Barbell 405 Deadlift Form Check

[Dylan Kampman]

Hey Everyone,

Wanted to see how my form holds up. Trying to go for the 'heavy weight instructs'. If anything is not on point, it should be glaring. I'm using the Angles90 (rated for 600lbs) as handles for a neutral grip plus it raises my starting point up about 3". I'm curious on anyone's thoughts on these handles. Thinking of getting a belt too... Never used one, want to see what all the buzz is about. Side note : currently doing Easy Strength rep programming. Next day after; back feels pretty good, no pain.

TLDR
How's my form? What do you think of using handles for deadlifting? What do you think of powerlifting belts?

Thank you for your time and criticism.

Cheers,
Dylan

 

[Anna C]

Nice lift @Dylan Kampman ! No issues from my view.

You can try a belt, but I don't think you'll need one. Your tension looks great and you're lifting heavy without one already.

I'm not familiar with the handles. If you're intending on competing you might want to stick with competition form for specificity; otherwise, seems like a solid way to lift.

 

[Dylan Kampman]

Oh Thanks! I should have added, I'm not competing. Just apart of my general 'anti-fragility' training for jiu-jitsu. My current goal is to get my 500lb deadlift on before I'm 30. My overall best PR was 455 mixed grip like 8 years ago. I weighed about 155 and it looked like a tractor stalling out... I'm currently 185 lbs, 29yrs old. My plan is wave my rep scheme w/ the easy strength protocols. I deadlift 1 or 2 times per week. Full body workout 3 times a week alternating between back squat and deadlift as main lifts. I'm adding about 5 lbs to my dead every week or every other week. Trying to take a make haste slowly methodology. Anyway, does adding 100 lbs over 20 to 40 weeks sound reasonable?

 

[Daniel Vintila]

Good lift. You can try to bring your shoulders on top of the bar a bit more ( from this angle looks like they are a bit in front of the bar) but other than that good.
Is there any reason why you're using the handles? except for the neutral grip as you mentioned. As mentioned by @Anna C you might want to learn to lift without those, if you want to compete or go heavy. In my opinion when you start going heavier you need to have a good feel of the bar, and the grip of your hands on the bar and also helps with a better setup when you wedging and creating tension.
For a belt I personally use one on weights 90%+ or if some days I kind of feel tired but still going for a heavy lift. The purpose of the belt is to help with tightness in your mid section ( abs bracing against the belt help keeping that tension better on the heavy lifts). I would suggest getting one if not now in the near future.
Anyway, great job and keep lifting safe and heavy !

 

[Steve Freides]

I'm using the Angles90 (rated for 600lbs) as handles for a neutral grip plus it raises my starting point up about 3". I'm curious on anyone's thoughts on these handles.

I have never used them and have no plans to. You could achieve a similar thing using a trap/hex bar and the high handles that many of those bars come with. (I don't do that either, since you're asking for anyone's thoughts.)

Thinking of getting a belt too... Never used one, want to see what all the buzz is about.

Most people can lift more weight this way, and because it's allowed in competition even in the Raw division, many people use a belt. I never have and have no plans to.

-S-

 

[Big Mam]

I agree with everyone here, the lift looks good!
Regarding powerlifting belts, a great resource is this article by Greg Nuckols , where he does a great job IMO to attack myths about belts. In short, wearing one would not make "your core weaker", and would help with strength and size since you can move more weight.

I personnaly trained without one until I hit some personal (and subjective) milestones. If I remember correctly, I waited until I was able to deadlift something like 315lbs and then told myself I could try it, and I absolutely do not regret my decision. I noticed a lot of improvement in my squat and deadlift. I normally warm up without a belt, and do maybe one heavy warmup set with it before going with my main work!

Cheers!

 

[Steve Freides]

I agree with everyone here, the lift looks good!
Regarding powerlifting belts, a great resource is this article by Greg Nuckols , where he does a great job IMO to attack myths about belts. In short, wearing one would not make "your core weaker", and would help with strength and size since you can move more weight.

From that article:

First, it should be a no-brainer that wearing a belt *generally* improves performance. Yes, you can find examples of people lifting huge weights without a belt (like Konstantin Konstantinovs pulling 939 or Victor Naylekin squatting 903), but 99 people out of 100 can lift more with a belt than without one. I’m not entirely sure why you’d compete in powerlifting without a belt (if you compete to put up the highest possible total within the bounds of the rules, not just to improve on your past total based on your own standards). It’s hard to put a number on precisely how much more people can lift with a belt, but it seems to be at least 5-15% for most people who are accustomed to wearing a belt.

I don't agree with the underlying assumptions in the article as stated or found in between the lines, in this article.

First, it should be a no-brainer that wearing a belt *generally* improves performance.

Yes, a belt improves performance, but it improves performance at lifting weights while wearing a belt. Lifting weights while wearing a belt and lifting weights when not wearing a belt aren't the same thing, and there's no rhyme, reason, or need to compare them.

I’m not entirely sure why you’d compete in powerlifting without a belt ...

I will explain why you'd compete in powerlifting without a belt.

(if you compete to put up the highest possible total within the bounds of the rules, not just to improve on your past total based on your own standards).

Well, OK, the article just explained.

I compete against my own standards, but life is full of choices, and I don't only compete to win. Personally, I compete to perform "on the record." I choose - life is full of choices - to compete against people who wear a belt. My choice. If someone bests my numbers because they're wearing a belt, I'm fine with that.

-S-

 

[Starlord]

Yes, a belt improves performance, but it improves performance at lifting weights while wearing a belt. Lifting weights while wearing a belt and lifting weights when not wearing a belt aren't the same thing, and there's no rhyme, reason, or need to compare them.

-S-

A fantastic point raised by Steve here. Lifting with a belt is like lifting with wraps. It is a specific skill using gear.

 

[3linesPt]

From that article:



I don't agree with the underlying assumptions in the article as stated or found in between the lines, in this article.



Yes, a belt improves performance, but it improves performance at lifting weights while wearing a belt. Lifting weights while wearing a belt and lifting weights when not wearing a belt aren't the same thing, and there's no rhyme, reason, or need to compare them.


I will explain why you'd compete in powerlifting without a belt.



Well, OK, the article just explained.

I compete against my own standards, but life is full of choices, and I don't only compete to win. Personally, I compete to perform "on the record." I choose - life is full of choices - to compete against people who wear a belt. My choice. If someone bests my numbers because they're wearing a belt, I'm fine with that.

-S-

Got to disagree with you big time. Lifting with a belt has only made me stronger without one, and the technique isn't necessarily different. Some people talk about not relying on the belt too much, while other people think that you can't use one too much, as long as you're not using it for warm-up sets and other extremely light work.

The only legitimate reason I've heard to not wear a belt is to purposely force yourself to work with lighter weights, which is best done for short periods of times as a sort of de-load. If you usually lift with a belt and can't lift without one, you're doing something wrong.

 

[Steve Freides]

Lifting with a belt has only made me stronger without one,

You plateaued without a belt, added a belt to your training, and your beltless max improved? Or have I misunderstood what you're suggesting?

and the technique isn't necessarily different.

How are pushing out and keeping in not different?

The only legitimate reason I've heard to not wear a belt is to purposely force yourself to work with lighter weights

I and others have given several, uh, illegitimate reasons earlier in this thread. To each his own.

-S-

 

[3linesPt]

You plateaued without a belt, added a belt to your training, and your beltless max improved? Or have I misunderstood what you're suggesting?


How are pushing out and keeping in not different?


I and others have given several, uh, illegitimate reasons earlier in this thread. To each his own.

-S-

You’ve misunderstood something.

 

[Chrisdavisjr]

Belts are 100% optional. I know they work for a lot of people and you'll rarely see a powerlifter/weightlifter without one but the heaviest ever clean and jerk (Leonid Taranenko's 266kg) was performed without a belt.

I have a belt and have never found any benefit to using it. It's entirely possible that I'm not strong enough to be able to lift anywhere heavy enough to justify a belt (my best ever deadlift is only 308lbs) or it might just be that I've never figured out how to use one.

 

[william bad butt]

I like using a belt for training the 3 powerlifts. I do this because I have competitive aspirations and for safety reasons. I even use the belt for the warmups, even when lifting the bar. The belt provides a level of safety and it also probably helps me lift more weight because it allows me to generate more intra abdominal pressure. I like the belt because it provides feedback to me which helps my training (those that use the belt or any other gear know what I'm talking about)

I think it is untrue that lifting with a belt creates a weak link in my core. But I also do other core excersises and I dont use a belt for other lifts.

There is nothing wrong with not wearing a belt when training. At the other extreme, imagine someone who trains in a belt, knee and wrist wraps, squat/deadlift/bench press suits... There is nothing wrong with this either. There are different ways to get strong. The 1 commonality and requirement is progressively adding weight to the bar (or adding more reps).

Eric

 

[Steve Freides]

@william bad butt, most that I know put the belt on for things over a certain percentage, e.g., they'll put the belt on for 80% 1RM and above. It seems a way to have some belles training and still reap the benefits being sought from wearing the belt.

The belt provides a level of safety

I'm not sure about that.

and it also probably helps me lift more weight because it allows me to generate more intra abdominal pressure.

This I think is true.

-S-

 

[Chrisdavisjr]

At the other extreme, imagine someone who trains in a belt, knee and wrist wraps, squat/deadlift/bench press suits...

I feel like I'm becoming that way with my knee sleeves. After a short lay off with injury, I've not trained without them. Part of me feels like I should but then if I manage to tweak something again and lose more training time I'll be really unhappy.

I'm pretty sure using them isn't putting me in any danger or making me lift crazy weights I couldn't lift otherwise. For all I know the benefit's mostly psychological. with that in mind, as much as I really like them, I wouldn't recommend them to someone who was doing fine without them.

 

[william bad butt]

@william bad butt, most that I know put the belt on for things over a certain percentage, e.g., they'll put the belt on for 80% 1RM and above. It seems a way to have some belles training and still reap the benefits being sought from wearing the belt.

Makes sense. Take the deadlift for example. I wear it with all reps, even my 1st set of 135 lb. Why? Because the belt changes the lift (even if it is just a little bit) and all lifts are a form of practice. Wearing the belt builds my core too, isometrically pushing out against an immovable object (leather belt) is different than creating a shield without a belt. But both build in different ways.

I'm not sure about that.

Maybe the "safety" is more psychological. But that doesnt mean it isnt real. The belt provides feedback, that is its greatest benefit. Feedback about body position. It helps with better form, etc... At least with me. If I'm lifting heavy, I can tell if my torso is leaning forward or backward a few degrees from ideal more so than without the belt.

I by no means believe the belt is necessary for strength training though. I used to squat barefoot. Shoes are not necessary either, but they probably allow me to squat more vs barefoot.

 

[william bad butt]

I feel like I'm becoming that way with my knee sleeves. After a short lay off with injury, I've not trained without them. Part of me feels like I should but then if I manage to tweak something again and lose more training time I'll be really unhappy.

I'm pretty sure using them isn't putting me in any danger or making me lift crazy weights I couldn't lift otherwise. For all I know the benefit's mostly psychological. with that in mind, as much as I really like them, I wouldn't recommend them to someone who was doing fine without them.

If you have only been squatting for 2 months I would not recommend them. If you have been doing it for years and want to wear them, I say go for it.

 

[Chrisdavisjr]

If you have only been squatting for 2 months I would not recommend them.

Why not, out of interest?

I should clarify, the sleeves I use are 5mm sleeves geared towards Oly lifting rather than 7mm powerlifting sleeves and I use them for training the oly lifts as well as squats (although I don't have a squat rack so my squats are limited by how much I can clean).

 

[Steve Freides]

Anything that makes you less responsible for what's going on with your body is, in my mind, a thing that needs to be weighed carefully for its benefits and its detriments. I'm not sure that there isn't a continuum that begins with a rock, then a kettlebell or dumbbell, next a barbell, continues through various states of gear wearing, and goes on to the smith machine and the pec dec. For my DL/SQ/BP, I'm willing to skip over the rock, and the kettlebell or dumbbell, and use the barbell, but that's about as far as I choose to go.

The other exception to my own rule would apply only to people who lift a lot more than me, e.g., I think squatting 1000 lbs has got to be more than the knees nature gave us are designed to bear, so if I was in that territory, I'd consider knee wraps.

-S-

 

[william bad butt]

Why not, out of interest?

I should clarify, the sleeves I use are 5mm sleeves geared towards Oly lifting rather than 7mm powerlifting sleeves and I use them for training the oly lifts as well as squats (although I don't have a squat rack so my squats are limited by how much I can clean).

If they are loose its prob fine (providing warmth, blood flow, and even light compression). Thicker and tighter sleeves do provide stability. For beginners, especially, its prob best to develop this stability through biological adaptation by learning to squat.

I assume Strongfirst barbell course prefers people to learn to squat without sleeves or equipment?

Eric