[quote]caveman101 wrote:
funny how technical picking a bar off the floor can be[/quote]
No kidding.
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
funny how technical picking a bar off the floor can be[/quote]
No kidding.[/quote]
It’s probably the most technical. Which is why, for the most part, everyones deadlift sucks.
Oh, you can make it non-technical… After all, a spinal disk is really just a bio-frisbee and the average human has enough of them that losing a few doesn’t really matter… Right? 
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
Your shoulders need to be behind the bar. The deadlift is a pull up and back. What the hell are you going to pull back on if your shoulders are in front of the bar? Also, they arent really talking about shoulder positioning if you really read into what they are talking about.
Rip talks about scapular alignment with the bar, which is what really matters, and how they need to be directly above it. That doesnt mean shoulders in front of the bar. That means arch the shit out of your upper back.
People who say not to put the bar too far out in front, everyone is different. Most people cant get optimal leverage with the bar starting against their shins. Like I said before. The deadlift is up and back. There is nothing to pull back on if your are grinding the bar against your shins.
Personally, I start out with the bar lined up with the knuckles of my big toes and I have a size 15 foot. So, thats pretty far away but I can keep my scapulas lined up with the bar, actually use my hips once the bar is off the floor, and have the best possible leverage at my lockout(my weakpoint).[/quote]
I’m posting in this thread again to ask you a question. You mention arching your upper back like hell. Dave Tate and others always advocate rounding the upper back. What gives? Different parameters for different sized guys?
Rippetoe’s recommended body mechanics are a little different than what Tate and Wendler like. Arching hard and staying upright like what Rip describes lends itself to huge leg drive from the floor and a pull that looks more like the first pull in a clean. The hips start low and come up as the knees extend and the torso stays very tight. The lifter squats down to the bar to start. Quad dominant guys do well with this style, especially if they pull fast and learn how to lock the quads out hard. Tate and others talk about rounding the upper back because it reduces the distance of the pull by making your torso shorter.
The idea is to increase leverage that the hips and spinal erectors can exert. The lifter will start with hips higher than the first method and round the thoracic portion of the back while keeping the lower back arched. The start is more about getting into a good position to apply force with the hips and then rounding over enough to grab the bar while staying in that position. The pull is very hip dominant with alot of pulling back and driving the hips through. Just two different styles. I pulled the way Rip does when I competed in O-lifting but switched to a higher hip position and a rounded upper back when I got into PL and my numbers are higher now. Everyone is different.
In my observation at alot meets and in training over the years is that people who can DL well with a really rounded upper back are the exception and not the rule. The guys who do it successfully seem to maintain whatever back angle they start out with, even if the upper back is rounded a bit. The people who start arched or neutral and get rounded over alot on the way up are rarely able to lockout the weight without hitching. I think for most people, they should try to arch the entire back very hard. With a maximal pull they often won’t stay perfectly arched all the way up, but they won’t end up looking like a scared cat. For myself, I find that if my upper back rounds much it “flows” downward and it’s nearly impossible to round my upper back while keeping the lower back arched.
I’ve never put a lot of thought into it, seriously. Bend over and pick it up is what I’ve done. It doesn’t mean I try to lift with what I call bad form, but it seems my “form” is better when I’m stronger. And no, I don’t think it’s the other way around.
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
Your shoulders need to be behind the bar. The deadlift is a pull up and back. What the hell are you going to pull back on if your shoulders are in front of the bar? Also, they arent really talking about shoulder positioning if you really read into what they are talking about.
Rip talks about scapular alignment with the bar, which is what really matters, and how they need to be directly above it. That doesnt mean shoulders in front of the bar. That means arch the shit out of your upper back.
People who say not to put the bar too far out in front, everyone is different. Most people cant get optimal leverage with the bar starting against their shins. Like I said before. The deadlift is up and back. There is nothing to pull back on if your are grinding the bar against your shins.
Personally, I start out with the bar lined up with the knuckles of my big toes and I have a size 15 foot. So, thats pretty far away but I can keep my scapulas lined up with the bar, actually use my hips once the bar is off the floor, and have the best possible leverage at my lockout(my weakpoint).[/quote]
I’m similar. Size 8 foot, mid foot bar location and the bar never scrapes my shins. I’m right at 200 lbs btw.
[quote]tom63 wrote:
I’m similar. Size 8 foot, mid foot bar location and the bar never scrapes my shins. I’m right at 200 lbs btw.[/quote]
Pixie feet. 
[quote]tom63 wrote:
I’ve never put a lot of thought into it, seriously. Bend over and pick it up is what I’ve done. It doesn’t mean I try to lift with what I call bad form, but it seems my “form” is better when I’m stronger. And no, I don’t think it’s the other way around.[/quote]
Ah, deadlift. An enigma wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in some iron. I’ve talked w/lifters who say if their setup is off by an inch, it will make or break the attempt everytime. Conversely, I’ve seen some awesome (measured in lbs. kind of awesome, that is) lifts where the walk up to the platform and lift all seem to occur in one motion. OP, go sumo! Problem solved.
Mentions the DL bars position in relation to the shins (and indirectly the shoulders)
That was a pretty interesting video. I had never thought to try and tense my lats and upper back before dead lifting.