Dead lifting Questions

Bayou230

New Member
For whatever reason, Ive always ignored dead lifting. But have decided to add it to my routine and be serious about it. So here are a couple of beginners questions about stiff-legged dead lifts:

1. Should you roll the shoulders and arch the back slightly at the top of the movement?

2. Whats your opinion of lifting belts? If you use them, did you start when you reached a certain weight?

3. Should the plates touch the floor at the bottom of the movement or do you like to keep everything under tension by not allowing them to reach the floor?

Thanks for your advice.
B230
 
i use a belt. definitely. there is a proper form thats pretty hard to get down i dont see much people do it correctly. if it makes any sense, this is the simplest way. keep it so close it drags against your shins, when you lift it make sure your ass is below your shoulders, get under the weight. and try to keep your back as straight as possible the whole time.
 
Beefster said:
1. No need. In fact, you can feel the hamstrings unload before reaching totally vertical.

2. There is no reason to use a belt for stiff-legged deadlifts IMO.

3. Here is some info with links to different techniques. http://www.exrx.net/Questions/DangerousExercises.html#anchor416052.

He's not talking about SLDL's. He's referring to pulls from the floor. Conventional deadlifts, if you will.

WRT "rolling the shoulders at the top of them movement", just pull them back. Like, contracting your upper traps together(or are those middle traps???).
 
Grizzly said:
He's not talking about SLDL's. He's referring to pulls from the floor. Conventional deadlifts, if you will.

WRT "rolling the shoulders at the top of them movement", just pull them back. Like, contracting your upper traps together(or are those middle traps???).

He is talking about sldl's!

"But have decided to add it to my routine and be serious about it. So here are a couple of beginners questions about stiff-legged dead lifts:"
 
Oh my, I'm retarded! How did I miss that. Guess I was thrown off by the title. I assumed we were talking about manly exercises.

I'll leave you ladies to discuss the finer points of this movement from here on out. ;)
 
Grizzly said:
Oh my, I'm retarded! How did I miss that. Guess I was thrown off by the title. I assumed we were talking about manly exercises.

I'll leave you ladies to discuss the finer points of this movement from here on out. ;)

SLDLing is girly? Then all I'd have to do is stick out my chest and let out a bit of a scream :eek: at the top to complete the picture and nail the movement, right?

Thanks everyone for your replies.
 
Don’t know how I missed Phreezer’s “How to Deadlift” when looking through the forums. Guess I have some of that "retard" too. These quotes from him clear up a lot of my questions:

“Another mistake that is often made as the lift nears completion is the lifter will try to pull the torso back, when it is far easier to simply push the hips forward. This technique will allow the athlete to shift some of the strain from the erectors to the larger muscles of the hips, including the gluteus. At the top of the lift, the shoulders should be pulled back to indicate the completion of the lift. This is not necessary for routine training of the deadlift, but a powerlifter should practice this to avoid unnecessary red lights.”
___

“Another common variation is the stiff-legged deadlift (SLDL) which will work the hamstrings to a much greater degree than the conventional deadlift. (2, 10) This lift should begin just like a conventional deadlift, and should be pulled to the top in the same manner. The knees will be stiff, but not locked, as the bar is lowered as far as possible without allowing the back to round. The lower back should remain arched throughout the entire lift, and if the back begins to round despite the best attempts of the athlete, it is necessary at this point to begin the concentric portion of the lift and raise the bar. The bar will travel away from the lifter as the hips are flexed progressively. There is greater torque on the hips and lumbar areas because of the greater horizontal distance from the bar to the base of the support than in the conventional deadlift. (3, 4, 17”
____

“Other self proclaimed authorities state that you must wear a belt when deadlifting. A belt can help increase intra-abdominal pressure, as well as increase the force generated when deadlifting. However, the majority of the deadlifting done by any athlete should be performed without a belt to further recruit the core muscles (abdominals, obliques, etc.)”
 
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Bayou230 said:
SLDLing is girly? Then all I'd have to do is stick out my chest and let out a bit of a scream :eek: at the top to complete the picture and nail the movement, right?

