Stiff leg deadlifts.

[SKINSFAN]

I have always had a problem with these, I always seem to have lower back pain for several days after I do them, as the name implies do I keep my knees locked or slightly bent? Should I look forward through the whole motion or should I look down on the down motion and start to look forward as I raise up? Do I keep the weight close to my body? Is doing them with dumbells O.K.? Just two more question, should this be done on leg day or back day? and lastly does it target hams, glutes and lower back?
Sorry for all the q's, but I would really like to do these in my w/o's............Mike

 

[Slim Jim]

-Slight bend at the knee

-Keep your eyes forward, head up through the whole thing, I like looking at myself in the mirror.

-Keep the bar close to your body, some people rub there shins so bad they blead, close is good. DB are ok to use to, even better than a bar but you can't do as much weight.

-I'd do them on leg day as they target the hams, regular deads target the lower back

 

[Arnold]

Originally posted by SKINSFAN
I have always had a problem with these, I always seem to have lower back pain for several days after I do them, as the name implies do I keep my knees locked or slightly bent?
Slightly bent

Should I look forward through the whole motion or should I look down on the down motion and start to look forward as I raise up?
Forward entire movement

Do I keep the weight close to my body?
Yes, just don't hit your knees on the way up!

Is doing them with dumbells O.K.?
For me that would be awkward, I recommend using a barbell

Just two more question, should this be done on leg day or back day?
Leg day, IMO

and lastly does it target hams, glutes and lower back?
Targets the hams if done correctly, but the lower back and glutes do come into play.

Sorry for all the q's, but I would really like to do these in my w/o's............Mike
No problem!

 

[THE_GAME]

Whenever I do regular deadlifts for back, the next day my hammies are sore...

 

[I Are Baboon]

Am I doing my romanian deadlifts wrong? I know you use your lower back at the end of the motion, but it seems to me like most of the movement involves the glutes, quads, and hammies. Everyone seems to say they target your lower back, but it seems to me like most of the work is happening in the legs.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Whenever I do stiff legged deadlifts, I concentrate very hard on keeping my back straight. I can actually feel it pull on my hamstrings - so I think I'm doing them right (with no back pain).

 

[EagleEye]

I focus on bending at the hips. This keeps my back straight throughout the motion. I use DB's. Tried BB, but prefer DB's. I'm not that strong...yet, so I won't out grow the weights at my gym anytime soon. When I do, I'll switch to BB.

 

[gopro]

Many good tips on here...let me add about stiff legs...to make more effective for hams:1) elevate balls of the feet on a one inch board 2) keep a tight arch in the lower back all the way down 3) stick out rear end as much as possible...you will find you can't get down as far, but you will better engage the hams 4) do them in a pre-exhaust superset...leg curls 1st

 

[Arnold]

Originally posted by MtnBikerChk
Whenever I do stiff legged deadlifts, I concentrate very hard on keeping my back straight. I can actually feel it pull on my hamstrings - so I think I'm doing them right (with no back pain).

Yes, you're correct. Keep the back straight, don't round it.

People tend to think that they need to lower the bar as far as possible, to their toes, but you really do not need to if you do them correctly.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Originally posted by Prince


Yes, you're correct. Keep the back straight, don't round it.

People tend to think that they need to lower the bar as far as possible, to their toes, but you really do not need to if you do them correctly.

YEAH - I did something right!!

 

[rmau803]

the mistake alot of people make is that they bend forward like touching their toes rather than keeping their back straight, like gopro said, and lettting their butt go straight back, can't go as low, but your hams will thank you, or burn like hell the next day. I did them wrong for some time, until some far wiser soul showed me the light.

 

[Maki Riddington]

Originally posted by gopro
Many good tips on here...let me add about stiff legs...to make more effective for hams:1) elevate balls of the feet on a one inch board

*** Can you explain why elevating the balls of you feet will aid in achieving a better contraction of the hamstrings?

Thank you.

