I have some questions about lower back stretching and deadlifting. I’m pretty new to deadlifting and I’ve had a bit of lower back soreness. People have told me this is normal when you’re starting deadlifting. However, today I tried stretching my lower back and I was stunned by how much more I could lift! I was able to do 5 reps for the first two sets at which point my back felt pretty sore. (I tried but was unable to do the sixth rep.) So I decided to stretch the lower back just because I thought it would feel better. I was stunned that I was able to do nine reps on the next set. Is this increase just because my back was probably tight and holding me back in the previous sets? Do you recommend stretching the lower back every time before deadlifting? What about stretching it between sets? Thanks!
HMMM sounds to me im betting the increse in reps was more to do with the extended rest time wjhile you were stretching the back.
I wouldnt strecth during wouldnt want the musculature to relax that much to strecth out. Need it Tight holding HARD for both heavier loads and safety.
Thats said you would prob benefit from mobility work not stretching think about buying Mike Robertson and Eric Cresseys Mag… Mobility
Thanks for the comments about mobility work. I’ll definitely look into that. I don’t think the increased reps were related to increased rest, though. I use a timer to give myself 2 1/2 min rest between sets for all of my 5 x 5 compound lifts. (I’m following Berardi’s S2B book.) I simply stretched during the 2 1/2 min. I didn’t take extra time to stretch.
Maybe I’d be better off stretching my lower back once or twice a day to keep it loose but not stretching it while lifting?
What kind of warmup do you do before deadlifting? I’ve had low back problems in the past and it can be a real pain in the ass (literally and figuratively). Try starting out really really light. I usually start with just the bar to warm up before DLs and squats. Do a few reps with that, then work up in steps until you get to your set weight. By that time your back will be good and warm but not over stretched and relaxed.
Save the stretching for after your workout. I try to spend a good 10 ot 15 minutes after each workout really stretching and working flexibility. Then on rest days I usually do a lighter stretching routine once or twice during the day(depeniding on soreness).
good luck,
Jay
After you do your deads, do this:
-Find a chin-up bar.
-Find a weight belt, put at least one plate on it.
-Strap your hands to the chin-up bar.
-Dangle.
Give it a minute or 90 seconds and concentrate on letting your lats/lower back bear the weight of the plate. TOTALLY SLACK ARMS!
I do about 5 min of aerobics and then jump right into it and do heavy deadlifting (or whatever my first compound lift for the workout is). Maybe for deadlifting and squats I should do one or two light warmup sets first, though. Is just the bar enough weight? My bar is actually only 20 pounds. (I didn’t really know what I was doing back when I bought it.)
[quote]harris447 wrote:
After you do your deads, do this:
-Find a chin-up bar.
-Find a weight belt, put at least one plate on it.
-Strap your hands to the chin-up bar.
-Dangle.
Give it a minute or 90 seconds and concentrate on letting your lats/lower back bear the weight of the plate. TOTALLY SLACK ARMS!
[/quote]
That sounds good too. Sounds like it would stretch the entire back very well.
do you do a warm up set with some light weight? i normally toss on a plate and do 6-10 reps just to get my body going after i stretch out real good.
for stretching i just lock the knees and bend over, and also stretch my hands over my head and back as far as i can; normally almost falling over haha but it works out real good for me.
good luck!
No, I don’t warm up with a lighter weight but after reading these replies I will. Thanks!
Another benefiti of worming up with lighter weights is to make sure you’re form is right.
On deads and squats, bad form with a lot of weight can mean injury. I don’t find lifting an empty bar to be that beneficial. I start with about 50 percent of what I think my full weight will be. That’s enough resistence to pull your muscles and ligaments in the same directions a full load would, but with less risk of injury if your form isn’t dailed in. I do a set at 50 percent while focusing on correct form, then I’m ready to load 'em up.