This is KILLING Your Deadlift: 2 Errors . . . 1 Solution! | EASY and FAST
/Are these two errors destroying your deadlift? Find out and fix them in under 2 minutes.
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Setting Down the Deadlift
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Anjali positions the bar over the middle of her foot in the deadlift setup position.
(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/19/19.)
When you take your stance for the deadlift, you do so in a position that places the bar directly over the middle of your foot, i.e., with your shins about an inch from the bar. This is all well and good for that first rep, but you also want to pull every subsequent rep from that same midfoot position. It is not uncommon to see lifters set the bar down well in front of the midfoot (and yes, sometimes even behind the midfoot), and they then have to spend extra time and effort at the bottom of the deadlift getting the bar back to the proper position for the next pull.
Let’s fix this.
When you lower the deadlift, you do so by bending primarily at the hips first - reaching back with your hips and sliding the bar down your thighs by bending at your waist - and bending at the knees second. If you do this, you stand a very good chance of setting the bar down right where you picked it up in the first place - over your midfoot. However, if you find that you still struggle to put the bar down in the right spot, try this: look right at the middle of your foot as you set the bar down.
If you look at the middle of your foot, tell yourself to set the bar down RIGHT THERE, and keep looking at the middle of your foot as you lower the bar, I bet you’ll find that your body takes care of the rest, and magically, that bar will be in the right spot for your next pull. If you find yourself constantly setting the bar down in the wrong spot, give this a try for a few sessions and see if it doesn’t fix the problem.
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Easy Setup for Deadlift, Snatch, & Clean
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Whether you’re deadlifting, cleaning, or snatching, we’d like a setup process that is as simple, efficient, and consistent as possible. With that in mind, we’re going to take the 5-step deadlift setup process and quickly learn how to apply it - with very minor modifications - to the clean and the snatch.
DEADLIFT SETUP
Let’s briefly recap the 5-step deadlift process, and for a more detailed treatment, you can watch the included video.
Step 1: Stance
The stance is narrow (heels about hip width apart), your shins are one inch from the bar, which places the bar over the middle of your foot, and your toes are pointed out slightly (roughly 10-15 degrees).
Step 2: Grip
Bend over and take your grip on the bar. Your grip is relatively narrow - just outside the legs. Don’t let your shins touch the bar during this step, and DO NOT move the bar (i.e., don’t let the bar roll forward or backward at all).
tyler demonstrates the deadlift start position and is ready to pull.
Step 3: Shins
Bend your knees slightly until your shins touch the bar (this means your hips should drop, but only a bit). Also, shove your knees out slightly - your knees should touch the insides of your arms. Again, do not move the bar.
Step 4: Chest
Squeeze your chest up to set your back in rigid, flat extension. Your hips DO NOT drop during this step, and you still DO NOT move the bar.
Step 5: Pull
Pushing the floor away from you with your legs, drag the bar up your legs until you’ve locked out the bar at the top of the lift.
CLEAN SETUP
Moving on to the clean, there are two small changes. Step 1 (stance) is the same, and we then encounter the first change in Step 2 (grip): your grip for the clean is one hand-width wider than it was for the deadlift.
maddie demonstrates the start position for the clean.
Step 3 (shins) brings about the other small change. You still bring your shins to the bar by bending your knees slightly, but since your grip is a bit wider, you also shove your knees out a little more than you did in the deadlift so that the knees still touch the insides of your arms.
After this, you then move on to Step 4 (chest) and Step 5 (pull).
SNATCH SETUP
Moving on to the snatch, we have three changes. The first change shows up right away in Step 1 (stance): point your toes out wider than they were in the deadlift and clean - roughly 30 degrees (you’ll see the reason for this shortly).
The second change arrives in Step 2 (grip): your grip is significantly wider than it was in the deadlift or the clean. It should be wide enough that the bar hangs at the crease of your hips when you are holding the bar with straight arms in a completely upright (i.e., standing) position.
becky demonstrates the start position for the snatch.
The third and final change shows up in Step 3 (shins): once again, you still bend your knees to bring your shins to the bar, but since your grip is significantly wider than that of the deadlift or clean, you also shove your knees out significantly wider than you did with the other two lifts. This very noticeable “knees out” position is why you point your toes out quite a bit in Step 1 of the snatch setup.
After Step 3, you then move on to Step 4 (chest) and Step 5 (pull).
SUMMARY
To recap, the 5 steps are always as follows: stance, grip, shins, chest, and pull. However, the execution of certain steps changes due to the grip width of the clean and the snatch.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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5 Ways You're Ruining Your Deadlift!
/Quit making these mistakes when deadlifting! We cover 5 common deadlift errors and also cover how to fix these mistakes.
(This video is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/13/21.)
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The Deadlift: Sock it to Me, Baby
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(This article is a Blast from the Past article originally posted on 05/28/21.)
Want an easy way to improve your deadlift?
Wear long socks. Seriously. When you deadlift, wear socks that go over your calves and up to a point just below your knees. Of course, sweatpants or leggings will work as well, but for pure fashion - and I’m an expert on this topic - I recommend the classic, old-school tube sock with the horizontal stripes.
Why long socks? Two reasons:
First, you’ll keep the bar closer. Remember, step 5 in the deadlift setup is “drag” - i.e., drag the bar up your legs. This keeps the bar close to your body, over the middle of your foot, and it makes for the most efficient pull. Have you ever tried holding a jug of milk out at arm’s length? It’s a lot easier when you keep it close to your body, and the deadlift is no different. Lifters will automatically keep the bar closer to their legs when they’re not worried about scraping their shins, which brings us to . . .
Second, you’ll prevent yourself from having bloody shins when you actually succeed in keeping the bar close. You don’t want bloody shins - once they bleed, it’s amazingly easy to break those scabs back open again in successive workouts - and we don’t want your DNA on the bar.
Now, if you’ve never let a deadlift drift away from your shins, and if you’ve never had bloody shins when pulling, then feel free to ignore this advice, but your day will come too, my friend, and when it does, you’ll wish you had a pair of those sweet socks.
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