Are You Finishing Your Deadlift Wrong?
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/11/22)
A common problem in the deadlift is a misunderstanding of what finishing the lift should look and feel like. This typically results in one of two situations - a lifter who doesn’t completely open the hips and therefore doesn’t actually complete the rep or a lifter who overdoes it and ends up finishing the lift with the back in overextension.
One of these results is insufficient, and the other is unnecessary. Both of them look ridiculous, so we’re going to try and fix this.
To see these errors demonstrated as well as how to correct them, watch the video below.
A finished deadlift (Figure 1) will have the knees fully extended, the hips fully extended, the chest up, and the shoulders back. In other words, the knees will be straight, the hips will be straight, and the shoulders will be behind the barbell. In even simpler terms, the lifter simply stands all the way up.
Figure 1: A correctly finished deadlift
If you find that you’re not finishing your deadlift, i.e., if your hips don’t open all the way and you look like you’re leaning over the bar like the fool in Figure 2, simply cue yourself to “Stand up” or “Stand up tall.”
Figure 2: An unfinished deadlift - don’t be like this fool.
If, on the other hand, you find that you’re overdoing the top of the deadlift, i.e., if you’re finishing the lift with your lumber spine in overextension (Figure 3), you can still use the cue “Stand up” (or “stand tall”) or you can also simply tell yourself, “Don’t lean back.”
Figure 3: An “overdone” deadlift - don’t be like this fool, either.
Fixing either of these problems is not complicated, but you’ve got to be aware that you have the problem in order to fix it, so we recommend that you either have a coach, or if that’s not possible, make sure that you record your lifts so that you can watch them.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)
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The Perfect Squat in 1 Minute | How to Squat Correctly
/Learn the correct technique for squatting in 60 seconds. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers how to squat safely, effectively, and efficiently.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?
The Testify Morning News - November 11, 2024
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video How to Load & Unload the Barbell for the Deadlift (in less than 3 minutes!) (click the title to watch):
B Sykes Beats
Wow the fish hook is a great design, so much more convenient than the clunky deadlift jack
Phil
I certainly can't take credit for the design, but it is indeed a pretty great design!
TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING
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ARTICLES & VIDEOS
4 Ways You're Using Your Wrist Wraps Wrong
How should you use your wrist wraps? There are a number of mistakes lifters make without knowing it. We address 4 common errors as well as how to fix them. Click here to watch.
Get a Bigger Squat Now with 3 Simple Tips
Phil covers 3 easy and quick ways to improve your squat and start setting new PRs right now. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: Starting Strength Squat/Low Bar Squat | Fix Your STANCE!
Is your crazy stance ruining your squat? Too narrow? Too wide? In this video - our 5th in a series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the squat - Phil and Mike quickly discuss and demonstrate how to solve this problem. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: How to Easily Build a Lifting Platform (and the EASIEST way to cut stall mats)
We show you how to easily build a lifting platform as well as how to quickly and easily cut horse stall mats for your platform without using a utility knife! Click here to read.
“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!
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WHAT'S COMING UP
Below are a few of our upcoming events, and you can always find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.
Benching Bonanza! The Annual Testify Bench Press Jubilee
November 22, 2024
Benching Bonanza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the bench press. There will be one bar, and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It'll be a ton of fun, so come on out!
Click here to register or for more information.
Barbell Blizzard! A Winter Wonderland of Weights
December 14, 2024
Barbell Blizzard is a team strength meet wherein the contested lifts will be the squat, press, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors will form teams of 2-4 lifters/team and perform all 4 lifts; each lifter will receive 3 attempts for each lift.
Click here to register or for more information.
THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING
Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10 rounds of:
Push sled 100 ft
Pull sled 100 ft (hand over hand)
Indoors:
20 rounds of:
Push sled 50 ft
Pull sled 50 ft (hand over hand)
Compare to 2024.09.09.
Option 2
Bike/row:
5 min on
4 min off
4 min on
3 min off
3 min on
2 min off
2 min on
1 min off
1 min on
Record distance for each interval and add for total distance.
Compare to 2024.08.19.
Option 3
5-10 rounds of:
30 sec ME tire flips
30 sec rest
Compare to 2024.07.22.
Option 4
For time:
500m row
5 x 80m sled push (200 ft if indoors)
500m row
Rest 1 minute after the first row and after each sled push.
Compare to 2024.07.22.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
Get a Bigger Squat Now with 3 Simple Tips
/Let’s cover three ways to immediately improve your squat.
Tip #1: Focal Point
First, have a focal point - don’t allow your eyes to wander during the rep or even between reps. Second, for the location of your focal point, pick a point on the floor roughly 4-6 feet in front of you and stare at it throughout the entire set.
This is useful for balance, and it also encourages you to lean over as you start your descent and stay leaned over as you initiate your hip drive coming up out of the hole.
Tip #2: Knees Out
As you start your descent, shove your knees out. Specifically, shove them in the direction of your toes, and since you’re going to take a shoulder-width stance with your toes pointed out at roughly 30 degrees, this means your knees should travel both forward and out (i.e., forward and apart). With that said, focus on the “out” or the “apart” aspect of this movement.
Rob shoves his knees apart so his femurs track in line with his toes, and addy approves.
Shoving your knees apart makes it easier to hit depth in the squat and also makes for a stronger, more efficient squat as it helps involve your adductors more in the movement.
As a side note, it is possible - though less common - to shove your knees too far out. In this case, your femurs are tracking outside of your toes, and we don’t want this either, so simply point your knees in the direction your shoes are pointing, and you’ll quite literally be headed in the right direction.
Tip #3: Your Lean
This is the most counterintuitive of the tips presented in this article, but it contributes mightily to the effectiveness and efficiency of your squat.
Lean over as you start your descent, and stay leaned over as you come up out of the hole on the ascent.
In other words, as you begin the squat, reach back with your hips and point your chest at the floor. As you initiate your hip drive coming out of the bottom of the squat, stay leaned over longer than you think you should. This will put you in a better, stronger position for squatting.
Yes, your back angle becomes vertical eventually (after all, you finish the squat in an upright position), but it should not become vertical right away, and to try to make your torso vertical right away makes for a weaker, disadvantaged squat. With all of this in mind, get leaned over, and then stay leaned over.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)