Shin Angle and Your Deadlift
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This deadlifter has a problem. Can you figure out what it is?
Incorrect stance - too close to the bar (shins actually touching the bar in this case)
Correct stance with shins 1 inch from the bar.
In the setup for the deadlift, we sometimes see the problem of people setting up too close to the bar, and taking a look at your shin angle can help identify this problem. This problem is usually born of good intentions and is similar to the “shoving the knees too far out in the squat” problem (yes, that actually does happen with some people). We know we’re supposed to shove our knees out, and then we accidentally - and almost always unknowingly - overdo it. Likewise, in the deadlift, you know you’re supposed to set up close to the bar, and then you accidentally overdo it by setting up too close.
Remember, step #1 of the deadlift setup is “Set up with the bar over your midfoot - with your shins one inch from the bar.” It is NOT simply “Set up close to the bar.”
This is where looking at your shin angle can help. In the deadlift setup, at the start of the pull, everyone will have a small shin angle (measured from vertical) if the bar is over midfoot, i.e., the shin will be angled slightly forward, but the actual amount will vary slightly with anthropometry. With this variance in mind, there is no single shin angle that will be correct for everyone, but there is one angle that is wrong for everyone, and that’s zero degrees. In other words, if your shins are completely vertical as you’re about to pull the bar off the floor, the bar is in the wrong spot with respect to the middle of your foot.
Setting up too close to the bar creates the tell-tale warning sign of vertical shins.
If you notice that your shins are vertical as you’re about to pull (or if you record yourself and notice it on video), then one of three things has happened:
You set up too close to the bar for your first rep. Solution? Take your stance with your shins one inch from the bar - not with your shins arbitrarily close to the bar.
You set the bar down (after pulling the previous rep) too close to your shins. Solution? Set it down over the middle of your foot, not up against your shins.
You set the bar down forward of the midfoot (or even directly over the midfoot) and then rolled it back to your shins. Solution? If you set the bar down forward of the midfoot, simply roll it back slightly to its correct position over the middle of your foot, and then bend your knees to bring your shins to the bar. The bar is the marker for your shins, not the other way around.
Setting up with shins 1 inch from the bar permits a slight forward angle of the shins.