Had a fun pump session for the shoot at 11am - mainly some DB presses, seated row, DB bicep curls, triceps pull downs - anything to help swell up.
Then 9 holes with my wife. She went out with the girls to celebrate all her hard work, so I thought I’d head to the gym and get a session in. Came in with no plan and boy does it show.
It would see as though I have lost around 10kg on my deadlift - although comparing trap bar deads with conventional deads isn’t perfect and around 2.5kg on my bench. I’m pretty happy with that. I genuinely think once I am fed up after the deficit and now that I am finally seemingly able to get a better contraction in my right shoulder and retract and depress the scapula that I may see some good improvement on these numbers… we’ll see.
I’m also working very hard to accept that my weight will increase slightly over the coming weeks as I slowing increase my macros. Rationally I know that this has to happen if I am to grow, but my BDD makes me rail against this. It will be a challenge.
Weight - 92.0kg - hopefully this is just water weight. I’ve not had a ‘blow out’ meal since the shoot on Friday and have just upped my carbs intake to get my total calorie intake closer to my maintenance level; estimate that even now I am shy of that intake too.
After a long period of getting in shape for the shoot, today was the first strength orientated session I have done in a while.
Loved putting some proper (all relative) weight on the bar and moving. I have never been that comfortable with deadlifting and I am trying to use this phase to ingrain the movement and get stronger in it. I feel as though I am getting tight and it is feeling smooth. One question I have for those that have more experience than me (@littlesleeper I’m looking to you) is, is it a good sign that I am taking most of the skin off of my shins. I know that I need to keep the bar tight, but does that suggest I am overdoing it or need to vary my set up slightly?
Unfortunately, yes, this is common for a proper bar path during a deadlift. Not everyone requires contact with their shins during their pulls (leverages, stance, etc), but I’ve had bloody shins through my high socks before from deadlifting.
This is especially true once the weight starts approaching a higher % of my 1RM. My lighter sets I can get away with leaving the bar a tad out in front, leaving my shins alone.
I appreciate the tag, and I’ll tag a few more who are definitely more in tune with form than I am. @MarkKO@Frank_C@simo74@mortdk (There are definitely more peeps out there, but these fellas have offered valuable suggestions on my form, more than once).
@littlesleeper is spot on. It’s very common for the bar to travel up the shins especially as you get to maxing out. If you don’t want to look all banged up then Best thing is a pair of long socks or some calf sleeves. It maybe worth doing a video of your deadlift from the side so we can see your set up. If your feet are too far under the bar then you may be pulling the bar back into your shins more than you need to. Post something up and I’m sure the list of guys littlesleeper tagged above will jump in with help if needed.
@littlesleeper@Frank_C@simo74 thanks for all of the comments. I guess I’ll just toughen up. I asked someone to watch me run through some deads last night and he suggested I was maybe going a little low with my hips in the bottom of the movement so that my knees were tracking a little too far over the bar and, therefore, giving the bar nowhere to go but along my shins.
I’ll see if I can keep my hips higher and make it a less bloody experience and I’ll ask my wife to film some working sets next time we’re in the gym together.
Maybe try to keep your shins more vertical, so sit back more. This will pull the bar back into the shins but because the shins are already vertical you shouldn’t tear them up too much.
Everyone’s body is a little different. There’s no specific technique in terms of joint angles. I start with my hips a bit higher than some folks because it’s where I’m strong. I tried getting my hips lower and I just ended up moving my hips first in the movement. The bar didn’t move until my hips were in the higher position. I guess I could fight it and try to force it but my form works for me.
A video can be useful. You don’t even have to post it - just seeing yourself can be helpful because you can connect the dots between what you feel and how you actually look.
I think most have been said around here, DL is a little different for everybody.
I’ll just go with @Frank_C and say that if you do a couple of heavy doubles or triples and go with a mix of touch and go and dead stop then you strongest position is on rep two and three.
Take a video and see if your setup is very close to were your body is at, on rep two and three. I think a some people start lower with the hip than they need to.
I saw your Instagram video. Your form is great with that weight. Were you scraping your shins during that set?
Heavy sets really reveal your technique but if you maintain that form then you’re great. The scraping of the shins may just be something you have to deal with. The length of the femur and tibia/fibula kind of dictates where things will line up when you pull.
The load was seriously light - it really was about me trying to groove the form. From memory I think I only had 40kg plus the bar. I will try and get a video with a decent weight to see if I maintain those positions under stress.
Big thanks for the comments and suggestions though.
No, @Frank_C, under that load my shins were safe and blood free.
@mortdk@littlesleeper@simo74@Frank_C
I’ve uploaded a couple of videos with me adding some weight. Any feedback will be gratefully received. Keen to nail form before I start aggressively loading it.
Thanks for the tag Steig
I think it looks pretty good,
Your shins could be more vertical, so if you could sit back a little more.
BUT I’m really not that good at coaching.
Maybe @khangles would chime in here. He really has helped me a ton. @MarkKO is another one.
