Thread: Anyone else hitting their knees during Dead Lifts?

actually its a pretty common thing.

That's not unreasonable. I have also heard of people scraping up their shins. The closer you keep the barbell to your body, the easier it is to pull the weight up.

Also, your lower back is one of the prime movers in a deadlift. In particular, your lower back does a lot of work at the very bottom of the lift to initiate the movement of the barbell off the floor.

Happens to me all the time. The closer you get the weight to your center of gravity, the easier it is to lift. Unfortunately, it has a nasty tendency to graze your shins a little.

Originally Posted by AKIRA

I recently started doing deadlifts the *usual* way. Meaning bending my legs and using my hams instead of my whole back.

Anyway, I try to maintain strict form by arching my back instead of rounding it. But this feels awkward cuz the damn barbell keeps hitting my kness when it comes time to bend them. I gotta pull my knees back to complete a rep sometimes. Meaning, I am using my low back.

I know this cant be right.

I suggest using a lower weight until your more comfortable with the movement. then challenge yourself with weight!

You could also try doing sumo instead of conventional - sometimes different body types are more suited to different variations of the same movement.

The bar shoulder never lose contact with your legs.

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

The bar shoulder never lose contact with your legs.

Even the middle leg?

Especially the middle one.

Not my knees, but sometimes I scrape my shins a little on the way down, it's fairly common.

Doing them sumo style could help, but unfortunetly my body mechanics don't allow me to do them that way, I get pretty nasty irritation in my right hip even with just the bar for weight.

Thats why I do Deads with an EZ Curl bar, for whatever reason it doesn't hit my shins or my * balls *!

You can get enough weight on an EZ-Curl bar to deadlift with? Or are you joking?

Originally Posted by da jock

Thats why I do Deads with an EZ Curl bar, for whatever reason it doesn't hit my shins or my * balls *!

Anyone else try this??

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

The bar shoulder never lose contact with your legs.

"The bar shoulder" WHat do you mean?

I sawa guy doing deadlifts today. He wasnt going past his knees I dont think. How far do you guys go down? I go down until the 45 plates hit the floor or ALMOST hit.

By the way, reason I ask about Deadlifts now is cuz I have been doing the "Pulls" workout in last months Muscle and Fitness Mag. Its a powerlifting workout scheme. Time to change things up a bit and it seems to be working great so far.

Anyway, in the deadlift list, it lists basically 3-4 different workouts for deadlifts. These are where I am hitting/scraping my legs.

Originally Posted by Seanp156

You can get enough weight on an EZ-Curl bar to deadlift with? Or are you joking?

Nope, not joking! So far I only dead 200 max, but the bar has room for prolly four 45's per side if I needed, 360 Lbs total right?. Plus I can grip the angled bar better than the straight bar....

The deadlift should be done in its full ROM. every time you lift it, you should go all the way up, and return it to the floor before the next rep.
The knee thing is something that you will get used to. Try wearing sweats, of that if that is too geeky, try wrapping your knees, though not tightly, just enough to take the discomfort out of the impact. The shins SHOULD be scraped on the way up. the bruising and red streaks on the shins are a sign of a serious lifter, just as the bruising and mark on the traps and shoulders are a sign of a good squatter. Keep trying, man, you will get in the zone and it wont be much of a bother to you.
as for hitting your balls... that's a tough one. either you are WAY too well endowed, or you are doing something really strange. it usually happens to me when i do heavy barbell shrugs. ouch.

Hmmm, I thought it was always a bad idea to do movements with over 180lbs on the EZ bar, but I guess it can take it.

the older easy curl bars that weigh 15 pounds might not be able to handle so much weight, but now i mostly see the newer kind that weigh 25 pounds and are fatter and longer. of course i workout at a newer gym so they have that shit. i like to use those bars sometimes for bent rows, the grip feels good.

Originally Posted by AKIRA

"The bar shoulder" WHat do you mean?

The bar SHOULD never lose contact with the legs, my bad.

Originally Posted by TheCurse

the older easy curl bars that weigh 15 pounds might not be able to handle so much weight, but now i mostly see the newer kind that weigh 25 pounds and are fatter and longer. of course i workout at a newer gym so they have that shit. i like to use those bars sometimes for bent rows, the grip feels good.

Right, I forgot that Seanp156 was prolly talking about one of those old-school little EZ Curl bars (I have one somewhere that I've had since like 9th grade)...I'm referring to the bigger type one's Golds has where I lift....I fing the angle of the bar is less stressful on my wrists for several exercises.

I see dudes doing military presses with them.... not sure what to think about that.

Originally Posted by * Legion *

The deadlift should be done in its full ROM. every time you lift it, you should go all the way up, and return it to the floor before the next rep.
The knee thing is something that you will get used to. Try wearing sweats, of that if that is too geeky, try wrapping your knees, though not tightly, just enough to take the discomfort out of the impact. The shins SHOULD be scraped on the way up. the bruising and red streaks on the shins are a sign of a serious lifter, just as the bruising and mark on the traps and shoulders are a sign of a good squatter. Keep trying, man, you will get in the zone and it wont be much of a bother to you.
as for hitting your balls... that's a tough one. either you are WAY too well endowed, or you are doing something really strange. it usually happens to me when i do heavy barbell shrugs. ouch.

then how come when i see videos of guys that are serious lifter doing deads the bar NEVER or barely touches there legs???

Originally Posted by da jock

Right, I forgot that Seanp156 was prolly talking about one of those old-school little EZ Curl bars (I have one somewhere that I've had since like 9th grade)...I'm referring to the bigger type one's Golds has where I lift....I fing the angle of the bar is less stressful on my wrists for several exercises.

Yeah, I'll agree about the angle feeling better on the wrists. Upright rows can sometime irritate them, and straight BB curl can hurt so bad...

Originally Posted by Seanp156

Yeah, I'll agree about the angle feeling better on the wrists. Upright rows can sometime irritate them, and straight BB curl can hurt so bad...

Enough talk for me, I've been busy & haven't been able to lift in 8 days!!
Feeling like a lazy pig, back in Gold's tomorrow though.

I see some lifters chalk up their knees and thighs before DL.
This is from powerlifter Jill Mills. I love that woman:

The deadlift is a complex exercise to dissect because it almost involves every muscle in the body. I will cover the most important ones below:

• The erector spinae or "spinal erectors"
  Several groups of muscles that work together. Most of them originate in the lumbar/sacral area and run along the spine to the mid thoracic area. You can almost always find a fat juicy pair of erectors on any good deadlifter (or squatter), and in my opinion, the truest physical sign of power (also the sexiest of muscles if you love a powerful physique!).
• The muscles in the gluteal region. Several here but you get the idea.
• Hamstrings- back of the leg.
• Trapezius- between shoulders/ upper back.
• Hip flexors- front of thigh where thigh meets hip.
• Forearms and hand flexors- GRIP! if you can't hold the bar you won't be able to pull it off the floor and lock out with it so I would say these are really your most important muscles when it comes down to it. Unless you are a pansy and deadlift with straps like I see some bodybuilders doing.

Pointers and Proper Technique

First, the setup for the lift:

1. Always start with your feet equally spaced and the bar as close to your legs as possible (remember every inch in distance from your leg adds weight to the bar).
2. Head and chest should be high and positioned over the bar.
3. Butt should be low and back should be flat, not rounded.
4. Grip on conventional should be as close to the outside of your thighs as comfortable; otherwise you are just adding more distance you will have to pull.
5. NEVER start your pull with your arms bent!! I see this all the time.Keep them locked out. Your arms are merely hooks that hold onto the bar. You lose a lot of power on the initial pull if you start with bent arms and also risk tearing a bicep.

THE MOVEMENT

The pull should start with your heels, glutes, and thighs and your back should be very tight and flat and your head high. I often think about pushing my heels through the floor and feel most of the pull through my hams and glutes until the bar passes my knees. You should always practice pulling off the floor this way too so as the weight increases you will be ready.

You should pull off the floor with as much speed and force as you can generate. The momentum will come in handy when the weight hits your knees.

