Starting Strength

and travels vertically to lockout directly over the mid-foot, the most efficient pull will have occurred. It is common to mistake the middle of the forefoot – between the tibia and the end of the toes – for the middle of the whole foot, the place the bar should actually be. The bar should be positioned with half the foot forward of the bar and half the foot behind it, so that the bar is directly over the middle of the arch of the foot, the point directly under which the weight of the lifter/barbell system is centered across the sole of the foot against the ground.

    Figure 4-10. The difference between the middle of the whole foot – seen from the side (A), and from the coach’s perspective (B) – and the middle of the forefoot (C), seen from the lifter’s perspective from above, the most common mistake in stance placement.

    When you have the bar in this position, point your toes out. The angle will be at least 10 degrees and maybe as much as 30 degrees (see the picture of George Hechter in Figure 4-39 ). Your toes might be more pointed out than you want them to be. This stance places the hips in external rotation just as it did for the squat, providing the same benefits: more adductor and external rotator involvement in the movement, as well as clearance between the femurs for the torso so that a good start position can be obtained.
     
    Step 2: Grip
     
    After you have assumed the correct stance, grip the bar, double-overhand and thumbs around, at a width that places your hands in a position in which your hands are close to your legs, without being so close that you rub your thumbs against them as you pull. This grip results in the shortest distance to lockout for the barbell (as should be obvious from our discussion of the snatch grip earlier). Bar markings are the knurling on a standard Olympic bar, which will always have a smooth space in the middle (and which may have a 6-inch center knurl in the middle of this space). Standard bar markings are at about 16½ inches for this middle space, so the grip can be set according to this dimension. Most people’s hands will be about an inch into the knurl, or about 18½ inches between hands. Bigger people will need to use a proportionately wider grip to match their stance, while most women will need to put their hands closer together than this, with their index fingers on the edge of the knurl. Be aware that most people tend to take too wide a grip. If your grip is 3 inches into the knurl and your hands are touching your legs, your stance is too wide unless you are very broad through the hips.

    Figure 4-11. The grip width should be just outside the legs when the feet are in the correct position. This placement allows the thumbs to just clear the legs on the way up.

    Take your grip on the bar by bending over at the waist, stiff-legged, without lowering the hips. Most important at this point and for the following steps is that you DO NOT MOVE THE BAR . You have gone to considerable trouble to place the bar directly above the mid-foot for pulling efficiency, and if you move it during this or any subsequent steps, you will have undone Step 1.
     
    Step 3: Knees forward
     
    With your grip secure, bend your knees and drop them forward just to the point where the shins touch the bar. Again, DO NOT MOVE THE BAR, since it is already where you want it over your foot. Hips do not drop down during this movement – only the knees and shins move . Once the shins are touching the bar, the hips freeze in position. They do not drop any farther. Now shove your knees out just a little to establish the slight angle of the thighs and knees that keeps them parallel to your feet. Knees will be in contact with elbows after this happens, and that is fine. The correct grip width will have the clearances very close during the pull, and if the grip is correct and the thighs are externally rotated a little, the knees will touch the elbows. Most people will try to lower their hips during this step. If you do this, you will push your knees forward, thus pushing the bar forward. Just touch the bar with the shins and shove your knees out just a little.
    Step 4: Chest up
     
    This will be the most difficult step for most people: squeeze your chest up into the deadlift start position. Lifting the chest is accomplished by using the muscles of the upper back, and this starts a process of spinal extension that finishes at the pelvis. While gripping the bar, being careful NOT TO MOVE IT , shove