The deadlift is one of the most applicable lifts in here to the outside world. Lifting heavy boxes, appliances, etc, is an all too common way for people to injure their backs. What should be a functional natural movement got sabotaged by the inevitable quad dominance resulting from a lifetime of sitting in chairs. The trouble is, when your quads do all of the work, your glutes tend to turn off, which is a problem when you’re trying to deadlift a heavy barbell.

Here are some common deadlift mistakes and some cues to fix them:

1. Lifting with the back: Do you feel soreness in your lower back and your hamstrings and glutes feel fresh as a daisy after a heavy deadlift? Chances are, you are trying to lift the bar by raising your shoulders and chest up. Or you are bringing the bar around the front of your knees. Instead, try to think about pushing the ground away as you stand up. Make way for the bar to come up by pushing your knees slowly out of the way of the bar.

2. Knees buckling in: When the knees buckle in towards each other, it’s a sign your glutes aren’t working as they should. Shove your knees out and think about spreading the ground apart with your feet.

3. Hips rise up faster than shoulders on the way up: Usually this occurs as a result of weaker lats or from a lack of midline stability (weak core/trunk). When this happens, you end up with your knees locked out by the time the bar gets to your knees and you have to ‘good morning’ the bar to finish.

3. Hyperextending the back at the finish: Most people actually injure themselves during the deadlift in the finish position and not the start. The tendency for some people is to pull their shoulders as far back as possible to overemphasize the finish. Instead, just stand tall with your glutes tight and pushing your hips forward.

4. Bending knees too early on the way down: Most of the time, this occurs as a compensation for either weak hamstrings, weak lats, or tight hamstrings. Do your best to drive your heels into the ground like you’re trying to dig a hole with them, push your butt back while keeping the bar grazing your skin. Don’t bend the knees until the bar gets past them on the way down.

For today’s lift, focus on one or two fixes per set. If you put together a mantra of all of these fixes, your brain will be overloaded and it will backfire! For example, if you have trouble with 1 & 2, think ‘push down’ and ‘knees out.’ Honestly, I don’t care if you think Campbell’s Soup and Charades as long as it gets you to do what you’re supposed to! Figure out what works for you. If you have trouble with this lift make sure you call a coach over before you get to your heavy work set!

Mason Adres arrived yesterday morning and weighed 7#11oz! Congrats to proud parents Dan and Alicia!

WOD 10.05.12

Deadlift 1×5

10 Handstand Push Ups
20 Pistols
30 Toes to Bar
40 Squats
50 Push Ups
60 Walking Lunges