Deadlift Setup + Form Advice

Training Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Hello everyone, hope your doing well,

Before even start, I want you to know that I’m a french guy who will certainly make somes mistakes of langage and I apologise right now for any wrongs words or strange sentence.

I write my question here, in the Powerlifting section because even if I don’t plan to compete, I want a strong deadlift, and you’re the pros when it come to add weight to the bar in regard of form, set-up etc.

So quite intro here, I just turn 19 in the begining of the month and had been strength training for soon two years (the next month). I’m 5ft 9" and 160-164lbs lean. I have a max deadlift of 363lbs (so 2,26xBW) and have had trouble getting stronger on it since the end of my first year of training when I hit a 330lbs single. I have trouble knowing what form and what set-up I can use because between what’s the champions do, what’s some Youtube channels show (Omar Isulf, CanditoTraining anyone ?) and what we found on T Nation, I kind of completly loss myself in all the informations.

So here is two videos, on with a deadlift that I have do while pushing with the knees (using quad) and lockout with glutes. The other one (on a second message) is doing the “push throught” (using ham + glutes at the beginning).

My questions are this (understand please that I want to take it like if I was a beginner, and because I have no one stronger than me to coach IRL my deadlift I just have Youtube and TNation for serious tips):

_Is the deadlift a knee extension or a hip extension or both ?
_Because my hips shoot up early at the beginning of the lift, do I need to start higher or is it a hip flexor tighness/weak core problem ?
_I’m completly loss about the set-up position because, despite my goods leverages for pulling, I have high laxity of joint (or high mobility) and can achieve the set-up rules (neutral low back/shoulders blade above bar/shins touching the bar) with three differents positions (playing with upper back rouding/hips flexion/knee flexion).

Thanks for reading me and for any tips you could gave me. And also, thanks for the patience to read this 10 times longer message full of writing errors.

Have a nice day all.

2

Here is the second video with more posterior chain involvement. I forget to say that I’m weak off the floor and have no problem to lock out 400lbs from just below the knees or finishing a last grinded rep with just my lower back without any rounding in both low and upper back and without loss of tighness in lats.

PS: I just realise that the song is not in touch with the video and that’s it’s really high. Beware of my grumf and the sounds of the bar who smashes the floor. :S

3

Just based off your video and information, I wouldn’t change anything. I think if you spent less time pumping yourself up before your pull, that would probably help. Back looked solid. Hard to tell, but if you think your hips are shooting up early then yeah, I’d start them a little higher. Whatever feels better/stronger to you, do it. I think you just need some programming if you’ve been stuck at a certain weight. What’s your set/rep scheme look like?

4

[quote]Rschwitalski wrote:
Just based off your video and information, I wouldn’t change anything. I think if you spent less time pumping yourself up before your pull, that would probably help. Back looked solid. Hard to tell, but if you think your hips are shooting up early then yeah, I’d start them a little higher. Whatever feels better/stronger to you, do it. I think you just need some programming if you’ve been stuck at a certain weight. What’s your set/rep scheme look like?[/quote]

Thanks you for the speed of the answer. By not changing anything, you mean stop worried about y set up and form to much ?
I have never think to just go for it and not taking the time to set-up. I will try it.
The problem with my hips is that on the first vid, I use a solid amount of quad and then lock out with glutes. If I begin hip higher, I’m weaker and I pull toward me like if I was to far away from the barbell.

About the programming it has been first yolo session with 4x8-10 with max weight and increase when scheme complete, and then some customized progression (5x5 => 4x6 => 3x8) then 5/3/1 and then some Chaos and Pain (15 singles@80-95% with 30-60s rest between set) but I have completly stalled with 5/3/1 since three months. I ramp up in the percentages like you need to do and on the day I was doing all out with 363lbs I just manage to do one grueling rep (instead of three). I deload and start lighter but it’s doesn’t improve.
On the assistance exercises, I do a shit load of back volume everyday (close to 400 pull-up/week with 3-6 sets of 10-20 of row everyday), I do some ATG front squat, SGDL, SG High Pull from blocks, GHR and sprint on conditionning day.

5

Your form looks very good, but I would work on making your set-up prior to the pull more efficient–look at videos of Bolton, Lilliebridge, and Coan–they have a consistent and simple approach to the set-up.

Your programming volume looks high if your goal is to improve your 1 rep max. I would cut your pull-up and row volume in half–in fact skip it entirely for the two days prior to a serious deadlift workout.

6

Thanks for all your advice, I have read and watch a lot of stuff about deadlifting and I am running a 8-12 weeks cycle right now of linear periodization (an article post in january, basicly taking 70-75% of max (I took 352lbs) and increase each week by 5%/10-20lbs until you hit a 3 rep max).

So the problem was really about my set-up, as you thought and I have tweak it like this: I take a little closer grip (my hands are straight below my shoulders and it’s make me lose 1" of ROM, feets more duck stance and closer with little more knee flexion). I have done 265lbsx12 really easy (I was dying at 8 rep but that’s okay) without posture losening and everything feel more natural. I have also more thighter lats this way and the barbell have completly destroy my shins, knees and lower quads.

Thanks you everyone for your help, I hope one day doing the same for you.

Have a nice day.