Are You Setting Your Back WRONG in the Deadlift?
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Stop making this mistake with your shoulders when you’re deadlifting.
The Mistake
What mistake, you say? We’re talking about the error of shoulder retraction when setting up for the deadlift. To be clear, we don’t want shoulder retraction at any point in the deadlift, but it’s only ever a problem in the setup (no one tries to do this once the bar is moving).
When you make this mistake, you make it in step 4 of the 5-step setup for the deadlift. Watch the included video for an introduction (or refresher) to the 5-step setup, but for now, here’s the quick version:
Stance: Shins 1” from the barbell
Grip: Bend over to grip the bar
Shins: Bend your knees to touch your shins to the bar
Chest: Squeeze your chest up to set your back
Pull: Drag the bar up your legs
Figure 1: Good heavens - don’t do this.
If you’re committing the error of shoulder retraction (Figure 1), then you are accidentally pulling your shoulder blades back while (or instead of) squeezing your chest up. Watch yourself on video, and you’ll notice that it looks like you’re getting closer to the barbell when you do this . . . because you actually are.
Why This is a Problem
Retracting the shoulder blades gives you functionally shorter arms when you set up to pull, and shorter arms are never an advantage in the deadlift.
Additionally, this is a weak position - you won’t be able to (nor do you need to) maintain retracted shoulders under anything approaching a challenging weight. You’ve now introduced unnecessary slack into the system, and you’ve also created additional variability in your setup position.
This error is often accompanied by bent wrists (i.e., bent backward in extension), and on video, you’ll often notice that it looks like you’re pushing downward on the bar (i.e., resting your weight on the bar), which you may in fact be doing.
Figure 2: This . . . is much better.
How to Fix It
Keep it simple. When setting your back during step 4, you can cue yourself to “squeeze your chest up,” you can cue yourself to “push your belly down between your thighs,” but leave your shoulders out of the picture entirely (Figure 2).
If that approach doesn’t solve the problem, remind yourself that your arms should be as long and as straight as possible (wrists too). Imagine trying to move up and away from the bar as far as possible while still being connected to the bar by your hands. If you watched Inspector Gadget as a kid, then the cue “Go-Go-Gadget-Arms!” actually works pretty well here.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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