deadlift form

[Shane_]

Whenever I deadlift and try to do it bent legged it always ends up as a straight legged deadlift. I know the things i should do, just find it so hard in practice.

Any tips? Just drag it up my shins and lean back?

[Lumber]

Lower the weight and nail your form down.

Or

Treat each rep in your set as a single. Lift, down, reolad. Concentrate on each rep and doing it right.

[Joe]

Lower the weight.

But it also sounds like your hams and glutes are weak and you're using your back to compensate. Remember your body will always try the most advantageous way to lift something. So while your weight is relatively low on deadlifts try strengthening your posterior chain, but focus on hams and glutes.

Some things I would try: Glute and Ham Raises, Good Mornings, Stiff legged deadlift with a wide grip, Pull Thrus, reverse hypers, and all their variations

[Confuse]

I sort of have the same problem. I feel way more pressure on my back when I'm raising the weight than on my glutes. I think I sometimes unknowingly tilt my head down and it contributes to pulling with my arms/back before passing the bar at the knee point. When dropping down, how fast do you normally go? I find that I either go way too slow and that contributes to back rounding or I don't drop down fully due to the head tilting factor or a lack of flexibility at my legs, which I fear if I drop too low, I won't be able to "spring" back up. Which, now that I think about it, it has become more problematic and the weight has increased.

As far as I know, the down position isn't quite a full parallel squat, correct? What I am trying to do which, when I do, feel works better, is to drop down and make sure my my ass isn't sticking up in the air and that my head remains high and I go back to this "leap frog" position again and spring back up. But sometimes, after a few reps I forget this and focus on some other issue, and lose it all together. I'm sure there's way more flaws in my form than I'm noticing. I gotta take a video sometime...

Could my problem also been not dragging the weight close enough to my shins and legs too? When I started learning to dead lift (which wasn't long ago), I had some hardcore shin and knee bruising and the occasional open sore. ;[ Its not so bad now, but I think I grew some maladaptive aversion to getting closer to the bar. My starting position is normally midpoint the shoe lace line, maybe not exactly dead center, but slightly more toward my ankle, but surely not at the ankle position itself. Any further and I just crash the weight into my shins and bump my knees.

[F-Mac]

You want the bar as close to your shins as possible as it is gives you the best mechanical advantage. It also sounds like you are doing your reps touch and go, this is fine but ideally, you should be stopping the weight on the floor between each rep, there should be no stretch reflex between reps, hence the name "dead-lift".

The only other thing I will say is that while you do need your legs to some extent, by the time the weight hits your knees on the ascent, they should be straight and the remainder of the lift is accomplished by driving your hips forward to lock out the weight.

[Cavt]

The only other thing I will say is that while you do need your legs to some extent, by the time the weight hits your knees on the ascent, they should be straight and the remainder of the lift is accomplished by driving your hips forward to lock out the weight.

Going slightly off topic. When you say, that your legs should be straight, usually my legs are still somewhat bent. (not really bent, but if you watch the first video below its kinda like that) It seems like I've seen some do the dead lift, so that their legs are slightly bent in the first video, or more so straight like the second video, and now I'm just kinda confused of what is more correct..?

For example:

In this video, if you pause it right when the guy has the bar at his knee's his legs are still somewhat bent.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7253805783041094180


In this video, his legs are more straight at his knees, or so it looks like his legs are straight.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8204786222930771738

I'm hoping that somewhat bent legs is ok? Or does that just mean the form is just messed up?

[F-Mac]

Slight bend is fine and won't hurt anything.

[Buellmph]

I have watched video after video, trying to get the right form. I have concluded one thing, everyone tends to do them differently... I always thought that you should never use your back, but i see powerlifters using about 90% back, and some people useing 75% legs. I think ideally it should be a 50/50 effort between legs and back.
I am no expert but "Breaking Form" would be hard to define. My legs are like 5 feet long, so Im in like a sumo postion at the start of deads and end up using alot of back at the start. I domine in a mirror and try to make sure nothing looks out of sorts when im repping, mainly i try not to get "Jerky" in movements and I keep my Reps low.
I am a noob soo... thats just my $.02