So I have started deadlifting on the hammer strength shrug machine.The reason being is that I have dealt with lower back injuries since high school from deadlifting and havnt fealt comfertable deading heavy since.But recently I have started deading on the shrug and it feels good.Im 6’4" so I still have to bend down pretty far to grab the handles.
I position my feet right inline with my hands so that the weight stays right over my heels and am able to concentrate more on driving with my hips and legs since my knees arent in the way.
Now Im wandering what you guys think is a good judgement of heavy weight,I know it isnt a floor lift with a bar but the rack isnt balanced and its a fluid motion up and down and I can come up all the way and lean back.Today I did my last set of five x five with 410 and the sets before that were with 360.I feel like I can keep adding weight with this thing.
What your doing would be fine if you were actively recovering from an injury, but it sounds to me like you are just avoiding the actual deadlift. My advice…seek some help in diagnosing and rehabing your back injury, work on your form (which more then likely contributed to your lower back pain), find imbalances and fix them and more then likely you will also need to increase your mobility. I recommend Cressey and Robertson’s, Magnificent Mobility>
It might seem like a good option and it may feel fine and you may even be getting stronger, but in reality nothing compares to the deadlift.
I tried that once a long time ago, and ended up falling on my butt because the entire machine slid towards me when I picked up the weight.
This a short-term workaround at best, IMO. But if you’re going to do it, at least load up a bunch of weight on the rear storage pins as well so you don’t fall on your butt like I did.
I used Hammer Strength Shrug to deadlift after recovering from car wreck in '02. I eventually progressed back to regular deadlifts with no problem.