Straight-leg deadlift form

External Since: May 02, 2006 Posts: 297

Hi,

Here's how exrx.net says to do a straight-leg deadlift:

"With knees straight, lower bar toward the top of the feet by bending
hips. After hips can no longer flex, bend waist as bar approaches top of
feet. Lift bar by extending waist and hip until standing upright. Pull
shoulders back slightly if rounded. Repeat."

So you bend your waist? I thought the key to doing deadlifts safely was to
keep your back arched. Is this really safe? Is there some particular way
to bend your spine during the lower part of the lift?

exrx also has a straight-back straight-leg deadlift which avoids the waist
flexion (you just stop before you have to flex - in my case, roughly when
my wrists are level with my knees), but i get the idea that this is for
people who are too chicken to do the real thing.

Am i just being over-cautious?

tom

--
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by
stupidity -- Hanlon's Razor

External Since: Sep 15, 2005 Posts: 32

On Tue, 2 May 2006 23:48:20 +0100, Tom Anderson <twic.TakeThisOut@urchin.earth.li>
wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Here's how exrx.net says to do a straight-leg deadlift:
>
>"With knees straight, lower bar toward the top of the feet by bending
>hips. After hips can no longer flex, bend waist as bar approaches top of
>feet. Lift bar by extending waist and hip until standing upright. Pull
>shoulders back slightly if rounded. Repeat."
>
>So you bend your waist? I thought the key to doing deadlifts safely was to
>keep your back arched. Is this really safe? Is there some particular way
>to bend your spine during the lower part of the lift?
>
>exrx also has a straight-back straight-leg deadlift which avoids the waist
>flexion (you just stop before you have to flex - in my case, roughly when
>my wrists are level with my knees), but i get the idea that this is for
>people who are too chicken to do the real thing.
>
>Am i just being over-cautious?

The key to doing the straight-leg with flexion of waist is to use very
light weight. If you are rounding your back at the bottom, heavy
weights could be very dangerous.

For example my normal dead lift maximum is 435
My straight leg dead lift max without waist flexion is 315
My straight leg dead lift max with waist flexion is 185.
I weight about 210

When in doubt err on the light side when doing the one with waist
flexion or you might blow out a disk.

Rich
>
>tom