Most coaches attribute back rounding in the deadlift to poor hip mobility.
They are wrong. I have coached hundreds of people with poor hip mobility to deadlift correctly without increasing joint range of motion or muscle flexibility.
In my experience, there are three common issues that cause back rounding during deadlifts:
- Incorrect set-up: If the barbell is in front of the middle of the foot, the knees are bent too far forward, or the hips are too low, the lower back will round to compensate for the increased distance the arms need to travel in order to reach the barbell with the lower back in the correct position.
- Poor muscle awareness: Some trainees don’t know how to flex the muscles of the lower back and lock it into lumbar extension; others become distracted while lifting heavy weights and are unable to maintain the position.
- Weak spinal erector muscles: At relatively heavy weights, the back may round due to the spinal erectors being weak and unable to maintain the correct position as the knees and hips extend and lift the weight off the floor.
Don’t waste your time doing unnecessary mobility exercises.
Identify which one of these three common issues is causing your back to round during deadlifts and fix that instead.