I wrote this guide after finally figuring out exactly what I needed to do to get the most out of my deadlift without feeling uncomfortable, sore or just plain awkward.
I am nowhere near an advanced level, I just simply want to give this option to you just in case it also helps you. Please feel free to comment and even critique this technique to perhaps supply more professional advice to both me and my fellow newbs. Good luck everybody!
READ AND PERFORM THIS FIRST
This first thing is simply learning the perfect setup for you, if you start wrong then it will hurt and you will not do the lift correctly! Trust me! I actually changed where I have my feet and hands placed on the bar numerous times during this process to get the exact sweet spot that worked for me. I would strongly suggest doing this too. I found that having my feet in line with the smooth areas of the bar, with about 1/4 of the outside of both sides of my feet going past the smooth part and out where the knurling is.
My hands felt most natural to be about 1-2 inches further out than this (I have short arms and a bit of a belly) but it still might be a good starting point for you to work your way from there. You will want to alternate these positions until it feels natural to perform with the next part
The next part is to stand closer to the bar than what you have been recently (Make SURE the bar is over the mid way point of your foot, it's usually at the top of the tongue of your shoe or close enough, it's easy to think the middle of your foot is actually closer to your toes than this but it isn't. Now lean over and grab the bar naturally until it becomes very natural.
The next part is practice closing the gap between your shins and the bar numerous times (without pulling the bar back); crouch down slightly until your shins are touching the bar, while allowing your back to straighten naturally, do not force your back to do anything just yet. Repeat this until it really feels natural. If you think you aren't close enough then reset and step your feet in a little bit closer. When closing the gao between the bar and your shins, you will want to immediately notice that the distance is definitely closer than it used to be for you recently! This will make the crouching distance shorter. Keep practising all of what I just mentioned until you are 100% comfortable and have your setup perfect!
Step 1. Lean over naturally and grab the bar in a close position but not close enough that your arms get stopped by your legs on the movement.
Step 2. Take a deep breath in this position while your airway is as clear as possible.
Step 3. Close the gap between the bar and your shins with your new technique by crouching naturally, because of your new adjustments you will now notice the amount you crouch is eliminated, forcing you to be more upright making it easier to maintain the correct back position and shrink the amount you are actually squatting down to close the gap.
Step 4. Without dropping your ass down, naturally pull your upper back in a backwards motion until you simply can't go back any more, reducing the slack in your body; this will trigger all of your back muscles in to action and make your arms nice and tight, be mindful that you also want a slightly arched lower back which should come naturally from doing what I just said. (You shouldn't try to pull your shoulders back too far as this will reduce your leverage, it's healthy to have a small round in your upper back, but don't exaggerate it in the slightest, because it will force you to round your whole back if you start to fatigue, or when you get to heavier lifts!
Step 5. You want to begin your lift holding this back position as comfortably as possible but don't do it lazily. Stand up and keep the bar touching and rolling up your shins, by the time it reaches the bottom of your knees you want to pull your glutes tight together; which will force your legs straight and will get your knees out of the way of the bar (remember to keep the bar rolling up and against your legs all the way up)
Step 6. On the way down, keep your back in the same position and let your ass/hips break first not your knees, so the bar can roll down your legs and as soon as the bar is is past your knees you want to then break your knees and allow the bar to roll down your shins as you naturally squat down a little bit to close the distance the bar has to travel back to the ground.
Final Note
When lifting the weight, if your lower back starts to hurt because it's so arched, you might find yourself aligning to a more straight position, this is fine but don't exaggerate it as you might get in to a bad habit of rounding it. Film yourself every time you go up in weight to make sure your form stays the same. If it changes too much you should focus on correcting next time, if it is not changing after that week of training, then you might want to go back down in weight until you get stronger on that previous weight. Remember that this has worked for me and might help you; whatever you do though, follow what your body is telling you and have fun!
I am nowhere near an advanced level, I just simply want to give this option to you just in case it also helps you. Please feel free to comment and even critique this technique to perhaps supply more professional advice to both me and my fellow newbs. Good luck everybody!
READ AND PERFORM THIS FIRST
This first thing is simply learning the perfect setup for you, if you start wrong then it will hurt and you will not do the lift correctly! Trust me! I actually changed where I have my feet and hands placed on the bar numerous times during this process to get the exact sweet spot that worked for me. I would strongly suggest doing this too. I found that having my feet in line with the smooth areas of the bar, with about 1/4 of the outside of both sides of my feet going past the smooth part and out where the knurling is.
My hands felt most natural to be about 1-2 inches further out than this (I have short arms and a bit of a belly) but it still might be a good starting point for you to work your way from there. You will want to alternate these positions until it feels natural to perform with the next part
The next part is to stand closer to the bar than what you have been recently (Make SURE the bar is over the mid way point of your foot, it's usually at the top of the tongue of your shoe or close enough, it's easy to think the middle of your foot is actually closer to your toes than this but it isn't. Now lean over and grab the bar naturally until it becomes very natural.
The next part is practice closing the gap between your shins and the bar numerous times (without pulling the bar back); crouch down slightly until your shins are touching the bar, while allowing your back to straighten naturally, do not force your back to do anything just yet. Repeat this until it really feels natural. If you think you aren't close enough then reset and step your feet in a little bit closer. When closing the gao between the bar and your shins, you will want to immediately notice that the distance is definitely closer than it used to be for you recently! This will make the crouching distance shorter. Keep practising all of what I just mentioned until you are 100% comfortable and have your setup perfect!
Step 1. Lean over naturally and grab the bar in a close position but not close enough that your arms get stopped by your legs on the movement.
Step 2. Take a deep breath in this position while your airway is as clear as possible.
Step 3. Close the gap between the bar and your shins with your new technique by crouching naturally, because of your new adjustments you will now notice the amount you crouch is eliminated, forcing you to be more upright making it easier to maintain the correct back position and shrink the amount you are actually squatting down to close the gap.
Step 4. Without dropping your ass down, naturally pull your upper back in a backwards motion until you simply can't go back any more, reducing the slack in your body; this will trigger all of your back muscles in to action and make your arms nice and tight, be mindful that you also want a slightly arched lower back which should come naturally from doing what I just said. (You shouldn't try to pull your shoulders back too far as this will reduce your leverage, it's healthy to have a small round in your upper back, but don't exaggerate it in the slightest, because it will force you to round your whole back if you start to fatigue, or when you get to heavier lifts!
Step 5. You want to begin your lift holding this back position as comfortably as possible but don't do it lazily. Stand up and keep the bar touching and rolling up your shins, by the time it reaches the bottom of your knees you want to pull your glutes tight together; which will force your legs straight and will get your knees out of the way of the bar (remember to keep the bar rolling up and against your legs all the way up)
Step 6. On the way down, keep your back in the same position and let your ass/hips break first not your knees, so the bar can roll down your legs and as soon as the bar is is past your knees you want to then break your knees and allow the bar to roll down your shins as you naturally squat down a little bit to close the distance the bar has to travel back to the ground.
Final Note
When lifting the weight, if your lower back starts to hurt because it's so arched, you might find yourself aligning to a more straight position, this is fine but don't exaggerate it as you might get in to a bad habit of rounding it. Film yourself every time you go up in weight to make sure your form stays the same. If it changes too much you should focus on correcting next time, if it is not changing after that week of training, then you might want to go back down in weight until you get stronger on that previous weight. Remember that this has worked for me and might help you; whatever you do though, follow what your body is telling you and have fun!