How to Untwist your Deadlift and Squat

How to Untwist your Deadlift and Squat

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How to Untwist your Deadlift and Squat

Are you a twisty trainer

This is a short read with a series of solutions to a extremely common problem, that not many people review or fix.

A single side adductor, glute med or 'sore hip' or inability to fire out of the hole on one side is the most common reason for quitting the sport. Mostly, those acute injuries are caused by chronic tightness that has been long time lingering. This is a call to be proactive but in no way medical advice, see a physio, hopefully one that lifts.

 

Why this is complex

 

A lack of symmetry in any aspect can make you uneven, from your wrist, shoulders, hips, ankles - really anything. The way this is exposed is

 

a) the bar twisting on the descent of the squat

b) hips twisting to one side when setting up a deadlift

 

What is a common cause of Twisting

Powerlifting is a amazing sport, but its bilateral nature allows you to mask a bunch of unilateral issues for a long time.

The three most common causes are a

1. tight psoas and hip flexor on one side.

2. one lat way tighter, or

3. a messed up shoulder making a elbow flare can cause twisting.

Twisting in the squat isn't necessarily going to injure you, but firing out of the hole twisted is going to cause a huge uneven load on your glutes, which does lead to injuries.

 

How Do I Know

Squat a few inches from a rack and if one side hits all the time, you twist when you squat. Pretty simple right. Video yourself right from behind doing a deadlift, and if your hip moves to one side, this is not great.

 

How to address the most common issues

Below are a list of simple things you can do during a warmup that will help with lat/shoulder tightness.

How to Untwist your Deadlift and Squat

If the twisting is quite minor, you might get away with the above simple stretch alone (you are forcing the elbow up and away to try and feel a stretch in your lat/rib/tfl).

 

If you are tight (which is likely given your chosen sport) the next step is to apply some force to include the lat (as below)

How to Untwist your Deadlift and Squat

 

Lastly, the stretch you know you need to do, a hip flexor lunge stretch.

 

 

How to Improve Away from the Gym

Passive stretching while watching the TV is a great way to get your lateral mobility up. Set up a few pillows like below and chill for 15

How to Untwist your Deadlift and Squat

 

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