***Gym Exercise Guide, and Form Discussion/Feedback***

Form collapse on the last reps where you struggled. Rather than bail, you struggled on and called other muscles in to help which may not bave been ready for it.

So what you now have is those muscles complaining they have had to go above and beyond.

So this means your form needs working on to ensure than when you start to struggle you don't suddenly squeeze your knees in (if you're used to keeping them out) and pulling on your adductors like a demon.

If it is piriformis (and it is always piriformis) going too deep with too heavy a weight with so.epoor mechanics will cause the little guy to ruin eeverything. ..
 
Thanks both. My piriformis has been a long time pain in the arse (literally), gets a near daily rolling now which seems to have helped somewhat. I'll focus on knees out and not forgetting form on the last couple of reps. A video will follow for everyone to have a laugh at though. :D
 
Quick deadlift question as i've started going to the gym with a few mates from work and they're picking holes in what i'm doing and not willing to listen to what i think.

At the top of the lift is there any need to hyper extend and lean back? They're both completing the lift then doing this 15 degree or so lean back and pulling there shoulders at the same time.

I was under the impression that once you're up and your back is straight, the lift is complete, any further movement is redundant. Also from what i've read, the shoulders should already be pulled back and held in position while you perform the lift. I believe that if your shoulders are pulling forward, the weight is too heavy.

If of course i'm wrong, please let me know so I can correct my lifts.

They're also telling me to use straps instead of mixed grip as i'll never be able to lift heavier weights if I don't.
 
Hyper extend no, finish the lift yes.

Straps, nothing necessarily wrong, mixed is absolutely fine, although some would say do double over hand until you need to use mixed....then others always use mixed regardless.

Just let them hyperextend and be done with it :p
 
You do not need to extend

Considering you've just started out you shouldn't need straps for the weight you're doing, you use straps when your grip strength isn't enough to hold the bar. Even then there's guys who do serious weight without straps, just depends what your comfortable with.
 
SixTwoSix said:
Quick deadlift question as i've started going to the gym with a few mates from work and they're picking holes in what i'm doing and not willing to listen to what i think.

At the top of the lift is there any need to hyper extend and lean back? They're both completing the lift then doing this 15 degree or so lean back and pulling there shoulders at the same time.

I was under the impression that once you're up and your back is straight, the lift is complete, any further movement is redundant. Also from what i've read, the shoulders should already be pulled back and held in position while you perform the lift. I believe that if your shoulders are pulling forward, the weight is too heavy.

If of course i'm wrong, please let me know so I can correct my lifts.

They're also telling me to use straps instead of mixed grip as i'll never be able to lift heavier weights if I don't.
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Someone can word this better than me.

With deadlifts, most people have rubbish technique and don't know what they're doing. They don't hip hinge properly and lift with a banana back so when the bar gets past their knees, they have to straighten out their spine to get the bar to their hips (usually knees are still bent so they have to 'hitch' the bar up) then hyperextend at the top because they think they're getting a full ROM this way.

If you deadlift properly with a correct hip hinge and neutral spine throughout, the hips come to the bar and everything below (knees, ankles) ends up lined up nicely to finish the lift - dat gluteal squeeze is the coup de grace rather than turning your spine inside out.
 
Somnambulist said:
Someone can word this better than me.

With deadlifts, most people have rubbish technique and don't know what they're doing. They don't hip hinge properly and lift with a banana back so when the bar gets past their knees, they have to straighten out their spine to get the bar to their hips (usually knees are still bent so they have to 'hitch' the bar up) then hyperextend at the top because they think they're getting a full ROM this way.

If you deadlift properly with a correct hip hinge and neutral spine throughout, the hips come to the bar and everything below (knees, ankles) ends up lined up nicely to finish the lift - dat gluteal squeeze is the coup de grace rather than turning your spine inside out.
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No need for better explanation. :cool:

Regarding straps vs. Mixed grip? Be a proper joss and go for hook grip. ;)

Practically, straps are useful for building strength in key areas that would otherwise be limited by your grip (I.e. Everything not involved in holding the bar). Does this mean you need to use them? No. Does it make it easier busting out several sets of five in succession? Yes.

Provided you do your big singles without straps, it is all good, iMHO.
 
