Thursday, February 12, 2009
Spinal Flexibility and Deadlifting
A question regarding flexibility of the spine and its relationship to deadlifting. Notice the slight rounding of my lower back as I begin the pull. This is a new style of deadlifting I am using which has my back flatter than my normal pull. It seems I am unable to keep my back in a locked arch position, although the rounding is actually less than what I am used to and much less than I am capable of.
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This same spinal flexibility, or the lack of it, determines the initial pull during the Olympic lifts of the snatch and clean & jerk. I struggle with being able to maintain the deep lower back arch established during the set once the loaded pull begins. Arm and leg lengths are a factor, besides spinal flexibility, that determine one's abiity to sustain a lower back arch during a loaded pull.
Training with sub-max loads and concentrating on lower back arch perfect form is necessary to build muscle memory.
While the attention to spinal flexibiity may focus on the lower back arch, we shouldn't exclude shoulder flexibility and strength, and the ability and their contribution to the upper body's contribution to this arch with chest expanded and shoulders back during the pull.
For me, it's a constant struggle. Maximum lower back arch allows more leg drive during the pull.
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