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• Deadlifts. Short arms vs Long arms.

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Deadlifts. Short arms vs Long arms.

timmstar Posts: 426 Joined: 2003/12/08	2005/08/16, 06:59 AM Hi i got reasonably shorter arms .. compared to most other people anyway i was wondering this must be somehow messing with my deadlift lift... as i have to lean over more causing more work on my lower back.. anywho is there a way to lift or a style or techinique or leverage that someone of such could use to benefit from? would i be better using a SUMO type lift instead of the conventional deadlift style?? eg shorter arms use a closer grip whilest benching while longer arms use a wider grip.. what would i do while deadlifting? thanks
vwshepherd Posts: 71 Joined: 2005/07/28	2005/08/16, 11:20 AM I think using a sumo style deadlift may be perfect for you. With the sumo deadlift, you get lower to the ground, anc actually have a little less distance to travel from floor to lockout, combine that with "shorter" arms could be just the ticket.
	2005/08/16, 04:17 PM You could also practice squatting down more ....i.e. sitting farther down as you would on a squat....and using more hips than back to pull the weight....
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/08/16, 09:53 PM I have short arms.....doesn't seem to bother me any...I can sumo dl....but I like convential way. Maybe work on your hip flexability, so you can get lower. -------------- Friends don't let friends squat high...
timmstar Posts: 426 Joined: 2003/12/08	2005/08/17, 01:57 AM Well shorter arms.. more distance i have to lean over.. doesnt bother me just figured if there was a better technique or grove as my lower back as begun to hurt a lil too much from deadlifts and i feel like im pulling too much from that area.. what are ways to improve hip flexability? ( i will be trying sumo style soon ) thanks for input everyone :)
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2005/08/17, 11:40 AM Try it. I lift conventional till I max out, and then switch to sumo and keep adding weight. Stretch your hamstrings and groin alot, just not before exercising. After deadlifting I usually stretch my posterior chain and groin for ab 5 minutes, and that has helped alot. -------------- The best feeling in the world is the feeling you get after a tough set of squats after you step back from the power rack and throw up all over the floor.
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/08/17, 12:12 PM Sumo though.....still requires alot of hip and back strength.....since your legs are so far out ....if yoru back is a weak link......it will still show. How often are you deadlifting? -------------- Friends don't let friends squat high...
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/08/17, 07:10 PM just another thought could be a form issue. If somthing is weak.....dl will show it. -------------- Friends don't let friends squat high...
	2005/08/17, 07:48 PM I was looking at andy bolton pull...and he pulls with his hips even near the bottom....he really gets his hips into it...practice doing it....d/l a video of him doing 900+ and watch it....pause at different parts of the lift and see what he does... made me realize how different my form was...I got fairly long arms and strong back...in part from barely bending my knees at the bottom when I used to deadlift...I bend down more now at the knees and squat downa bit more...but I still lift heavily with my back.....this works for my bodytype...but not for someone with shorter arms or weaker back and stronger hips for example...
timmstar Posts: 426 Joined: 2003/12/08	2005/08/18, 04:39 AM World record bench press i actually more weight pushed then a world record deadlift... i find that amusing mayb its just me..
	2005/08/18, 04:43 AM shirt in bench adds 300+lb to top benchers' total.... deadlift suit adds practically nothing....mystery solved...
vwshepherd Posts: 71 Joined: 2005/07/28	2005/08/18, 08:15 AM yep, the top end shirt adds some monsterous numbers to your bench, personally I dont like the idea of them. But that's a personal view and a whole other can of worms to boot.
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/08/18, 01:35 PM Dl is The hardest lift.....there is only a pull.....no downward phase fo the lift, bench and squat you have to go down.....if you do it right, you can use your hams or back etc... to store energy liek a "spring effect. The dl.....you pull thats it.....plus the other 2 lifts you don't need a strong grip. Dl you do....no help on dl at all.....maybe some knees wraps....but they don't do anything . -------------- Friends don't let friends squat high...
timmstar Posts: 426 Joined: 2003/12/08	2005/08/19, 03:28 AM yeh but doesnt that bench shirt only help on the lower part of the lift? like dont u still need strong triceps to lock out the weight? well i respect deadlifts alot but squats and cleans i still believe are a very hard exercise as well..
vwshepherd Posts: 71 Joined: 2005/07/28	2005/08/19, 07:18 AM agree with all of you. dl is probabally one of the hardest lift to do because it incorporates nearly every part of the body. the bench shirt(in my opinion) is a good thing only in meets where everyone else is using them. personally, i think that you should go for raw lifts only because it helps one see just what you can do yourself and not leave you wandering how much was you, and how much was your new exspensive shirt. you still need strong tri's to get the weight locked out, but could you have controlled that same weight without it? more important still, could you have kept that same weight from crushing your sternum???
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/08/19, 04:41 PM yes they still need a strong tri timm...even raw they bench 750somthing.....deadlift is over 940 I think now -------------- Friends don't let friends squat high...