SLDL Form?

[R. Alan Hester]

Which way is better? Will my vertebra hit the wall behind me doing the rounded back?

1)rounded back:http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...gDeadlift.html

2)straight back:http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...gDeadlift.html

[Allen Yeh]

I've read both sides of the arguement and messed around with both. I personally prefer to stay with the straight back version.

[Darryl Shaw]

The straight backed version gets my vote too.

[Patrick Yeung]

I had never even seen a rounded back deadlift until I saw that video of Konstantin Konstantinov.

What are the advantages/differences between the two? And, why straight leg?

Im guessing that straight leg uses a lot more hamstrings, and in general dosent lift as much weight. And, rounded back vs straight being a preference? It looks like the track the bar takes is different though.

[Dave Van Skike]

Originally Posted by Patrick Yeung

I had never even seen a rounded back deadlift until I saw that video of Konstantin Konstantinov.

What are the advantages/differences between the two? And, why straight leg?

Im guessing that straight leg uses a lot more hamstrings, and in general dosent lift as much weight. And, rounded back vs straight being a preference? It looks like the track the bar takes is different though.

very few big deadlifts have been done without some amount of upper back rounding but a true round back allows you to initially round quite a bit more than just a saggy upper back and curl down to the bar....it uses the initially shorter range of motion to get the bar through the sticking point and relies on back strength rather than squatting strength. big time posterior chain and upper back.

it's pretty specific to body type. long arms long legs and really strong short back give you good leverage for a rounded DL. more neutral proportions give you a DL that looks more like how you've probably been taught.

round back lifting is the way people actually lift big objects but it requires a lot of back and abdominal strength, flat back allows you to lift a bar efficiently but nothing about big Deads is efficient, it's all about torque and grind.

as for rounded versus flat back for SLDL i say do both.

[Paul McKirdy]

There aren't many natural straight lines in the body... Shrug.

[Robbie Bremner]

Research has recently been carried out on variations of deadlifts on hamstring muscle activation. SLDL was shown to be the best. If you relating the lifts to Snatch and CJ then posture control is critical, therefore SLDL would be more beneficial. Variation can be added with clean grip and snatch grip SLDL.
If your training is not as specific then use both lifts for variation.
What program are you using these lifts in?

[R. Alan Hester]

Originally Posted by Robbie Bremner

Research has recently been carried out on variations of deadlifts on hamstring muscle activation. SLDL was shown to be the best. If you relating the lifts to Snatch and CJ then posture control is critical, therefore SLDL would be more beneficial. Variation can be added with clean grip and snatch grip SLDL.
If your training is not as specific then use both lifts for variation.
What program are you using these lifts in?

I don't have a specific program, and the only Oly lifts I do are power versions with dumbbells. Everything I am doing goes toward grappling with an eye on health and longevity, not being the next world champion. Specifically, this is a return to an old thread I started:http://www.performancemenu.com/forum...ead.php?t=2861 . My left knee is killing most of the time now that I am doing a lot of grappling getting ready for a competition in March. So much time on my knees (insert joke here) and/or squatting down bugs my knees, so i don't like to work them more than I must for GPP.

[Dave Van Skike]

if this is for grappling, I wonder why not round back? most things in grappling are round back or odd angles. certainly if your knees are bugging you, SLDL is a good choice but unless you already have this base covered in soem other way, i'd bet you'll get a lot out of many round back lifts, not just SLDL.

[R. Alan Hester]

Originally Posted by Dave Van Skike

if this is for grappling, I wonder why not round back? most things in grappling are round back or odd angles. certainly if your knees are bugging you, SLDL is a good choice but unless you already have this base covered in soem other way, i'd bet you'll get a lot out of many round back lifts, not just SLDL.

Thanks for the input, Dave. The only round back I do is sandbag stuff and band pull-thrus, but I have always been scared to do deads with a round back. Like anything, starting light and working your way up without ego is the best way, methinks.