The biggest deadlift problem? Not having a proper setup in terms of where the bar path begins and ends.
In short, don't set up where the bar is too far away from your shins. This creates a large lever arm for the lower back and huge sheering forces.
The bar should start right beneath the shoulder blades, close to the shins. This will set you up for a proper pull – the bar will go up and down in a straight line.
Didn't it seem that the bodybuilders of yesteryear had bigger chests? (We're talking chest circumference here and not pec size, mind you.) Ellington thinks so and he knows why - it was all due to the all-but-lost art of ribcage expansion.