Thanks everyone for your replies.


You're confused, dude. SLDL is not the same movement as the Deadlfit.

Deadlift = manly exercise

SLDL = girlie exercise that is actually better replaced with the RDL
 
Grizzly said:
You're confused, dude. SLDL is not the same movement as the Deadlfit.

Deadlift = manly exercise

SLDL = girlie exercise that is actually better replaced with the RDL

I got your drift that you think the SLDL is for women the first time you wrote it. And I was just poking fun at myself in the post above. Let me re-phrase what I said so to reassure you I'm not confused that the two are different movements. (New edits in red.)

The SLDL is girlie? Then all I'd have to do so everyone in the gym would notice I was doing a girlie dead lift is stick out my chest and let out a bit of a scream Pamela Anderson style at the top to complete the picture and nail the girlie movement, right?​

So Grizzly, would belching, farting, scratching my nuts and swearing help dude-up the SLDL or should I give up on it altogether and head for the DL or RDL?
 
I'm not sure what you're failing to understand here. I see you're trying to be a wise-ass, but, well, let's just say you really suck at it.

If you're looking to pack on shittons of bodymass, then you do the deadlift. If you're looking to tweak the hammies and glutes a tad, then you go with the RDL. You "could" use the SLDL for this purpose, but I believe the RDL to be better. Similar movement, but just different enough to make the one better.
 
Grizzly said:
If you're looking to pack on shittons of bodymass, then you do the deadlift. If you're looking to tweak the hammies and glutes a tad, then you go with the RDL. You "could" use the SLDL for this purpose, but I believe the RDL to be better. Similar movement, but just different enough to make the one better.

Thanks, this is great info. Appreciate it.
Best regards,
B230
 
what works for me

II have done deadlifts for over 15 years in competition. My opinion on stiff legged dead litts. It will bring your dead lift up but it is an assistance exercise. It strengthens your lower back muscles in a different way, i should say a different angle than sumo or convential, but it all adds up to standing up straight. You roll your shoulders back in competition. On my off season I do foundation training, reps of 10 ,no belt. The power lifting teams i was on, one person was in front of you screaming at you to pull, pull pull, there were people on both sides of you screaming pick it up. Whe you hit the muscle from different angles , you will get stronger.You should bring the weight down slowly to touch the floor. The explosive power comes from the floor.
 
I'm still a bit confused as to what you have against SLDL?

If a guy does 500 lb SLDL vs 500 lb DL, what is it that makes the SLDL girlie? It seems to me that the SLDL will actually be more difficult to pull at the same weight.

Can you explain what makes the SLDL no good for putting on mass in your opinion?
 
First off, the SLDL is an entirely different movement than the actual deadlfit. It's supposed to be, mostly, a hamstring exercise. Secondly, it's not nearly as effective, IMO, as the RDL for this purpose.

Usually, I agree with Phreezer, but I think his description of the stiff-legged DL is off. In the SLDL, your back is actually supposed to round a bit. If you want a motion which you keep your back arched and hard, then it's the RDL. The very nature of the SLDL causes back rounding.

Also, you show me someone who is SLDLing 500lbs and I'll show you someone who is piulling 700+. They're not even comparable, dude.

This is why it's "girliie". The nature of the movement makes it impossible to move as much weight as you can with a conventional deadlift. Plus, like I said, it's "supposed" to be for your hamstrings, whereas the DL is a full body movement. Certainly, the SLDL recruits a few more muscles than solely the hamstrings, but not nearly to the extent that the DL does.

In the end, the SLDL will NEVER make a dude as big as the DL, thus making it girlie.
 
From these posts I think I see the error Ive made as a beginner to deadlifting. I chose the SLDL as a starting point when its probably better suited as a second-tier movement. It makes sense that I should be more concerned with laying a good foundation, learning the basic deadlift, and then place the others, beginning with the RDL, in rotation if I need a change.

Thanks
 
From the looks of it, that's more of a Romanian Deadlift. You can tell by how he is pushing his ass back and bending at the knees slightly.
 
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