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Barbell Two cues for novice Deadlifter

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JeffC

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I was Deadlifting at a YMCA, and a guy came up to me and said “Is that Deadlift.” He said he had never tried it before but wanted to add it to his exercises.

He asked “What are two things I need to know about Deadlift.” Interesting question. Of course I said start very light and don’t worry about the weight, just worry about safety. The weight will come with experience.

My reply:
- keep your chest up, this does a few things but mainly you are keeping your shoulders packed and lats tight, and protecting your lower back
- wedge your hips under the weight, thinking of pushing the hips through, not lifting the weight up, try to bump the bar forward with your hips

I thought these were good cues for effectively Deadlifting safely.

What would you recommend to a novice Deadlifter?
 
-Don't round your back (work on flexibility if you have to)
-At the start keep the bar above your ankles
 
An interesting question. As I do my lifting in a commercial gym, I get to see a lot of deadlifts, and there have even been times when people have asked me for advice on them.

The first thing that comes to mind would be to "become a coiled spring between the bar and the ground". Sounds great, doesn't it? The problem is, no novice will ever understand how it feels. If I could have my hands on the lifter, one on the shoulder and one on the butt, twisting and squeezing the body into shape, maybe it would be easier to show, but, yes, but. I'm not sure there really is a simple cue for getting the start position right, it demands more cues. I quite like how Chris Duffin teaches it.

I think pushing the feet through the floor is a good cue, it's something people don't often get, even if it's elementary. Also, pushing forward with the hips is something worth emphasizing, and it's also pretty simple to understand. I think those two would be the choices that come to mind this morning, and what I think would serve most of the people I see deadlift at the gym.

I've used the cue about the chest some times when people have asked me to help out. It can definitely work well for some individuals. I've grown to prefer to tell people to just pull the shoulders down towards their butt, to make the distance between the butt and the shoulders as small as possible, and I've found out this is something many can get a hang of easily.
 
thinking of pushing the hips through, not lifting the weight up, try to bump the bar forward with your hips
Also, pushing forward with the hips is something worth emphasizing, and it's also pretty simple to understand
This is not something I have been doing. Hard for me to get my mine around it. How does this work? When does this cue kick in? From the very beginning of the lift? I was trying to drive the hip forward when the bar is lifted and passes the kneecap. Legs first. Then hips.
 
This is not something I have been doing. Hard for me to get my mine around it. How does this work? When does this cue kick in? From the very beginning of the lift? I was trying to drive the hip forward when the bar is lifted and passes the kneecap. Legs first. Then hips.

I think it's better to think it from the very beginning. In my experience it makes the lift more of a smooth single movement. Of course, if one has the knees over the bar, they have to clear first before the bar can move past them, but I don't think it's typically a problem.
 
I think the focus on lower back safety is important.

So chest up is a great cue

I think bracing abs as well - do everything you can to protect your lower spine with a corset of rock hard, tensed muscle
 
For me, the most important cue is "get tight and stay tight." Second, I'd go with either "push the floor away" or "wedge yourself between the bar and the ground."

That's still what I do - get tight, push the floor away.

-S-
 
I was Deadlifting at a YMCA, and a guy came up to me and said “Is that Deadlift.” He said he had never tried it before but wanted to add it to his exercises.

He asked “What are two things I need to know about Deadlift.” Interesting question. Of course I said start very light and don’t worry about the weight, just worry about safety. The weight will come with experience.

My reply:
- keep your chest up, this does a few things but mainly you are keeping your shoulders packed and lats tight, and protecting your lower back
- wedge your hips under the weight, thinking of pushing the hips through, not lifting the weight up, try to bump the bar forward with your hips

I thought these were good cues for effectively Deadlifting safely.

What would you recommend to a novice Deadlifter?

Learn from an SFL instructor, or attend SFL Barbell Course.
 
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