Delvis said:
Hyper extend no, finish the lift yes.

Straps, nothing necessarily wrong, mixed is absolutely fine, although some would say do double over hand until you need to use mixed....then others always use mixed regardless.

Just let them hyperextend and be done with it :p
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I'm quite a noob to deadlifts so only maxing out at about 95-100KG with good form, I can do double overhand til about 80, then I need to mix. I'm just quite stubborn and don't want to use straps.

Ayahuasca said:
You do not need to extend
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Delvis said:
Hyper extend no, finish the lift yes.

Just let them hyperextend and be done with it :p
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It frustrates me that I know they're doing it wrong and they won't listen, yet they're lecturing me about my lifts. I could ditch them and work out alone but it's really nice having a spotter to push to higher weights than i'm comfortable pushing alone.

Somnambulist said:
If you deadlift properly with a correct hip hinge and neutral spine throughout, the hips come to the bar and everything below (knees, ankles) ends up lined up nicely to finish the lift - dat gluteal squeeze is the coup de grace rather than turning your spine inside out.
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Put a smile on my face as this is kinda how i'm doing it, wouldn't say I have perfect form, not sure anyone really does but i'd say everything pops into line at the same time. I'd rather push a low weight with good form that prolapse my ass with weights I shouldn't be doing.

mrthingyx said:
Regarding straps vs. Mixed grip? Be a proper joss and go for hook grip. ;)
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Makes sense, I hook grip on any pull up work so the "little" strength I have from that should transfer over.
 
One More Solo said:
Thanks both. My piriformis has been a long time pain in the arse (literally), gets a near daily rolling now which seems to have helped somewhat. I'll focus on knees out and not forgetting form on the last couple of reps. A video will follow for everyone to have a laugh at though. :D
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So no video today as I'm going out for dinner, but probably for the best as I think I need a few days off to let my hip recover properly. I think I've been squatting too deep though without realising it. I don't have the flexibility to go ATG safely, especially at higher weight, so going to correct that (while still aiming for breaking parallel of course).

My cues are:

-Feet just wider than shoulders, toes out slightly
-Pull bar onto upper back, engage lats and brace core.
-Hips back (not down) to begin movement.
-Push knees and heels out consciously throughout the movement
-Keep chest up, head neutral
-Drive hips up at bottom, engaging glutes through to lockout

Anything I'm missing there?

In the meantime I'm doing plenty of foam rolling and stretching to try and improve things.
 
FrenchTart said:
The one thing that stands out to me is "pushing knees and heels out consciously". Knees I absolutely agree with but I'm not so sure about heels. Could you explain this one a bit more?
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I do it, too. :)

For me, it is a reminder to actually keep my lumbar and posterior chain engaged when squatting, as otherwise I tend to rock forward onto my toes.

The irony of squatting badly for the first 18 months (?) of my lifting career is that I am now strong enough to recover pretty much everything up to 95% 1RM if I go onto my toes... Not a good reflection. :(
 
I drive through my heels (in fact for a while I'd wiggle my toes a little before the squat just to 'remind' myself) but I don't drive my heels outwards - wouldn't that encourage you to drive your knees inwards a bit?

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding the description :confused:
 
FrenchTart said:
I drive through my heels (in fact for a while I'd wiggle my toes a little before the squat just to 'remind' myself) but I don't drive my heels outwards - wouldn't that encourage you to drive your knees inwards a bit?

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding the description :confused:
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I can wiggle my toes when the weight is anywhere up to the balls of my feet, unfortunately. I generally 'know' right from the top of the movement where the weight is going and can correct it accordingly, but months of bad habits have given me strength in rather daft (and otherwise useless) places. Huge quads, however...

For me, the 'cue' (as such) is to push my heels out using my hips (essentially, levering out the whole of the leg from the hip downwards to keep my posterior chain stable)...

Bringing your knees in on the concentric part of the squat isn't going to ruin them. Neither is it going to (necessarily) reduce your power/torque output.
 
Pretty much as mrthingyx said I think - I don't physically move my heels but I find it's a helpful cue (for me at least) to help engage the right muscles and drive through my heels. It's a bit like trying to stretch the bar in bench I guess.
 
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