Dear Steemians,
Thanks for checking back in!! So my first day back was on Sunday, September 4th and I decided to begin working on my dead lift form.
First of all I think that we should all realize that it does not matter how strong you appear, if you cannot lift the weight with proper form and control. Okay now that we have that out of the way I wanted to give you guys some tips for proper dead lift form.
There are many things to learn about the dead lift, DO NOT be discouraged!! It is a difficult exercise to master. HOWEVER, I truly believe that it is one of the most crucial exercises to learn and master. Well lets jump into it...
- the NEUTRAL spine is crucial
- chest and head over bar, try to avoid looking UP during the movement
- feet about shoulder width apart
- WEIGHT BACK!!!! It is crucial to keep your weight loaded back, and drive through the ground.
- keep your shoulders retracted, everything should be tight. Your SHOULDERS should not be hanging over the bar
- remember to alternate you grip! we do not want to develop imbalances
- remember to fill your lungs and to keep your core as tight as possible.
- PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Also, before getting in the gym and dead lifting immediately make sure to stretch your body and be FLEXIBLE enough to properly execute the movement, there is no point to hurting oneself now and preventing future growth. Leave your egos at home ladies and gentleman.
Here are a few pictures of my warm ups and my top sets during yesterdays workout:
Notice here that my head is too far up, this puts strain on the upper back as well as on the neck. This was a warm up set of 185 lbs for 5 reps.
This was my last set of 285 lbs for three reps. Notice here that my head is still too far up, but it is a little better!!
Also if you guys really want to master your form (WHICH YOU SHOULD) then I recommend that you guys record your sets so that you can go back to them and self-critique your form.
Anyways, thanks for checking in steemians!! I hope this helped, if you have any questions whatsoever please feel free to ask!! Till next time!!