VideoIs the chest up for the deadlift good or bad? The “chest up” cue is the lazy coach’s way of fixing everyone’s rounded upper back in the deadlift. Ok, I’m not saying you’re lazy. What I am saying is cues are abused and misused. A bad cue is a cue used without context. When we use a cue like ‘chest up” there needs to be an intent behind the expected result it will provide. It is a signal that causes the client to correct something or remember something specific about the movement. This means that the intent and expected result need to have been previously discussed, taught and understood. Using a cue in the place of actually teaching the desired outcome is ineffective at best, and yes, maybe even lazy!
PROBLEMS WITH THE “CHEST UP” CUE
“Chest up”, like “Squeeze the glutes” and “Squeeze the shoulder blades”, is another well-intentioned but over-used cue for the deadlift exercise. We typically use this cue when a client is rounded in their upper back at the bottom of the deadlift. However, some people are hyper-extenders, and the chest up cue might simply trigger them to hyperextend the lower back and not actually correct the positioning of the upper back.
Let’s be clear, extension is not all bad, because at the bottom of the deadlift we are aiming for extension at the lumbar spine to keep the hamstrings from pulling the pelvis into posterior tilt. However, for someone who is very mobile, the “chest up” cue might trigger overextension through the lumbar spine to exaggerate this further without yet really understanding the contribution of the upper back. This is not desirable as an over-arched lower back is just as bad as rounded lower (or upper) back. As well, someone with limited thoracic mobility likely might not do so well with the “chest up” cue either. They literally have nowhere to go.
If you want to have an idea of where your client might get their extension from, you can use the Multisegmental Extension Screen. Do you see a smooth, evenly distributed curve throughout the spine, or is there excessive extension at one particular region? This is called a segmental hinge. If the thoracic spine does not extend, more extension will come from the lumbar spine. While this is not a 100% correlation with over-arching in the deadlift, it can give you a good idea of what might happen when the client aims for extension (or “chest up”).
I have found that getting clients to understand how to maintain tension in the upper back is more about getting them to understand what is going on in the shoulders. Technically, the famous “bend the bar” cue would be more well-suited for a rounded upper back. That said, as it is also a cue, the intent needs to be previously established.
BEND THE BAR?
An important factor that clients need to grasp if they are rounded when they are down at the bottom of the deadlift is how to open up the shoulders, engage the lats and pick up the slack off the bar. That positioning will typically create the “chest up” effect that we are aiming for when we use that cue. In his book Starting Strength, Mark Rippletoe advocates chest up because it “starts a wave of spinal extension that finishes at the pelvis”. However, he also explains it as “shove your rib cage up so that your chest rotates up between your arms”. That rotation element is what I bring awareness to with clients, starting at the shoulder, as the intent of “chest up”, or even “bend the bar”. If you have not read Starting Strength, I strongly suggest you do. It is pretty much a bible for the barbell lifts for strength. What we do need to understand, though, is that there are different reasons for why someone is lifting a barbell. Context will always be key, so in reality, there may be variations in technique – but the basics, which this book covers well, are important.
The Prone Retract and Reach is an activation exercise I use quite frequently to create this awareness (see video). This is how I define “Activation” in my practice – an exercise used to create awareness. Whether it’s mind-muscle connection, practicing isolating and recruiting specific muscles or “feeling” a position, these are all for the purpose of creating awareness. The Activation sequence is preceded by a Mobilization sequence, where the objective is to create space. We mobilize to address factors that are barriers to movement, for example, we address soft tissue limitations, joint range of motion, proprioception, etc.
Most people who hear “chest up” will also tend to over-retract the scapulae. For one, this is not an optimal functional position for the scapulae. For the deadlift specifically, retracting the scapulae will pull you down closer to the bar. This is pretty much the opposite of the intended goal of picking up the slack. It would also be impossible to maintain that retraction with the pull of a heavy load.
Rather, the functional and stable position you want for the scapulae is a subtle retraction and depression. We often refer to this position as “shoulder blades towards the back pocket”. This is also the position that will rotate the chest up between the arms. The Prone Retract and Reach exercise brings awareness to that position. I typically prescribe 2 sets of 8 reps in the Activation sequence of the work-out prep.
HOW TO INTEGRATE
Once the Mobilization and Activation sequences have been completed, we move on to the Integration sequence. Here the objective is to create behavior. How do we ensure our client can remain organized under load? How do we progress them towards that goal?
An effective follow-up to the Prone Retract and Reach is to put it into practice with the hands on the barbell. This takes me back to the “bend the bar” cue. When your client replicates what the blades are doing in the Prone Retract and Reach with their hands on the bar, they will understand how this is equivalent to the intention of bending the bar. Just working on understanding and repeating this for a few minutes can be effective.
Another interesting Integration exercise would be to use the sweeping deadlift exercise. With the sweeping deadlift, the band attached in front of the bar will cue your client to keep the bar close, engaging the lats. They would simultaneously put into practice the scap positioning of the Prone Retract and Reach.
Because we are trying to create behavior here, repetition is key:
“It takes 500 hours to invoke a motor pattern before it becomes unconscious. It takes 25-30 thousand reps to break a bad motor pattern.” – Buddy Morris
An interesting choice of programming here might be to use technique clusters. These are essentially extended sets of singles: set up – execute – rest – reset. Instead of using a set and rep scheme, have the client perform 1 rep every 10 or 15 seconds for anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes. This way, they recreate the proper positioning over and over again, with enough rest between sets to avoid fatiguing the lats, upper back, lower back, etc.
REGRESS TO PROGRESS
These exercises may seem simple, but I like to say Movement Optimization taps into the power of regression. If you want to hear more on that, read my article Movement Optimization: The Power of Regression on the blog. I have had quite a lot of success with regressing back to basic function and fundamentals, with both recreational and experienced lifters.
Another important component of movement is education. A lot of times I hear cues thrown around and can tell by the client’s reaction that there has not been a previous understanding of what movement or correction the cue should be associated with. External cues are very useful, because they prompt an individual to take action. However, anyone who is moving a weight around needs to have a basic understanding of how things function. Why the hips needs to go here and what that changes. Why shoulders need to do this and what that changes. I’m not saying teach your clients anatomy and biomechanics, but a basic understanding of how their shoulders and hips function is always helpful.
We have to remember that cues only remind, not explain. They need to be built into an understanding of movement. Providing that understanding is our job, otherwise, the cue is just a shortcut. Don’t be a lazy trainer!
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Mai-Linh Dovan M.SC., CAT(C)
Certified Athletic Therapist
Founder of Rehab-U
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