Dead Lifts
Proper Alignment should be first priority.
1.) The Bar must be placed over the middle of the foot.
2.) The Arms must be locked into extension.
3.) The back must be held in rigid extension. A slight thoracic rounding is acceptable as long as you can maintain overall tightness.
4.) The Shoulders (scapulae) must be directly over top of the bar.
As long as these four steps are satisfied, the hips will be in precisely that correct position no matter how high they feel.
Conventional Dead Lift:
When first setting up, you want to get a hip width stance. With your toes pointed out slightly, and bar about 1-2 inches from your shins. This will place the bar over the middle of your foot. Then you want to grip the bar without lowering your hips. And just outside your thighs. After getting a tight grip on the bar, start to lower your hips slowly. Once you shins have made contact with the bar. You will then stop and pull chest up. This will help flatten your back. With the shoulders they should be back and down. And this will help place back into a rigid extension and reaches all the way down to the lumbar region. A most crucial aspect of this process is to lift the chest up and contract the lats to set back angle.
With a tight grip we want to drive the bar off the ground, while pushing your feet through the floor. Dragging the bar up your legs making contact with shins. Once bar reaches your knees. Contact your gluteus (hip thrust) to bring hips forward to meet the bar. While continuing to drag bar up your thighs. Standing fully erect with your shoulders back, chest up and knees locked.
As in the squat, an initial breath should be taken before descending into position and held through out the movement until bar comes to lock out. In order to maximize skill acquisition, multiply sets of single reps are often preferred than multiple rep sets.
Sumo Dead Lift:
Is a much wider stance than the conventional dead lift. By widening the distance between the feet, a shorter range of motion is created. Start by setting the stance with toes pointed out and shins touching or 1 to 2 inches from the bar. This will vary depending on your flexibility. If you are a taller and less flexible athlete you should set up with your shins further away from the barbell. After you set your feet, bend over at the waist while keeping the legs as straight as possible but without lowering the hips. Your grip should be just inside your thighs. Squeezing the bar as hard as possible while leaving your hips up. Lower your hips slowly and allow the knees to come forward and tell your stand touch the bar if they haven’t already. Once your stance contact the bar, stop and pull up your chest as hard as you can. Similar to the conventional deadlifts, this maneuver arches your back And set the torso angle. Just before initiating the pull, tighten every muscle in your body and simultaneously drive the feet down into the ground. Keep your head up and squeeze your glutes to bring the hips toward the bar while dragging the bar up the legs. Stand fully erect with shoulders back, chest out it up, it’s through, and knees locked.
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