Tore up lower back trying to do hex-bar DL, so have switched to nothing but RDL’s. Long arms, shorter legs, I’m guessing is the cause for my naturally awful DL form and fear of returning to them.
Does anyone have advice?
Long arms and short legs are the recipe for a phenomenal DL. So I’m a bit confused. Perhaps post a video of your DL?
I find RDLs quite taxing on my back. Way more than hex bar pulls, which distribute the weight more evenly.
Thanks, had no idea. I figured it would cause the weakness in low-back b/c I let my monkey arms do most of the work and rarely employ legs for bending. I honestly haven’t attempted a real DL in over a year b/c I couldn’t walk upright for a week last time I tried.
RDL’s work my hamstrings most (it seems). DL’s just look different on everyone, and the way I first learned them just seems all wrong to me. From the ground, up!
Monkey arms and short legs should shorten your ROM, putting you at an advantage. But it shouldn’t take the legs outta the equation. Rather than giving up on DL altogether, I’d rather see a video. There are lots of knowledgeable people here who can provide good advice for fixing form and staving off injury.
I agree with Snap. Your form is likely off on conventional pulls. Long arms and short legs are definitely a good combination for deads. Post a video of a something around 90% of your max conventional pull.
I will try to set this up then. I really feel like I need to be able to do them, which is what drove me to ask for opinions. I think the hex bar was probably a bad choice last year too, so I will definitely try with regular bar and 45’s to start.
Thanks for the push.