Hey folks. Was wondering what specific technique things I should do(or not do) to avoid back injury while performing deadlifts.
people injure themselves in the weightroom by lifting too heavy, too long, and too unbalanced. there are no set parameters you should adhere. if there were then you shouldn’t max out, go to failure, etc. just don’t be stupid and don’t forget that the deadlift is no worse for your back than the curl is for your biceps.
Make sure that your form is good. Keep the bar by the legs and don’t let it wander in front. Make sure that you don’t let the lower back round out (keep the natural curvature) by not going any lower than you can control it. It’s a good idea to practice the lift with a light weight to learn the form, and then increase it. Remember that the deadlift is performed by the back and the legs working together.
Great advice here.
The main thing is to drop your ego and dont outlift your form.
Nail perfect form and then KEEP IT a constant. I myself when doing deads squats, etc. ( really any excersize) will only count the reps or PR’s I am able to do with Perfect form. I may be able to muscle up anther 15-20 lbs on a sloppy deadlift but if It is not in exact form I will not count it and will abort the lift ASAP.
Take your time. The time spent now to build a solid base of FORM first will pay off much better in the LONG run than lifting thatr extra few lbs that will lead to injury.
Stay strong and aim to Progress.
Phill
[quote]Music Muscle wrote:
Make sure that you don’t let the lower back round out (keep the natural curvature) by not going any lower than you can control it.[/quote]
i don’t understand what that is supposed to mean. The deadlift starts on the ground and ends at lockout.
Keep the back flat and don’t lose the natural curve of the lower back when in the lower position of the deadlift. Some find that this means starting from a standing position and only going as low as is healthy for the low back.
Starting from a standing position is not a deadlift, it’s a variation called either a stiff-leg or Romanian deadlift. A real deadlift starts in the bottom position, it’s a "dead"lift because you start on the floor and can’t gain much benefit from the stretch reflex.
When i deadlift, i find that 100% focus on form allows me to lift whatever weight I set out to lift. In other words, like everyone is saying, form is most important. If you have good form you will be able to lift the weight, if you don’t you will hurt yourself…bad…and become a guy who does the lower back nautilus machine for the rest of his days.
I agree that the traditional deadlift starts in the bottom position. However, if one cannot maintain the integrity of the lumbar curve in the bottom curve because of limited flexibility, etc., one would be setting oneself up for injury if starting in the bottom position. When in rehab for a back injury, my chiropractor/personal trainer had me do both stiff legged deadlifts and more traditional deadlifts (legs bent version) starting from the standing position until my flexibility increased enough to start in the down position.
[quote]Peyton wrote:
Starting from a standing position is not a deadlift, it’s a variation called either a stiff-leg or Romanian deadlift. A real deadlift starts in the bottom position, it’s a "dead"lift because you start on the floor and can’t gain much benefit from the stretch reflex.[/quote]
when im deadlifting i sometimes notice my hips start to move before the bar does.
i thought this was probably not a good thing and so i have tried to rectify it.
i was hoping someone could tell me if this is a risk of injury
many thanks
[quote]JSlice wrote:
Hey folks. Was wondering what specific technique things I should do(or not do) to avoid back injury while performing deadlifts.
[/quote]
I think a couple articles have been written on this. An article by Dave Tate comes to mind…but just do a search and see what you come up with.
If possible, it might be a good idea to ask someone to critique your form - but of course you have to make sure the person critiquing you knows what good form is. When I’m showing someone how to deadlift, the biggest mistake I normally see is people letting their back round too much. If you’re really going heavy, it’s hard not to let your back round a little, but I would suggest not going so heavy that your back rounds. You should probably end your set one rep short of when you think your form will START to give out.
My last bit of advice is this - unless you are built well for deadlifting (or you compete in powerlifting), just do partial deadlifts from the top position to just an inch or so below your knees. Do them in a power rack, or start the lifts from the top position. You’ll get pretty much all the benefits of doing full deadlifts, except your risk of injuring your back will be SO MUCH LESS. It’s so much easier to keep your back strait when you dont go all the way down. Ive done partials like that for years, and I’ve gotten great results - and no low back problems despite going fairly heavy.
Here’s what NOT to do:
Read about deadlifts on T-mag. Think, Gee, those sound GREAT, I’ve got to incorporate those into my workout. Try them out in your early-morning workout, despite the fact that you’re a long-limbed ectomorph and sit on your butt in a sedentary desk job the rest of the day. Not to mention that you haven’t done any lower-intensity activity, such as walking, in years. And your core strength and stability aren’t what they should be.
Not that I learned the hard way or anything.
I read this from someone much stronger then me:
"Don’t go heavy on deadlifts until you can do 8x3 at 80% with perfect form.
Perfect practice makes perfect"
Basicly never sacrifice form for weight and nail down form before training heavy deadlifts.