The bar and hips ascend at the same rate in the deadlift, but that does not mean they are moving at the same speed. Wait…what?

The key to this is understanding that speed and rate are different.

While speed is a type of rate, it is specifically a distance “traveled” over a period of time. The rate is the amount of something or change that happens in a period. Speed can be meters per second, miles per hour, etc., while rate can describe how much of something is produced in a period. This can be how fast something is going, but it is not specific to distance, like speed.

In the deadlift, the bar and hips ascend at the same rate, but since the bar travels up to or over 2x the distance the hips travel, it moves at a greater speed.

The bar and hips ascend in sync, but they do not move at the same linear speed—the bar travels a longer path, so it must move faster. That said, both share the same angular velocity, like points on a swinging door.

Why does this matter?

If you try to make the hips move at the same speed as the bar, you will likely shoot the hips up early and pull with the back. However, if you match the rate, the hips will not outpace the bar since the hips travel a shorter distance than the bar.

To see this in action, check out this clip from the KNOCK ’EM DEAD online course with Fabio Zonin, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor.