angle of the back on the deadlift

[Anton Emery]

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading Starting Strength, and i wanted to run something by you all concerning the angle of the back in the deadlift. Tell me if i have this right.

Due everyone's different limb and torso length the angle that the plane of the back makes with the floor will vary from individual to individual. In the book Rip talks about the main criteria for the starting point of the deadlift, which are:

Bar touching the shins
Shoulders slightly in front of the bar
Back arched and chest up
Arms straight

So when these criteria are met will they automatically place the back in the correct position for that individual lifter? So say someones shoulders are slightly behind the bar, for them to bring their shoulders forward while still keep weight on their heels i would think they would have to raise their hips, which would affect the angle of their back.

Just something i am thinking about.

Anton

[Steven Low]

Yes, it would. But it would put you in the proper position. Not everyone's back angle is going to be the same.

And the position can be limited by very tight hamstrings (which forces the butt up) so take that into consideration.