Thread: Straight leg deadlifts

You are most likely not moving your hips at all and just bending down. You should be throwing your hips out when coming down to get a good stretch on the hammies and then pull your hips in. Concentrate on the ass and hammies instead of using the lower back. My lower back also gets hit when doing SLDL's but my hammies get most of it. I love those things.

You have to go deep to bring in the hams, you can also try slightly bending your knees.

For a lower back workout I think good mornings are better.

Originally posted by JoeR.
I keep hearing it is a hammy workout, but I use them as a lower back workout. That is were I feel it works, infact I dont feel the hamstrings being used what so ever. But after I do some sl deadlifts My lower back is tight as hell, feels great. I cant figure out why it works my lowerback when it works everyone elses hamstrings?

Just keep ur knees locked, and lift right?

I see a lot people do these wrong.....Try sticking your chest out (like you would if a cute girl came by ), keep your shoulders pulled back, knees slightly bent, and push your butt back (not down but back) as you lower the weight and keep your head up - looking forward. You should feel your hams engage within the first 6 inches of the bar lowering (try it with light weight first to avoid injury!!

Dont lock your knees when doing them either, thats insane! You'll destroy your legs as soon as you put heavy weight on these. There should be a slight bend at the knee, always, through the entire motion. Keep the bend in the knees the same throughout the motion to eliminate the quad's.

What?

If you use a BB you may also try DB's. I have recently switched over to using DB's and I think it hits em better for me. Combine everything Mudge, yellowmoomba, Jake, and myself have said.
A)Concentrate on the hips being pushed in and out rather then bending straight down with locked legs.
B)Chest out, shoulders back, ass back not down, no arch in the back, and look forward.
C)W/ DB's I find that when going down while combining everything I just said push your arms out a little bit and it gets the hammies to stretch even more. So instead of bring the weight rite down in front of you place the DB's in front of you and as you push your hips/ass back push the DB's forward a little.

I usually stand on a 2 inch platform when doing these. Gives my hams a better workout it seems.

Originally posted by Saturday Fever
What?

haha, i knew youd find this thread.

From the minimal searching ive done, it seems like a slight bend in the knees on SLDL's helps take pressure off the lower vertebrea.

Besides, as long as youre still getting a strong contraction in the hams, does it matter?

Ok I tried that motion, without even weight and can totally tell im hitting the hams so much more. Which now gets me to the fact, I was using sldl for lower back, what should I replace that with?

Someone mentioned good mornings, how are those?

I just pulled my lower back muscle on my right side doing these tonight....

Good mornings can be a bit tricky. I consider it a pretty advanced exercise to do correctly and safely. I don't try to go too heavy since it can throw your back out with the weight way out behind the head/neck and bending at the waist. That's a super long mechanical lever that puts a lot of pressure along the full length of the spine. It's about the only exercise I ever get a little nervous about and becuase of that I tend to not use it regularly in my routines but do try to work it in.

-OD

Agreed, the bar bites into you pretty wickedly also. Light weight only without experience, really light.

KEEP YOUR HEAD HIGH, tilt your abs out, to keep the spine aligned.

Good mornings scare the shit out of me honestly. I can see myself getting hurt real fast for some reason. It does look like it hits the back pretty hard though, I wanna try em w/ real light weight one day.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...odMorning.html
^^Good Mornings

why scared of GM's? Its pretty much an SLDL with the weight on your back, so you have to lighten up the weight and they are just as safe. Also, not that it matters, but i try to keep the weight as close to my body as possible, that way you get more weight up

Also, you have to be fairly flexible in your hams to do what the guy did on exrx, i'm not really as flexible as that guy and unless i'm doing round back good mornings on purpose i can't get that low.

Rounded back Good AMs are the only form that scares me. I lift cautiously with all Good AMs tho.

Originally posted by Saturday Fever
Rounded back Good AMs are the only form that scares me. I lift cautiously with all Good AMs tho.

I find those less frightening. I can keep my back rounded perfectly fine while doing those. Keeping it straight seems to be more of a challenge to me.