Competition doesn't start until the bar hits the floor :) Thanks for the ques, really good. I am a former competitive powerlifter and while I once knew all these things, it was a well needed refresher. I did hurt my back once and ironically it was with a warmup set I could do 20+ reps on. Just got lazy about it and that is all it took, technique is everything. Would love to hear some ques on sumo if you have them as well.
Thanks a lot Tommy! And you're spot on about technique! Ok I'd always say when you're setting up try to imagine you're picking up your favourite barbell from the nastiest pool of water you're trying to reach as far down as you can while keeping your head of of the manky water so long arms and shoulders towards the ground but also pulled towards your hips! And then imagine the barbell is a handle and it's your only leverage to try and push the earth away with your legs. So really focusing on not lifting the bar so much as pushing the ground away! You've got some bloody strong legs! Use them! And patience, you know how much you can lift when you were competing but don't expect to get back there overnight take your time and let your form build back up slowly. I always say the more patient you can be, the less patient you'll have to be! and let me know how you go!
I think the straps conversation is a little more nuanced. Switch and hook grip let you lift a lot more than double overhand no straps, but at the cost of bicep injury risk or the pain / injury risk to the hand in hook. Grip takes a very long time to develop. Much longer than your lats, hams, glutes. Grip also takes a lot longer to recover from effort mid workout, so you also will miss out on hypertrophy and work capacity. Straps like versa grips I think are a awesome compromise. You still have to grip the crap out of the bar but they help keep it from rolling out of your hands. My personal experience is to do as much as you can with no straps and once your grip fails then use the versas to get the needed work in. Eventually your grip will catch up.
Thanks Dominic! All really great points! I'll have to have look up versa grips Sometimes though we want that! If your grip is the slowest to develop and fastest to fatigue you're ensuring that your back has the greatest chance of keeping up. Which is really important especially when rehabbing a back for example
Thanks for the tips. I am a beginner currently doing some strength training twice a week. I feel like in the deadlift I often overthink my form a lot and have a hard time telling if my back is rounding. I know it sounds dumb, I should be able to tell if my own back is rounding, but I find when I’m in the middle of a lift it can be really hard for me to tell. I have relatively poor thoracic mobility so in the position off the ground I tend to have a slight round upper back already. Is this just something I need to practice or are there some cues and techniques I could implement to help know what my back is doing?
G’Day Primo and congrats on getting started! Not dumb at all! Completely normal! Don’t over think it for now start getting comfy with it! The best way to check is to try and record yourself and see how it looks! A bit of rounding in the upper back is fine as long as it’s not bending during the lift. Also check to see if your hips shoot up before the bar starts moving. And let me know how you go!
Beard is looking sick mate. Looking like an Australian Viking!
Hahaha thanks Mate! Best thing I've read all day!
Competition doesn't start until the bar hits the floor :) Thanks for the ques, really good. I am a former competitive powerlifter and while I once knew all these things, it was a well needed refresher. I did hurt my back once and ironically it was with a warmup set I could do 20+ reps on. Just got lazy about it and that is all it took, technique is everything. Would love to hear some ques on sumo if you have them as well.
Thanks a lot Tommy! And you're spot on about technique!
Ok I'd always say when you're setting up try to imagine you're picking up your favourite barbell from the nastiest pool of water you're trying to reach as far down as you can while keeping your head of of the manky water so long arms and shoulders towards the ground but also pulled towards your hips!
And then imagine the barbell is a handle and it's your only leverage to try and push the earth away with your legs.
So really focusing on not lifting the bar so much as pushing the ground away! You've got some bloody strong legs! Use them!
And patience, you know how much you can lift when you were competing but don't expect to get back there overnight take your time and let your form build back up slowly. I always say the more patient you can be, the less patient you'll have to be!
and let me know how you go!
Many good beginner tips, thanks a lot
Thanks Max! I hope they help
Nice one. I just hit 165kg yesterday.
I think the straps conversation is a little more nuanced. Switch and hook grip let you lift a lot more than double overhand no straps, but at the cost of bicep injury risk or the pain / injury risk to the hand in hook.
Grip takes a very long time to develop. Much longer than your lats, hams, glutes.
Grip also takes a lot longer to recover from effort mid workout, so you also will miss out on hypertrophy and work capacity.
Straps like versa grips I think are a awesome compromise. You still have to grip the crap out of the bar but they help keep it from rolling out of your hands.
My personal experience is to do as much as you can with no straps and once your grip fails then use the versas to get the needed work in. Eventually your grip will catch up.
Thanks Dominic! All really great points!
I'll have to have look up versa grips
Sometimes though we want that! If your grip is the slowest to develop and fastest to fatigue you're ensuring that your back has the greatest chance of keeping up. Which is really important especially when rehabbing a back for example
Thanks for the tips. I am a beginner currently doing some strength training twice a week. I feel like in the deadlift I often overthink my form a lot and have a hard time telling if my back is rounding. I know it sounds dumb, I should be able to tell if my own back is rounding, but I find when I’m in the middle of a lift it can be really hard for me to tell. I have relatively poor thoracic mobility so in the position off the ground I tend to have a slight round upper back already. Is this just something I need to practice or are there some cues and techniques I could implement to help know what my back is doing?
G’Day Primo and congrats on getting started! Not dumb at all! Completely normal!
Don’t over think it for now start getting comfy with it! The best way to check is to try and record yourself and see how it looks! A bit of rounding in the upper back is fine as long as it’s not bending during the lift.
Also check to see if your hips shoot up before the bar starts moving.
And let me know how you go!