The Click.....

[stupidasso]

While watching a beginner deadlift recently I noticed something simple and helpful. Technique is critical in powerlifting. With improper technique proper timeing is impossible. You will notice that when you start to lift the weight off the floor you hear clicking sound. It is the sound of the sleaves contacting the plates the plates all sliding together, or a combination of both. As soon as you hear this sound that means the "slack" is out of the bar. I have noticed that many times when you hear this more than once lifters tend to come forward on the bar. You will see that the legs straighten first and butts come out of the hole ahead of the torso. I am a sumo style puller. When I set up on the bar and am ready to go. I make sure the bar is touching my shins. I make my torso as erect as possible. I then use my lowerback to take the slack out of the bar. When I hear the click it is majic time. I almost pull backward by pushing with my legs and shooting back from the bar. This causes the bar to slide up my legs. As soon as I am halfway up on my legs I then erect my spine. Because my torso has remained fairly erect during the entire lift I do not half far to go to lockout. My leg drive has given me momentum to do this quickly. It is kind of like pitching and catching in bench. Anyone can do this, but I swear it starts with the "click". Watch and if you hear the click when someone else is lifting you will see their body tense up as soon as they take the slack out of the bar. Many people then double pump and try to shoot upwards with their legs and never get their torso upright. Maybe it is the shock of the body being suddenly under load. Their is a natural tendency to want to snatch or jerk heavy objects. Like breaking loose a lug nut or pulling a tree root from the ground. The whip like effect in the torso causes the weight to drift away from the lifter and is responsible for most injuries in deadlifting. Setup, grip, take out the slack, stand and deliver.