Learning to Deadlift:
In todays video I am teaching my sister how to perform a body weighted deadlift movement. The greatest challenge will be developing the motor pattern rather than muscle fatigue or cardiovascular endurance. Sometimes flexibility can be a limiting factor, usually in the hamstrings or hip flexors. This can usually be trained out with repetition. This isn’t the first deadlift instructional video I have posted and it probably won’t be the last. Today’s main idea is to be able to show you someone learning to deadlift for the first time. You will notice how I make adjustments to what seem to be insignificant or barely noticeable deviations, the little things really add up. Please take the time to be as specific with your form and remember that you are always practicing!
In this video I make a few minor corrections to my sister’s foot placement and instruct her on the use of her hips and glutes. Otherwise, she made very few mistakes that caused concern with the exception of her knees moving forward with just about every repetition. Over the course of a few sessions, I would retrain that motor pattern and increase her flexibility to prevent this from happening. It is unlikely that your deviations in form will be the same as Emily’s were and it’s even less likely that you won’t have any when deadlifting for the first time. Take a good look at your technique and ensure your knees aren’t going wider than your feet or going knock-kneed. Make sure you keep your feet flat from side to side and front to back, many people lift their heels at first. Once your feet are flat and your knees are in proper alignment, the next most common mistake I see is rounding of the back. Emily didn’t make this mistake once, but it’s very common. Make sure you keep your back as flat at the bottom of the deadlift as it was when you were standing. I also mention how keeping your head in alignment with your spine is important. A common mistake people make is fixing their eyes on something in front of them, causing their neck to extend and flex with every repetition.
The deadlift is the basis for so many other amazing strength building exercises and I will teach it in as many ways as possible. In addition to progressing onward to more challenging variations, always come back to the deadlift for the base building exercise that it is. I recommend training deadlifts on days where you won’t be using your grip for other exercises. When you start adding weight to your deadlifts your grip will work very hard. It’s not unusual for the grip to fail before the lifting glutes and hamstrings do. Many people assume they are doing something wrong when their grip fatigues first, this isn’t usually the case. Other people look to lifting aids to help them grip the weight better such as lifting straps. Personally, I keep a bag of chalk in my car and don’t recommend anything more than that to my clients.
Keep training this lift until you have nailed it, then incrementally add the appropriate amount of weight. We will build off this foundation with almost everything we do together in our workouts. Try to stay focused and patient with your body.
Thank you for practicing with me today, I will see you on Friday for a workout!
For more information on deadlifts click here.