Once the bar is above the knee I begin the lockout phase by driving my hips into the bar with as much force as I can and sliding the bar literally against my thigh (not out in front of me) by using the force of my glutes and hip flexors while simultaneously driving my head up and back. Strong abs will also be beneficial here to help keep the torso tight and help with the lockout.


SUMO OR CONVENTIONAL?

It doesn't matter if you use sumo or conventional. That depends on your personal preference. The the style that makes you the strongest and most comfortable.

I pull conventional (narrow with hands outside my thigh) because I have a strong lower back and thighs. I also squat narrow which uses almost the same muscles (but in a different way). If you are a wide squatter and rely mostly on hip and groin strength then sumo may be better for you.


TROUBLESHOOTING

If you have a problem with getting the weight off the ground then I suggest lowering the weight a bit and pulling while standing on a 100 lb plate or something about that height . (If pulling conventionally.)

This has always helped me because I have to start my pull from a couple inches even lower and so when I take the plate away the floor doesn't feel quite so bad. Most sumo lifters find the toughest part of the lift is getting the weight off the floor.

On the other hand, if you are able to pull from the floor but die somewhere around the intial phase of your lockout I suggest heavy rack pulls from the knees. High pulls are very helpful here too.

If the weight dies within 4-6 inches of lockout I suggest heavy shrugs and high pulls to build up trapezius and upper back strength.

The erectors are used through out the entire movement.

If you simply cannot hold onto the bar and it slips through your fingers then work on your grip. First, get rid of the straps on back day. The farmers walk with dumbells as heavy as you can manage is an excellent grip and trap exercise and is often overlooked.

Well best of luck to you! if I overlooked anything or u have any questions leave me a message!

i agree with what your saying and i've seen plenty chaulk up there bodies. but the way legion said it, and remember you have a lot of young guys on here who dont know much, is pretty much you scrape the bar all the way up your legs from start to finish. pretty much the bar never leaves contact with your legs. from what i've read and been told many times is dont have the bar that close to your legs. as stated here by someone that i'm sure will destroy anyone here on deads

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle....rticle=194dead

also a very good read about deads

Originally Posted by guyfromkop

i agree with what your saying and i've seen plenty chaulk up there bodies. but the way legion said it, and remember you have a lot of young guys on here who dont know much, is pretty much you scrape the bar all the way up your legs from start to finish. pretty much the bar never leaves contact with your legs. from what i've read and been told many times is dont have the bar that close to your legs. as stated here by someone that i'm sure will destroy anyone here on deads

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle....rticle=194dead

also a very good read about deads

When the bar comes off of your legs it shifts the center of gravity forward and pulls you forward and off-balance. It also shifts the emphasis to your lower back. The lockout requires your hips to extend completely forward and your shoulders to roll back. The shortest distance for the bar to travel and this to occur would be to have the bar never leave the legs. Hence, the bar never leaves your legs.


So you have to ask yourself, what benefit does pulling yourself off-balance, handling all of the weight with your lower back, and pulling the bar an extra horizontal distance give you? There are alot of people in the gym that can bench press more than me, that doesn't mean they are doing it right.

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

When the bar comes off of your legs it shifts the center of gravity forward and pulls you forward and off-balance. It also shifts the emphasis to your lower back. The lockout requires your hips to extend completely forward and your shoulders to roll back. The shortest distance for the bar to travel and this to occur would be to have the bar never leave the legs. Hence, the bar never leaves your legs.


So you have to ask yourself, what benefit does pulling yourself off-balance, handling all of the weight with your lower back, and pulling the bar an extra horizontal distance give you? There are alot of people in the gym that can bench press more than me, that doesn't mean they are doing it right.

so basically you're telling me to have the bar be in contact with my shins, knees, and thighs the entire time during the pull?

Originally Posted by guyfromkop

so basically you're telling me to have the bar be in contact with my shins, knees, and thighs the entire time during the pull?

you bet! the further away the bar moves the more torque it places on the lower back and the more you run the risk of injury or missing the lift (or both).

I haven't read the article you have posted there but I would guess what they are talking about is not "hitching" in competition which means you cradle the bar on your thighs and bump it up to lock out.