THIS DEADLIFT CUE MIGHT CHANGE IT ALL
Pulling off the floor is a simple movement: get into the starting position, and lift the bar to the top by keeping it above the middle of your foot.
Simplicity, however, doesn't always imply that something is easy. In fact, I argue that the deadlift is the number one exercise where small deviations in form have the biggest impact on whether we're able to complete the rep or not.
Let's dive deeper.
In order for us to lift the bar to the top position, it has to travel upwards in a vertical line above the middle of our foot, as this is where our centre of balance is. The more something is in balance, the more force it can produce.
We have a certain amount of muscle mass available behind the bar, if we were to look at our starting position from the side. It includes the muscles of our legs, hips, and back. This muscle mass has to be able to produce enough force in order to lever the weight at the front upwards. The more muscle mass available behind the bar, the more 'barbell mass' can be moved at the front. Vice versa, the heavier the weight at the front, the more muscle mass required in our lower extremities and back to lift it up.
Here is the key point:
If the barbell drifts away from our shins in the starting position, it increases the distance between the bar and the location of our muscles at the back. In other words: we have now created greater leverage between the bar and our joints - making the deadlift exponentially harder, as there is now an 'extra distance' to be overcome. At a heavy enough weight, this will make it impossible for us to break the bar off the floor, as there is simply not enough muscle mass available at the back to compensate for this increase in leverage.
This explains why a light deadlift (as well as a power clean) can be pulled off the floor with the bar slightly moving away from our shins, as there is enough muscle mass at the back to make up for the relatively lighter weight drifting away at the front. It isn't our aim to lift like this, but in theory, it works.
The issue we are commonly finding in training is that the lifter is unable to keep the bar glued to his shins as he breaks it off the floor.
One reason I have found for this to be the case is that the lifter tries to tighten the bar onto his body in a horizontal direction - meaning 'backwards'. This can lead to the lifter bending his knees, which moves the shins forward, which kicks the bar away from him. At this point, things go pear-shaped in the deadlift.
For those of you struggling with this error, think of pulling the bar upward and through you as you set tight. This produces a more vertical direction of tightening instead of a horizontal one, keeping your hips high, and stopping your knees from bending.
To be precise, the direction of tightening isn't fully vertical, but diagonally towards a point on the ceiling that is roughly above your hips.
Setting tight this way will generate tension on the bar as well as on your arms and lats. Through this, you are creating a lock-in mechanism on your body from the feet on the floor reaching to the bar in your hands.
I have found this cue to be very useful in coaching my lifters, and it might change it all for you in the deadlift too.
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