing a variation that requires it. Almost as bad as curling there. M Massrandir, Barkûn, Swolórin, The Whey Pilgrim 500 / 330 / 625 Challenges: 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 34 35 36 39 41 42 45 46 47 48 49 Current Challenge "No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. " ~ Socrates "Friends don't let friends squat high." ~ Chad Wesley Smith "It's a dangerous business, Brodo, squatting to the floor. You step into the rack, and if you don't keep your form, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ Gainsdalf Link to comment
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