I Can't Do Deadlifts, Help.

Training Beginners
21

I would of typed something earlier but I’ve been staring at A-Dog’s profile pic/vid for the past 2 hours. Now that i’ve awoken from my sex coma I wanted to see if I could help. When I worked at Penn State our biggest challenge was teaching our new freshman bball players to do both deadlifts and squats correctly. We knew as a staff that as bball players they have a natural sense to want to stay on the balls of their feet which is exactly the opposite of what we want naturally for those exercises. The other huge set back was always their initial lack of flexibility…A-dog seriously who is that chick?..

You’re problem Erik, is just like people that try to gain muscle AND lose weight at the same time, you need to do one efficiently before you jump onto the other goal. You’re problem, I’m sure, isn’t that you don’t know how to do a deadlift. It’s that you physically CAN’T. So just like with our athletes here’s the plan I urge you to follow…

  1. stretch. Stretch constantly. warm up and after your cardio or weight training stretch. You have to increase your hip mobility and over all trunk flexion before you can do a perfect dead lift.

  2. in the mean time here are some great replacements for a deadlift which will increase strength as well range of motion when done right. 1-bulgarian split squat. 2-stationary lunge. This are excellent bilateral exercises that with one leg at a time mimic the deep lunge motion you need for a squat/deadlift. which will also train and strengthen that anterior chain and increase you range of motion.

Now in the mean time stretching is important but here’s an exercise that is imperative in order to increase the mobility of your Posterior chain…RDL or romanian dead lifts. Some call them stiff legged dead lifts. I dont like that because it implies that you should lock your knees. Now do this with just the bb. and lower yourself on a 4 to 5 count.

keeping that back flat find a place at the bottem where it’s slightly uncomfortable to stretch to. then with an explosive motion stand back up pulling your hips into extension and shoulders back. Great exercise to increase mobility. If you need more detail or any other help just let me know.
-G

22

Thank you very very much Greg, I really appreciate it. So I’m going to work those new moves into my routine, take out deadlifts (for now) and start each session with a stretching routine. I have also considered checking my local sports supply store for some Kettlebells and trying that move. Thanks again guys.

Erik.

23

[quote]merlin wrote:
Don’t do deadlifts!

Do you have a NEED or a WANT to do deadlifts? If its a want and you suck at doing them, then don’t risk injuring yourself and your lowerback.

Deadlifts are a horrible exercise when done improperly …cause you more harm then good. Done correctly they can be beneficial but still dangerous. If you must do them …use a very light weight until you have perfected the form. They are an unecessary exercise. Do you want to be a powerlifter? There are better ways to train your legs and back and do not require deadlifts.

My final advice: If you can’t do them properly for whatever reason …then NEVER do them![/quote]

What kind of bullshit advice is that?
Deadlifts are the most real world exercise there is.

You don’t have to want to be a powerlifter to be strong. If you want a strong back, do deadlifts.

Learn to do them right using very low weight and stretch everyday

24

[quote]firestanggt wrote:
What kind of bullshit advice is that?
Deadlifts are the most real world exercise there is.

You don’t have to want to be a powerlifter to be strong. If you want a strong back, do deadlifts.

Learn to do them right using very low weight and stretch everyday [/quote]

Well, let’s see.

1- Young kid that wants to have muscularity similiar to Brad Pitt. Advice: You don’t need deadlifts for that!

2- Young kid with flexibilty issues and can barely reach past his knees. Advice: Deadlifts arn’t the exercise of choice for you.

3- Young kid who tries to do deadlifts and rounds his back, risking a visit to the hospital. Advice: Don’t do deadlifts!

4- Young kid who has a bodybuilding brother who showed him how to do deadlifts, and still can’t do them properly. Advice: Don’t do rounded back deadlifts!

5- Young kid who doesn’t plan on powerlifting or being hooooge. Advice: Again, you don’t need deadlifts for these goals.

6- Young kid who wants to be in good shape and wants to be strong around the house. Advice: Unless your picking up Volkswagons in your livingroom …you don’t need to do deadlifts.

…

Now your advice: “If you want a strong back, do deadlifts”

That’s your advice? Are deadlifts the only way to get a strong or built back? If deadlifts are causing me problems or I’m unable to do them properly, then I should just keep doing them until I possibly injure myself, because if I want a strong back I should do deadlifts right?

I think maybe I’ll take some of this advice over to a few lumberjacks and gymnasts and tell them that they need to do deadlifts. Afterall, if they want a strongback, do deadlifts… right?

My post is not self-serving because I like to do deadlifts and everybody should do them just because I like deadlifts. My post is a helpful warning. Mine will warn him of permanantly injuring himself and his spine when doing a dangerous exercise improperly.

Better to cut loose of this exercise and try some alternatives as mentioned earlier by some other posters. Considering his goals …he and Brad Pitt won’t be needing a whole lot of deadlifting to get that level of muscularity.

The kettleball swings were a good alternative mentioned earlier. Rows and pullups are also other exercises known to work the back …might want to try some of those out.

The biggest B.S. advice I see on these forums are from people trying to toot their own horn, thier likes and dislikes, opinions on routines they use as superior, and my way is better than your way B.S… The best advice is from those who hand it to you straight from the shoulder. They have no alterior motive.

By the way, I do deadlifts and I’ve been training for a long time …not willing to recommend this exercise to any young kid ever. I wouldn’t have a kid do this exercise until he has already lifted for years and developed back strength and size from much safer and particularily beginner exercises. You should already have a strong lower back before attempting deadlifts. This can be done numerous ways even with no weight.

Last point: Considering his goals …deadlifts are the dumbest thing I would recommend this kid doing.

merlin

25

[quote]merlin wrote:

1- Young kid that wants to have muscularity similiar to Brad Pitt. Advice: You don’t need deadlifts for that!

2- Young kid with flexibilty issues and can barely reach past his knees. Advice: Deadlifts arn’t the exercise of choice for you.

3- Young kid who tries to do deadlifts and rounds his back, risking a visit to the hospital. Advice: Don’t do deadlifts!

4- Young kid who has a bodybuilding brother who showed him how to do deadlifts, and still can’t do them properly. Advice: Don’t do rounded back deadlifts!

5- Young kid who doesn’t plan on powerlifting or being hooooge. Advice: Again, you don’t need deadlifts for these goals.

6- