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Barbell Barbell Form Check

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Here are deadlifts from today.
So after the 6th rep, I used the hardstyle tension breath thing, the hissing, increasing IAP while zipping up tension. I was loading up in my wedge, then I got this sudden zinging burning feeling kind of like right at the skin level in lower abdominals. Felt kind of weird and sensitive, but after a few seconds of rubbing it, completely gone and I could finish two more reps without any aggravation at all. This also happened during a session on May 9th but to an even higher degree, where it felt very sensitive and weird for about 15 minutes. Since then I've focused on not letting my gut extend so much as I pressurize, like I was pushing out through abdominals but not holding them in place like Stu McGill suggests, where its like a static brace: you tense the abs, but also keep them from extending out too much.

Anyways, as I wedged, I tried to ratchet up the iap and tension a bit more than I have the last few weeks and it happened again briefly. Has anyone else dealt with this? Interestingly enough, my younger brother had this sensation at the same point of the deadlift a few weeks ago.

I weighed just under 170 in my gym clothes before this session, so this represents more than my 1.5x bw, which is encouraging in light of the SFL technique test. Just want to tighten up the technique on it. I haven't integrated the lat cue from Ana, I've been focusing a lot on core tension and iap since the thing a month ago.

Also looking forward to throwing some weight on the bar ;) adding 10 pounds per week. Next week will be my conventional tested one rep max from sfl course last July :)
 
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jca17 said:
Here are deadlifts from today.
So after the 6th rep, I used the hardstyle tension breath thing, the hissing, increasing IAP while zipping up tension. I was loading up in my wedge, then I got this sudden zinging burning feeling kind of like right at the skin level in lower abdominals. Felt kind of weird and sensitive, but after a few seconds of rubbing it, completely gone and I could finish two more reps without any aggravation at all. This also happened during a session on May 9th but to an even higher degree, where it felt very sensitive and weird for about 15 minutes. Since then I've focused on not letting my gut extend so much as I pressurize, like I was pushing out through abdominals but not holding them in place like Stu McGill suggests, where its like a static brace: you tense the abs, but also keep them from extending out too much.
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Better be careful it sounds like a hernia or the beginning of one.
 
So what are the courses of action? From what I've seen the general thing is to watch it and preferably not get to the point of needing surgery, since once you have mesh or whatever operation, things get trickier if it gets hurt again. Any thoughts or experiences? I feel like I have a very good handle of how to avoid it and what aggravates it. No other activities besides pressurizing while wedging under the deadlift cause it, and there's no visible or palpable bulges. Apparently I had hernias as an infant on both sides, so I'll keep being mindful.
@Brett Jones
Is hardstyle breathing contraindicated if I'm possibly at higher risk of a hernia? And is it reasonable to assume that I'm at increased risk of hernia (not expecting or treating it as medical advice, but just your experience with self or others you've worked with).
 
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I'm running Greyskull LP. I want to follow it as close as possible in order to know how this (decidedly un-Pavelian) scheme works for me. It calls for one AMRAP top set of deadlift every week (with whatever warmup sets are needed, I use 4-6 sets of warmups, with no reps that "tire" me or feel slow, in order to be ready for the top set). I've done PTTP. I've done Faleev with only sets of 5, and I've done Faleev starting with sets of 8 and decreasing the reps naturally as weight goes up (similar to a way you shared in another thread recently).

I'm actually being more conservative than the program here, since he says to actually reach failure with deadlift, but I decided to save a rep or two because I'm still not keen on absolute failure. I'm also being more aggressive in weight increase with deadlift. He calls for 5 pounds a week, I'm jumping in 10s, because 5 just seems like way to small of increases, especially since I don't want to be at 6+ reps for too long.

I found that I increased most dramatically with my deadlift running Faleev when I was doing 5 sets of 8 per week, even more so than when I was doing 5 sets of 5 per week. I did 10 weeks each way about 6 months apart.
The slowest progress I made was PTTP, training the lift 5 days a week.
The 5x5 was programming impressive, but the 5x8 was truly amazing, as I smashed my old one rep max by pulling 10 pounds HEAVIER for a whole 5x5 at the end of 10 weeks. Freaky stuff. Dan John has mentioned how sometimes long limbed people can do better with some higher rep schemes.

The reps will naturally come down as I keep adding 10 pounds a week.

Gallagher says that Coan and Karwoski would start a cycle with top sets of 8 reps for 4 weeks (followed by backoff sets of 10), so I figured with this program I'd see how a few weeks of ~8 rep top sets would do me.

Keep in mind, I'm only doing one hard set a week, so I'm not saving myself for any sets after, nor am I fatigued from worksets before.
 
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I hit a new deadlift 1rm pr today! And 2rm, and 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, all in the same set :)

I know at strongfirst (and everywhere in the barbell strength world) we talk a lot about 5s, but in my experience this year, 6-8 reps is where the money is for my body and my beginner level.



Also, here's my first overhead press form check video. Still don't like to actually miss a rep once I start it, even though GSLP calls for it, but I thought I had one more, oh well

 
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Nice work, and good form!! So what was the weight?
 
