hello,
I just started training.
My new gym is a powerlifting place and they dont have the blue collar that goes with the squats so you can put weight on your back. They have the foam stuff. So everytime I did it I had a hard time finding the spot where to put it and once I did after like 10 tries I see that Im not standing straight up but im hunched a little.

Also my lats hurt alot when doing so.
On deadlifts, I have the bar abou 2 inch away from shins and I have my arms outside of legs with a reg squat stance. I go down and pull it up but I hit my shins and thighs and it hurts. How can I prevent this?

Thanks

my shins bleed after i do deads, so do most peoples... you can always sacrafice form and lean a bit forward not to hit your shins.

when i squat i put the barbell straight on my traps so it doesnt hurt me, but i have pretty big traps bring your own pad or use a towel maybe, i dunno

I don't know what "people" you are talking about. But my shins do not bleed after deads and i do not believe "most peoples" do. If your shins are bleeding your doing something wrong...

there was a thread on another weightlifting forum and most people said that they do scrape the bar along their shins...

with good form the bar should be coming straight up your shins, but you could lean over more and avoid scrapage

it's all about center of gravity

I don't understand what you're saying. You're at a powerlifting gym but they don't have Olympic bar collars? They have the foam padding (aka the bitch pad) that goes over the middle of the bar? What do those two have anything to do with each other. I find it hard to believe that there are no collars in the gym. It's too much of a safety issue not to have collars taht will hold the weights onto the bar.

Stop using the foam padding. Retract your shoulder blades. this should create a 'table' where to place the bar. Your upper back maybe sore for a bit after learning how to squat properly.

There's really no reason to run the bar up your shins when deadlifting. I've scraped my shins so many more times doing cleans than deads. The bar should be very close to the shins, but it is not necessary to literally drag them up the shins. If you're worried about it...get some thick socks for deadlifting if you want to drag the bar up your shins.

Are you pulling with your lower back strictly or your posterior chain?

well being a "soccer fan" as well....Why don't you bring your shin guards from Soccer and just strap them over your shins while doing the dead lifts? Then take them off? Sure some people may think it looks weird, but it would save your shins.

just an idea

lol smart.
and dont sacrifice form when deadlifting. never sacrifice form when performing a lift like this.

i am going to remove my bitch pad now kuz evo said so. i dont need it anyway...

Evolution: I believe he is referring to the "manta ray" shielding that goes in the middle of the bar just like the cushion.

Bleeding shins is definitely unnecessary. If your back is "hunching" you are not in good form for the deadlift. Many powerlifters insist on a rounded upper back form. However, the rounding is simply the effect of lifting very heavy weight. It is not smart for athletes to attempt to adopt this style.

Also, why not simply use dumbbells to perfect the form. Deadlifts with a bar a great, but are a pretty technical movement. It seems you need to learn to "get your butt down" and keep your arms taut and straight.

Here is a simple test to see if you should deadlift. Keep your spine as neutral as possible and touch your toes (while standing). If you can't you have no business deadlifting yet.

that test.. keep your spine as nutral as possible.. that makes no sence to me :s
Do you just mean "can you touch your toes without bending your knees"? because "as neutral as possible" is very relative, i can do it with my back as nutrual as possible (for me) but it will still round.

ok well ya its called manta ray. Anyone know how much one costs?

Also my low back is hurt today like its not as bad but still feel pain. It could be because i havent lifted in a while bu t im not sure. I dont know what im doing wrong on my DL though

soccergod - You need to find a real person to look at your form. You can get good guidelines from a forum, but you need to have someone around to tell you how your form looks and give you ways to make it better.

Best advice - Find a trainer or professional in your gym and get some help.

ok ill do that.
So how do I put the squat ba with or without the foam padding on my back with me hunching back?

search "Technique articles" on this forum, you should find a post i made.. it actually might be currenent, since i bumped it last night.

per evolution's post earlier in the thread:

That's basically all there is to it, maybe Karky's article will have pics (haven't looked).

Damnit. You all beat me to what I was going to say.

Yes, the manta ray is bad for you, it puts the bar up too high, causing you to lean forward more, meaning something you don't want. These are weights, not girl scout cookies, put the bar on your back and toughen up. You're supposed to get strong and more hardcore, not worried about the bar being uncomfortable. Geez lol

At powerlifting competitions we have to have knee high socks incase anybody scrapes the bar up their shins and bleeds all over the bar. Personally, I've never scraped my shins doing deads and I'm 165 lbs. deadlifting 300+ currently. Most people don't scrape their shins, maybe some.