 

[w8lifter]

Originally posted by Maki Riddington


*** Can you explain why elevating the balls of you feet will aid in achieving a better contraction of the hamstrings?

Thank you.

I don't think you would achieve a better contraction. I think you would achieve a better stretch, thus creating more muscle damage and leading to a better w/o.

I could be wrong though

 

[Maki Riddington]

Originally posted by w8lifter


I don't think you would achieve a better contraction. I think you would achieve a better stretch, thus creating more muscle damage and leading to a better w/o.

I could be wrong though

*** Is a strech not a contraction?
If one were to strecth or elongate the muscle under a load ( weighted stiff deads) then there would be a strong contraction, enough so, that there would be muscle damage resulting in stimulation.

I'm sure by now W8 that you know that my questions are retorical in nature.

 

[w8lifter]

Originally posted by Maki Riddington


*** Is a strech not a contraction?
If one were to strecth or elongate the muscle under a load ( weighted stiff deads) then there would be a strong contraction, enough so, that there would be muscle damage resulting in stimulation.

I dunno, is it? A contraction is a shortening of the muscle, whereas a stretch is a lengthening of the muscle, yes they go hand in hand, but you said contraction....I think elevated toes/balls of the feet would give a better stretch leading to a better contraction, but the better contraction is not the direct result of the elevation, it is the direct result of the stretch

I'm sure by now W8 that you know that my questions are retorical in nature.

uh-huh....and I'm just giving ya what ya want

 

[gopro]

Yes...elevating your toes will result in a greater stretch which will allow people to not need to go as low and stay in the proper form. In addition, by putting the calves in a stretched position throughout the movement you will be unable to "grab the floor with your toes" and therefore effectively eliminate them from the movement. I use this technique with my clients that don't feel the hams working when doing stiffs on a flat surface. They almost always tell me that they do feel them with the balls of the feet elevated. This is a technique I learned through talking to famous trainer Charles Glass while I lived in LA, Cal.

 

[Maki Riddington]

W8 said,
I dunno, is it? A contraction is a shortening of the muscle, whereas a stretch is a lengthening of the muscle, yes they go hand in hand, but you said contraction....I think elevated toes/balls of the feet would give a better stretch leading to a better contraction, but the better contraction is not the direct result of the elevation, it is the direct result of the stretch

*** A contraction is not simply defined as a shortening of a muscle. If you looked at eccentric, isometric, quasi isometric etc.. contractions you will see that it involves a wide variety.

How can a strechting of a muscle lead to a contraction when it is defined as the same?

 

[w8lifter]

Originally posted by Maki Riddington

*** A contraction is not simply defined as a shortening of a muscle. If you looked at eccentric, isometric, quasi isometric etc.. contractions you will see that it involves a wide variety.

Ok, good point LOL

 

[gopro]

Maki Riddington...BODYBUILDING TEKKIE

 

[w8lifter]

....actually, a contraction is just defined as a shortening of the muscle, this is why the term muscle action would be more appropriate for what we are discussing at the moment.... because it includes eccentric & isometric movements as well.

 

[gopro]

Technically, there is a concentric, eccentric, and isometric CONTRACTION.

 

[w8lifter]

Taken from The Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning text from NSCA

There are three basic types of muscle action, during which forces are generated within the muscle that pull the muscle's ends toward each other if not prevented from doing so by external forces. The term muscle action is preferable to contraction, because the latter means "shortening", which does not accurately describe two of the three muscle actions described.

......I'm just screwing w/ ya's anyway, it's all Maki's fault, he started it

 

[Arnold]

j/k

 

[w8lifter]

 

[THE_GAME]

Is there anyway to do deadlifts without having your hammies be sore the next day since your supposed to be focusing more on the lower back.?

 

[gopro]

Game..if you want to really target lower back, do partials in a power rack. Set the pins so you start the lift at just below knee level. Make sure to start the lift with knees bent. This should help you hit that lower back hard!

 

[THE_GAME]

Thanks GoPro!

 

[gopro]

No prob GAME...