Press looks solid.

Deadlift looks good, too, but you need a better lockout. Get dialed into a position you can stay in for a a while at lockout - you'll need your hips/glutes turned under more. If you look at some of my deadlifts, I might look like I'm leaning back but I'm not, just really locking out my hips. Here's a recent post with a video clip, and there are a bunch more on YouTube.

Double bodyweight deadlift

-S-
 
@Anna C
Is my overhead press technique passable for SFL weekend (not the weight, but the technique). This session I focused on keeping and a little tighter and trying to stay more vertical through torso. How much thoracic extension/lean back is allowed?
 
Thanks @Steve Freides !
Was literally just asking for some specific feedback.
I'll definitely work on the lockout. I'll try "resting" (or rather, hang out under tension) at the lockout for a few seconds in my warm up sets next session, and even for a little bit on my top set. I tend towards anterior pelvic tilt so I'll continue to keep that in mind. I think that position (glutes really tight and turned under a bit more) is also a better platform for overhead pressing, correct?
 
jca17 said:
I think that position (glutes really tight and turned under a bit more) is also a better platform for overhead pressing, correct?
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Your pelvic position looks fine to me in the press. Experiment if you wish, of course - nothing wrong with that, but ...

The point is to find what does the best job of supporting you and the weight in each lift, and because the weight is in front of you in the DL and straight overhead in the press, what works best may be a little different in each.

Let me add that what each of us finds works best as a cue may be different as well, e.g., for my deadlift, I think glutes at lockout and my abs take care of themselves, but in my press, I focus more on my abs because if I don't, I'll start to lean back too much.

-S-
 
jca17 said:
Anna C
Is my overhead press technique passable for SFL weekend (not the weight, but the technique). This session I focused on keeping and a little tighter and trying to stay more vertical through torso. How much thoracic extension/lean back is allowed?
Click to expand...

Yes, I reviewed the military press standards in my manual and I think you're meeting all of them.

The standard doesn't address the wrists, but I would suggest a getting them a little closer to neutral by making sure the bar is close to the heel of the hand, and reset them each rep if necessary by pushing your hands slightly forward. You don't need to have a straight wrist like with kettlebells, but you don't want too much extension either as this gets to be a strain on the wrists as the weight gets heavier. It also reduces the efficiency of the lift because your elbows and radius bone aren't directly under the bar.

As far as extension and lean back, the standard is "the lumbar spine may not hyperextend at any time." I think your back looks fine.
 
Particularly for those of us who spend a lot of time seated, and that includes me, I find it helpful to concentrate on both extending my t-spine and not extending my lumbar by keeping my abs tight.

-S-
 
Both of these lifts look pretty dang good. On your deadlift setup, once you’ve got your grip, big held breath (don’t exhale until the bar’s back in the floor), and your chest is up/back in extension, rock back off your toes just a hair. You set up with your shoulders just a smidge too far forward and the bar tries to leave your shins. Interestingly, this self-corrects as the set continues and your body finds the position it needs to lift the same load more efficiently.

I really liked your Press. As you go up in weight, be aware you’ll have a tendency to push the bar too far out in front of you (you’re not doing that now). Just aim for your nose as you keep adding weight and your form will look excellent as it does here.
 
I concur with Steve Freides in regards to his spine neutral comment. From a physician and strength coach standpoint, it is very rare to be able to see someone put their lower back into extension and maintain that until lockout. Especially once they go above 85% 1RM. Experience has taught me that those that go into extension (greater than the neutral spine curve) prior to the barbell leaving the ground, will undoubtedly lose that extension and go into flexion fairly soon into the lift. Not a good scenario.

There are many different methods that an athlete/lifter can choose from to move the barbell. The StrongFirst method is built on Pavel's and my experience over the years. My experience is from 20+ years of powerlifting along with coaching athletes for 30 years, in addition to being a chiropractic physician for the last 24 years. The StrongFirst method will not only get you strong, but in a safe and effective way.
 
I think this is a good example of individual variation and the role of coaching (or at the very least videos).

If I just bend down and grab hold of a bar my lumbar spine is bent (not that i can tell except by watching it back). If I try and extend my spine, bring my chest up etc then I get a flat back that I can hold rigid with my abs as I lift. Because of my deficient flexibility 'chest up / back extension' serves me quite well as a 'cue' to get to neutral spine.

My son, who is bendier (and skinnier) than me can hyperextend his lumber spine with ease when he grabs hold of the bar - so for him the neutral spine 'cue' is much more important. If he extends his back as much as he can there's no way he will maintain that arch as the weight gets heavy.

I might be missing something but I don't see too many conflicts between SS and SF deadlift methodologies (apart from SS's weirdly Stalinist view of sumo / semi-sumo stance). Obviously the approach to programming does differ.

It would be great to see more SF deadlift videos - particularly concentrating on semi-sumo stance (I still think that's the easiest stance to learn - particularly coming from kettlebells), also, one of the best things about the Starting Strength site is they have videos with loads of different body type, sizes, heights in.
 
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