A broomstick check for lower back rounding on the deadlift
A broomstick is one of the cheapest coaching tools you can find in Australia, and most garages or backyard sheds already have one tucked behind the lawn mower. Before you load up a barbell for heavy pulls, you can use the stick as a simple reference line to see whether your spine stays neutral or starts to curve through the lift. It takes about three minutes, no warm-up required, and the only equipment is something that costs less than a coffee in Melbourne's CBD.
The trick works because the broomstick is rigid, straight, and long enough to run from the base of your skull down to your tailbone. When you hold it against your back during a deadlift setup, any visible gap or contact point tells you whether your thoracic and lumbar spine are stacked. Trainers at commercial gyms from Perth to Parramatta often use this same cue before introducing clients to a conventional or sumo stance.
| Body part in contact | What it usually means | Quick fix to try |
|---|---|---|
| Back of head, mid-back, tailbone | Neutral spine, ideal position | Keep breathing into the belly and lock the lats |
| Lower back only, head forward | Excessive lumbar flexion or "rounding" | Brace the core harder, drop the hips slightly |
| Mid-back only | Overextension, ribs flaring | Tuck the tailbone, soften the upper chest |
| Stick lifts off the lower back | Significant rounding through the lift | Reset, reduce load, film from the side |
How to set the stick up
Stand tall with your feet hip-width and hold the broomstick vertically behind your back. The stick should touch three points: the back of your head, the space between your shoulder blades, and your sacrum. If you cannot reach all three without straining, the issue is usually tight hip flexors from too much desk time, a common complaint among office workers commuting into Sydney's CBD.
Grip the stick with one hand behind your head and the other behind your lower back, then hinge at the hips as if reaching for a kettlebell on the floor. Watch what happens at the bottom. If the stick stays touching all three points, your spine is holding its natural curve. If the stick pulls away from your lower back, your lumbar spine is rounding and you are pulling with your back instead of your hips.
Reading what the broomstick tells you
A small gap at the lower back during the setup is often normal because the lumbar spine has a slight forward curve called lordosis. The real concern appears during the pull itself. Ask a training partner, or prop your phone against a foam roller like many people do at Anytime Fitness in Brisbane, and film from the side. If the stick visibly drifts away from your sacrum as the bar leaves the floor, your technique needs attention before you add any more weight.
A persistent gap under the stick usually points to one of three things: a weak posterior chain, poor bracing under load, or simply ego-driven loading that has crept in faster than your form has improved. None of these problems require a fancy assessment; they just need honest feedback.
Common mistakes people make during the test
Rushing the setup is the biggest one. People grab the bar, yank it off the floor, and never bother to find the three contact points first. Another mistake is squeezing the stick too hard, which pulls the shoulders out of position and actually hides the very rounding you are trying to spot. Let the stick rest lightly against you rather than clamping it down.
A third issue is testing only the concentric portion of the lift. The eccentric, or lowering phase, also matters, especially if you train at high volume or compete in local strength events around Adelaide. Film both directions if you can.
Building the cue into your warm-up
Once the contact points feel familiar, drop the stick and try the same three-point mental checklist with your hands behind your back. Most lifters in Australian commercial gyms only have access to a barbell for a few minutes during peak hours, so practising the setup at home with a broom handle saves precious warm-up time.
You can also add a single set of light Romanian deadlifts before your working sets, focusing purely on keeping the broomstick pattern in mind. The cue is portable enough that you can use it at a pop-up strength class in Hobart one week and at your usual gym in Canberra the next.
A note on back pain and getting help
If the broomstick test consistently shows rounding and you also feel sharp or persistent pain, it is worth booking a session with an exercise physiologist. Australians with a referral from a GP can often claim part of the cost through Medicare under a Chronic Disease Management plan, and private health cover frequently includes extras for physiotherapy. Workplaces covered by the model Work Health and Safety Act also have duties to support safe manual handling, so do not feel awkward raising technique concerns with a supervisor if deadlifts are part of your job.
A practical takeaway: spend two minutes with a broomstick before every deadlift session, film a side view once a week, and only add load when the stick stays in contact through the whole rep. That habit alone has saved plenty of lifters in suburban garages from a frustrating trip to the physio.