Mastering the Deadlift Bar Path
New year, new deep dives. BEWARE: DENSE SCIENCE FUN AHEAD!
What is the Bar Path?
The bar path refers to the trajectory the barbell takes from starting position to the top of the movement. All barbell movements have a recommended pattern associated with them and today were diving into the deadlift.
Why Does the Bar Path Matter?
I joke with lots of people, weightlifting always boils down to two things, biomechanics and biology. In the case of the bar path, we’re looking to minimize the distance the bar needs to travel while maximizing our mechanical leverage. The farther the bar is away from our center of gravity, the more we have to work to move the same weight.
Ideally with the deadlift, the bar should move in a straight vertical line, staying close to the body with minimal horizontal displacement. The cleaner the vertical path, the more efficient we move the weight. These inefficiencies in bar displacement often lead to wasted energy, slower lifts, and in some cases injury.
Bar Path Case Study:
Here’s one of our physical therapy clients we’ve been working with on this topic.
On the left, its easy to see and tease out the big banana curve that occurs early in the lift and by the end he’s able to get the bar close again to finish strong. On the right, our path is far more vertical and straight and fluid as a whole. So how did we get here?
After assessing the initial video, we identified 2 main technical changes that we wanted to adjust. First, we wanted to fix the coordination and timing between his hips and the bar so they move together. On the left, we see his hips shoot up early without the bar creating a very large lever on the back and hips. On the right, we can see his hips and barbell move together, maintaining efficiency in the movement.
Second, we adjusted his start position. We moved his shoulders more over top the barbell and placed the barbell closer to his shins.
Across a few weeks, between reps, practice, and playing with cues, our biggest jump in technique came with adding a pause to the tempo halfway up the shin that forced him to be more patient through the lift. At the end of the day, I’m in love with the progress he showed and the improvement is undeniable!
All in all, a perfectly straight and vertical bar path isn’t the end all be all in regards to success with the deadlift, it certainly is beneficial to clean up the heavier the weights become. A lot of the time, finding the right cue for you is the difference maker. Weightlifting is no different than any other sport, the more we practice, the better we get, and the stronger we become!
If you are currently struggling with an injury or unable to perform in the activities you enjoy. Please follow the link below to schedule a consultation call to discuss how we can help you.
