I've had issues with my deadlift lockout for a while now; and would hit a point literally an inch or two from lockout where I just felt like I couldn't get my hips to lock, no matter how hard I squeezed my glutes. I've been working on strengthening my hips and glutes, and working on technique and positioning to make sure I'm not in a bad position at lockout, but I still felt like something wasn't right. I have bad cam deformities in my hip sockets, torn labrums, and bone spurs, and I wasn't sure if maybe my hip issues had something to do with this as well.
One night last week I was laying in bed and wondering if changing the angle of my hip position would make it easier to get my hips "through" at lockout without getting impingement (it's a wonder I can't sleep sometimes lol). I decided to try pulling in my olympic weightlifting shoes. Leverage-wise, I figured it was a horrible idea because it would make it easy to have my weight set forward, but I wondered if I drove back into the shoes if I could overcome this. I gave it a shot and was blow away at how much easier I could get through that sticking point at lockout (I worked up to the easiest 600lbs in training I've ever done). Now, I still have work to do on my deadlift lockout, but now I'm confident I can grind through heavy lifts in that position where in the past I couldn't.
I think the main thing I took away from this is to not be afraid to try something if you think it may work. I have a strong feeling that if I asked a bunch of people whether pulling in my olympic shoes was a good idea they would've told me it was stupid. Sometimes you just gotta give stuff a try...
Competitively - My last competition was the UPA Winter Rack Attack on December 17th (competed raw at 220lbs). It was my second meet back transitioning to competing raw, and my goal entering next year is to qualify for a larger raw competition (whether it be at the Arnold or elsewhere).
I'm currently the Fitness Director at Ohio University as well as Event Coordinator for EliteFTS. I'm also involved in coaching and public speaking on topics relating to powerlifting, coaching, education, student development, and mental health.
For Coaching & Programming Questions, feel free to contact me at joeschillero@gmail.com
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