Form Is Based Off Of Body Type.
If you're a longtime reader, you most likely remember my lifting series where I covered the big three lifts/movements (squats, pressing, and deadlifts) over a few articles. If you're new or just don't remember, that's totally fine. It's not required reading to understand this article. In that issue I only did a brief description, listed the multiple variations with a general form, and covered how to implement it into a general training plan. So in this one I'm going more in depth on how to perform the conventional (or standard) deadlift depending on body type and style.
The main differences in body type that alter how you will perform this movement usually fall on femur length. Noting that arm length does as well, but more commonly, if you have long or short femurs, your arm length mimics it. This article would turn into a novel if I descended into explaining every nuance of deadlifting form.
Not All Pulls Are The Same.
Let's begin with you long femur people… your hips sit higher at the start and your back is typically more parallel to the ground. The reasoning for this comes down to geometry and your body mechanics. A longer thigh bone puts your hip joint farther from the bar, along with the bar still having to stay over midfoot and against your shins (bar over midfoot and close/against shins is a universal deadlift cue, regardless of body type). Having long legs and trying to sit your hips down low in this form will essentially push your knees forward to make room for your hips. This is counterproductive because your knees will end up too far past the bar path.
So the fix is that hips need to come up instead. This gets the knees out of the way, keeps the shins close to the bar, and lets your shoulders sit over or just in front of it. The tradeoff is a torso that leans closer to parallel with the floor, less knee bend, and more demand on the hamstrings, glutes, and the back to get the bar moving.
However, you want to find the lowest sweet spot you can. Along with ensuring you're practicing correct core bracing and back setup. This way you're pulling with your entire back (locked in with back and shoulder position) and driving with your legs.
Okay, now for short femurs we basically do the opposite by sitting low. Your hip joint already sits closer to the bar, letting you drop your hips lower without your knees getting in the way of your bar path. You end up with more knee bend and an upright back, as opposed to the long femur setup. With more knee flexion, the quads and legs do more of the work early in the pull, opening up for you to utilize full leg drive.
To clarify one more time, the bar should always be over midfoot and your shoulders should be over or slightly in front of the bar. This setup will not change, as you want everything close to center regardless of body type. Only the hip height and torso angle change depending on your body structure.
Hopefully this helps clear things up for any new lifters, or is a good refresher for seasoned athletes.
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