ExRx.net

Doc,

After you posted you DL form, did you change it?

Andy you should definitely get Athletic Body in Balance, otherwise everything you do'll just be guesswork.

Even rowing at a 45-degree angle (pulling to the waist)?

I think you will be able to deadlift eventually. But you need to clean up ASLR first, which will give you back your toe-touch.

You need to think of ASLR as if you would a bodyweight squat and BB squatting. The relationship is that significant. If you can't ASLR then you will not achieve a good posterior weight shift so heaving heavy things off the ground is always going to pull you forward into flexion because you can't efficiently pull the weight back into the body and do so primarily via hip extension.

I think this is why you are comfortable with a lot of turn out at your foot and a closer stance when squatting. Front squats are more quad dominant anyway so it's not a big issue.

I probably could of spent an hour just working on your ASLR. The PNF tricks started to give you the ROM so it is mostly a stability issue. I think achieving hip extension/glute activation with a "short foot" is what would be needed after regaining the ROM. Then doing some work on basic single leg deadlift movements and basic hip hinge drills.

(I know this is late, btw, but better late than never eh).

For an ASLR corrective when having your issue I really like bands. Loop a band around one foot but then raise both legs up to ~90degrees. Then you hold the leg with the band but lower the free leg slowly. The more you lower the more you feel the UP leg struggle. The band allows some wiggle room. Found a decent video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0rgkr8piuU

An example of correcting that would be starting with the leg lowering, then do some glute bridging. However with your glute bridging I would regress to 2 feet at a time but with a band around your knees and concentrating on keeping the correct foot position. Then onto some Dowel-hip-hinging then a single leg DL movement.

I never got the chance to go into it much but when you're trying to find new ROM really focus on your breathing. When you feel you've hit your ROM limit, take a deep belly breath through the nose and exhale slowly whilst trying to move a little further. 2-3 good breaths normally makes a nice difference. This will seem like nonesense but it genuinely does work like magic. In fact I would bet your tspine extension/rotation would open right up with some good breathing drills before and during it.

man I tried that leg lowering that and it was REALLY uncomfortable.

Also felt like I could easily lower my leg all the way down. Is that not a bit weird?

hmm ok I'll persevere. I don't have a band, I use my belt!

So my increased ROM is ok because the band (belt) is fooling my brain?