Why You Must Keep Your Arms Straight During the Deadlift

 

When it comes to lifting ridiculous amounts of weight you must be ready to perform such exercises such as the squat or deadlift. Both allow a trainee to utilize their body to lift far more than they would have thought possible if they follow perfect technique. However, there is equal amounts of opportunity to cause yourself a serious injury if you do not, and this can happen in a variety of ways. When lifting the bar from the ground in the deadlift it is imperative to keep your arms straight, but why? In today's article we will explain why having straight arms is an absolute must, and why body mechanics require it.

First, let's take a basic look at the physics behind a well-executed deadlift. The whole purpose of the exercise is to raise the bar from the ground, breaking its inertia and attempting to straighten your knees, hips and back so as to lock out and hold the bar firm against your thighs. In order to do this you must push down against the ground, transferring force from your legs through your hips and then through your rigid torso to your shoulders, and down to your arms and hands where they grip the bar. Your shoulders will be slightly before the bar, because it's not your shoulder joint that is directly above the bar but your scapula's.

Just as your back must stay straight so as to transfer the force most efficiently from your hips to your shoulders, so must your arms be straight so as to transfer the same force down to the bar. Remember, you will soon be lifting weights that might number in the hundreds of pounds, and such weights will straighten your elbows no matter what you might desire. If you resist, however, this straightening out will be accompanied by damage.

Thus the perfect deadlift requires straight arms. Bent elbows will simply increase the distance that you must lift the bar, and also cause you to use excess amounts of strength in holding the arm muscles locked in an isometric manner. You must come to think of them as ropes from which the bar hangs, and nothing else. Your arms must remain locked and straight, and you must focus all of the lifting on your knees, hips and back. Doing so will allow you to excel at the deadlift.

 

 

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