My deadlift form has always sucked

[Doppel]

I've tried deadlifting on and off for years. Many, many years ago I did it for quite a while and had a one-rep max over 300 lbs, though this with a weight belt and a major arching of the back. And that's the issue:

When I'm down at the bottom of the movement it seems that basically irrespective of how little weight I have the only way I can push up is by bending at my lower back. I can't keep the thing straight. I've tried sumo lifts and they're a little better, but the general gist is that if I want to keep my lower back from arching out I'd say I cannot even do a good quality lift with more than around 50% of my body weight or something! Ideas? I guess it's possible I just need to start at that super low weight until my lower back is stronger...

 

[RearAdmiral]

Nah you just need to lift in a twisting, jerking motion.

 

[dmw16]

There are a few things that could be the case here. But first off, well done for being mindful of keeping good back position. Too many people at gyms thinking they can pull tons of weight but have shit form.

Anyway, it probably comes down to midline strength. To fix that you'd just want to do workouts that increase core strength. So sit-ups, back extensions, turkish get-ups, etc.

The other possibility (or in addition to needing more midline strength) could be flexibility. Try putting 45lb plates under the bar when you lift so you don't have to bend as far.

It's also important to keep your feet under your hips with the bar above the knots on your laces then bend down to grip the bar before settling down into your start position with the bar against your shins.

 

[KIAman]

I'm a beginner and when I first tried to deadlift, I could barely do 135lbs and my back was bent all over. This was also when I was squatting only the bar.

Couple months later, I squat 260lbs 5x5 and deadlift 280lbs 1x5 all without a belt. I never even focused on the deadlift or did anything special.

The point is, improving my squat naturally improved my deadlift. Squatting also helped with my hamstring and glute flexibility. Because of squatting, my lowerback/glute area is probably one of the strongest part of my body and can keep my stomach and back in a strait line nomatter the weight.

Right now, my stopping point for deadlift is my grip strength even with a mixed grip. But I refused to use any tools or aids until I've stalled for a very long time.

So... squat!

Edit: Just to give you a mental image when deadlifting, when I'm fresh with good form, I can feel the majority of the tension in my hamstrings and glutes. If I close my eyes, it doesn't feel like I'm lifting the weights in the air. It really feels like I'm pushing down a platform with my feet and the bar is held rigid in place and never moves and I use it just as a leverage to help push this platform down.

When I'm tired and have bad form, it definately feels like I'm lifting the weights in the air with a lot of the tension in my upper and lower back.

 

[elitejp]

Football helped me the most in getting the form right for dl and squats. In football the lineman along with everyone else for that matter practiced doing three point stances. Its not the same as what you would do in the movement of a dl however getting your butt to stick out there while staying balanced is key to keeping good form and keping your back straight. Most people I have every trained in doing dl's have always had the problem of not sticking there butt out far enough to keep balanced and you just have to slowly teach them.

Another thing you can try is doing dl's using the smith machine. A variation that I really really like.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Currently doing 2x5x255 on my workouts. Next time is 260 pounds ... phew. It's really starting to get difficult where my weak point is grip strength and not my legs, back, stomach, etc.

Seems like when I have a form issue, it is because I forget to start with my shoulders back. Squeeze them like you would for a bench press. That helps me tighten my back and stomach muscles and keep my spine straight.

The Ripettoe videos are awesome. I watched the deadlift one probably 3-4 times while learning proper form. Maybe the best thing the OP can do is to get the video for deadlift. Watch it. Start with a lower weight (95, 135?). Do 5x5x135 and make sure it is good form like Rippetoe teaches. Add 5 pounds per workout. Whenever in doubt about form, rewatch the video. Once you ge to 200 pounds, you will immediately notice bad form. When you do it right for a few months and your back is rounded all of a sudden, you will notice it.

 

[tedrodai]

Football helped me the most in getting the form right for dl and squats. In football the lineman along with everyone else for that matter practiced doing three point stances. Its not the same as what you would do in the movement of a dl however getting your butt to stick out there while staying balanced is key to keeping good form and keping your back straight. Most people I have every trained in doing dl's have always had the problem of not sticking there butt out far enough to keep balanced and you just have to slowly teach them.

Yup. A straight back doesn't end at the waist. You gotta make sure to stick that butt out in line with your back, keep it stuck out, and bend at the hips not the waist. And don't let your shoulders fall forward as IHateMyJob2004 mentioned.

...if I want to keep my lower back from arching out I'd say I cannot even do a good quality lift with more than around 50% of my body weight or something! Ideas? I guess it's possible I just need to start at that super low weight until my lower back is stronger...

YES. It's just not worth it to do deadlifts if you don't use proper form. Doing it with a bent back is how people SCREW UP THEIR BACKS, and you DO NOT want that. The deadlift is a pretty functional lift. It carries over to things like lifting furniture, bending over to do yardwork, etc...pretty much all of the most common activities (after accidents) that cause back injuries. A lot of people don't realize there even is such thing as good form. You know better, however, since you lift weights. Don't succumb to the idea in your head that "you're stronger than this, so you should be using more weight" if you can't do it with proper form. Check out this lady, because she knows what she's doing :
http://backandneck.about.com/od/activitiesofdailyliving/ss/safeliftingtech_4.htm

If it's truly your lower back (or torso) strength, then yes, you need to be using lower weight until your weak points catch up. Folks have already given a bunch of good examples of other stuff you can do to help with that.

If you're just not used to the movement with a straight back, then you still need to use lower weight until you get the movement down. Mentally focus on keeping your shoulders and butt in position, and watch yourself in a mirror as you go through the motions. Once you know what the straight back feels like, you won't need the mirror, but heck, I still like to have it if I can. I personally consider the mental focus of keeping your back straight just part of the exercise.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I haven't read the other replies here, but the most frequent cause of back rounding in the deadlift that can't be controlled with muscular activation is 1) tight hamstrings, 2) tight posterior joint capsule. You need to foam roll and stretch tight hamstrings. For a tight posterior capsule, you need to essentially use a band to traction yourself. Refer to these videos to address both:

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/06/episode-277365-tissue-flossing-for-better-sliding-surfaces.html

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/06/episode-272365-tj-murphy-edition-and-hamstring-stiffness.html