Deadlifts and tall or lanky people

O

oicdn

0
I have VERY long limbs and deads seem to hurt my lower back. I know many of you are going to jump on my form, etc. But my limbs are long and it forces me to extend outwards to clear my knees. To give you an idea of how CLOSE I keep the bar to me, I sometimes skin my shins.

To be completely honest, I haven't tried sumo grip, or used a trap bar.
Do trap bars work better for people with longer limbs/taller? I know there are tall guys who do deads, but it seems like I really cannot lift much over 130 in weights (bar not included) without my back being sore the next day or starting to hurt.

Any suggestions? Thoughts on using a trap bar? What about deads with dumbbells or kettle balls? I know it's less weight, but what effects does it have in comparison to using a regular bar?
 
Long limbs are an advantage in deadlifts.

You probably need to stop trying to squat the bar and load your hams more. If the bar is scraping your shins on the way down, you're doing it wrong and could probably just ride the weight back down. If it's scraping on the way up, that may indicate that you aren;t using enough hip drive and need to sit back more (see loading hams). The DL is a back and forth motion, not an up and down.

You also probably just need an all around stronger lower back. Do lots of good mornings and back extensions if you aren't already.
 
I'm 6'2" (mostly legs I think)with a PR set of 405lbs for 6 sets of 6 reps...I never went for max. And I always scraped my shins. I'm just geting back into them and only at 245lbs right now.

I had a very strong back. Did hyperextension with the 100lb plate 3x10

I've always found the squat to be the harder of the two lifts.
 
LeiYunFat said:
Tall people have an easier time with DL, harder with squat

the inverse is true for shorties
Click to expand...

That's completely opposite for me. It's not scraping my shins every time, more or less I have to keep a mental note of it. I was told several times the opposite is true.

It's not because I'm crazy tall, although that's a factor, but I am extremely lanky. Like, I have the limbs of somebody that's 6'4"-6'6" but I myself am only 6' tall. I have a shorter torso, although, since I'm lanky, it appears fairly long since I'm slender. So a short torso with long limbs make for not so much fun doing deads. Squats I have no problem with form or pain in the back, only deads.

The pain isn't a sore kinda pain like from a burning from getting worked like DOMS or anything, it's like a SHARP pain as if somebody Charlie-horsed me in the spine itself, not the muscles.
 
I did mention pain, it was the first sentence in my OP, lol. It was the whole reason behind the post.

It goes away whenever I don't deadlift. Well, I don't want to say goes away, but the pain is more "residual pain" from the strain. It doesn't hurt any other time, even during squats, so I know it's SPECIFICALLY from deadlifts. If it were a weak back all together, it would hurt when doing russian twists, and most definitely during squats. But it doesn't, only during deads.

I guess the only thing I can do at this point is try a trap bar. I think it will alleviate the issue, but I was more concerned about how well a trap bar works as compared to a traditional dead form.
 
Oh lol I see it.

I say fix your form/get yourself a stronger lower back. Trap bar deads are okay but if your form/back is bad picking up a straight bar, chances are it will be the same picking up a trap bar.
 
I'm using the same form as I do squatting, except it seems like I have to lean far forward to get past my knees for a second. And that one second is when/what makes it hurt.

Like I said, I haven't tried another grip yet as I was wanting to see what the general consensus was on a trap bar vs. sumo. vs. traditional vs. kettle bells/dumbbells with all things being equal (good form).
 
I keep getting issues with flexibility on deads, I'm 6'2" and can find that getting into a correct starting position difficult as well.

All I'd suggest is to get someone to stand next to you and watch your form, get them to physically push you into the right position until you get it right. Then do a lot of very light deads and focus just on form.
I need to do this every now and again to straighten my form out as I have a tendency to arch my back at the start of the lift. It feels straight to me but I have a mild case of lordosis (anterior pelvic tilt) and it makes my own judgement of my back position a little screwed up

Also, while you're doing the light weights, start lifting in bare feet to reduce your ROM until you get form right, then once you have that right, start lifting with trainers, and eventually you could even start standing on plates to increase your ROM and get increase flexibility.

Just a suggestion, I've found that DL form is a very hard thing to judge for yourself sometimes and you often need someone else at the side of you to give you better feedback
 
Like I said before, the dl is not an up and down motion. You don't squat the weight up, you use your hips to push yourself into the upright position.
 
LeiYunFat said:
Like I said before, the dl is not an up and down motion. You don't squat the weight up, you use your hips to push yourself into the upright position.
Click to expand...

I remember reading somewhere that to get your butt in the right position you should pretend you're trying to hit a wall with your butt on your way down
 
With DL's i scrape the f**k out of my shins & knees and just put up with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top