That's what I'm saying. We don't give a fuck (to a certain extent) how much we pull. We want to train. That's why I'd rather pull with my upper back retracted.

I disagree that the blades being already retracted is harder. Having them protracted then having to retract them at lockout, I think, is harder. Not only that but it's pretty much known that moving through a concentric and eccentric range trumps an isometric hold, which is what keeping the blades retracted is. At the same time, I also hold my lockout out for 1-2 seconds and squeeze my glutes and upper back but also work my grip. Best of all worlds.

This post was edited by AeolianHarp on Feb 8 2013 05:02pm

I feel like you two are unaware on how the mechanics of a Deadlift work. You can't brush everything off as "they're professionals," that's just trying to deflect.

Once again, the need to pull the scaps back at the top of the lift is where the majority of the back work comes in on a Deadlift.

I'll give you an example. Did you see a certain somebody who had a DL a few months ago where he had to hitch the weight to lock it out? It's because he could pull the weight off the floor, but since he had his scaps protracted he had to pull them back (requiring a strong back) to finish the lift. This generally means that the person has a weak upperback (relative to other parts of their lift, of course).

Upperback retracted would actually place less of a load on your upperback, so you're doing the opposite of what you want.

When you DB row, do you keep your scap retracted the entire time? If so, you're doing it wrong.

There's a reason every upperback exercises requires that you protract then retract, not keep it in a continually retracted state.

Could be glutes. Just super saiyan.

If you're struggling to retract the scaps then it isn't glutes, nub. I see what you're saying, though (since I gave an example of hitching).

I have a hard time with lockout. Rack pulls are like same weights

You know that generally speaking I accept your knowledge and admire it, but this time I'll have to simply say NO.

It's the truth, unfortunately. Mechanically speaking, what you're saying makes no sense.

I disagree that scaps retracted would put LESS of the load on your back. That's not true. There's still plenty there because you have to keep them retracted to prevent protraction. In reality, the differences are probably moot. And rack pulls with 3-second scap retraction (a la Mike Robertson) > regular DL anyways for back development.

This post was edited by AeolianHarp on Feb 9 2013 12:21pm