The Hip Hinge: Part 2-How to deadlift like a boss.

I will start off by showing a video of exactly NOT what to do when performing the deadlift. In this video the guy opts out of any sort of…

I will start off by showing a video of exactly NOT what to do when performing the deadlift. In this video the guy opts out of any sort of hinge at the hips and uses nothing but his back to perform the lift. Please do not deadlift like this!

As you can see this guy essentially shits out a spinal disk as he lifts the weight off the floor. He makes no attempt to properly hinge at the hips and the result is a week’s worth of lower back pain.

Side Note: If you are ever performing an exercise and you feel strain or tension in your lower back, stop. Try the exercise again but this time brace your core as tight as you can, if you still feel the tension in your lower back, then stop doing the exercise!

Please DeadLift Like This

The deadlift with a proper hip hinge should look like this:

A few things to note here:

• My shins are staying relatively vertical during the movement

• My weight is back in my heels

• I can feel a hell of a stretch in my hamstring

• Back is practically straight as an arrow

• Chin is tucked (looking at the floor 5 feet in front of me, not at the mirror)

I want you to position yourself such that if I were to poke you in the forehead with my pinky you would fall back on your ass.

Are you still having Some Trouble?

If you have trouble getting down into this position don’t worry, it is a difficult spot to hit. I have one more warm up drill for you to hammer out any last little kinks in your form. Essentially we want to force you to go into the right position without any improper movements. First we have to force you to keep a vertical shin. So, what you would do is walk up to any bench in your gym and put your shins right up against the sides. Ok now your shins can’t go forward (don’t worry about moving backward). Next we have to get your hips to hinge without flexing or over extending your spine. Most gyms will have extremely light bars that are used in group exercise classes, this will do fine (if you just so happen to have a broomstick or dowel even better). Now take that bar and place it vertically on your back so that it is touching your back in 3 specific spots. The head, between the shoulder blades, and the sacrum (upper butt).
 Now comes the fun part. Push your knees into the bench as you push your butt out away from your body. Now the kicker is to do this and keep the bar in contact with all three points on your back the entire time. If you are having trouble keeping the bar on your back, re-adjust your form a little and try again. This is about trial and error. You will know when you are doing it right because you will feel a nice stretch in your hamstrings as well as your back. Once you have the form hammered down perform anywhere from 8–10 reps, then get ready to deadlift.

Here is a video of what im talking about for those visual learners out there:

See how my knees are pressing into the bench in front of me, and how the bar remains on my back during the entire movement. This is what a proper hip hinge should look like.

So let’s recap. You can touch your toes (properly), you know how to hinge your hips, now lets deadlift!

But wait, there are different variations of the deadlift to consider. The three main variations are the Conventional, Sumo, and the Trap Bar Deadlift. Obviously the latter of the three uses a different piece of equipment than the standard straight bar. This is where I would start a beginner deadlifter.

The Trap (or Hex) Bar is oriented differently than the others. I was using the trap bar in my video demonstration above so look there again if you don’t know what it is. Because you are standing inside the hexagon when you perform the lift the weight is centered on your body instead of in front of you on both the Conventional and Sumo styles. Also the neutral grips of the trap bar allow for a better overall grip on the bar. Also the hand grips are a good 3–4 inches higher than the standard bar making it easier for an individual to hinge down and grab it.

The other variations of the deadlift both use the standard barbell and only differ by feet and hand position. The Conventional Deadlift uses a narrow stance (usually hip width) and the hands are placed outside of the legs. The Sumo Deadlift is just the opposite, the feet are out in a wide stance (greater than shoulder width) and the hands are inside of the legs.

Some Deadlift Variation…VIDEOS!

CONVENTIONAL DEADLIFT:

MALE:Eric Cressey

FEMALE: Molly Galbraith

SUMO DEADLIFT

MALE: Dan Green

FEMALE: Neghar Fonooni

The variations offer a different variety to the deadlift but still serve the same purpose.
 Here is a video of me deadlifting 515 for 5 reps. I did this on 2/15/14, so I think it’s safe to say I may know a little bit about this stuff.

Now get out there, be smart and Deadlift like a Boss!

AUTHOR: Chris Tangredi is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the NSCA. He is also Functional Movement Screen Certified. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from SUNY Cortland. He loves to lift heavy things and takes a real functional approach to his coaching techniques. He website is currently in progress but he maintains a blog at www.TangrediStrength.com

Originally published at fitletes.com.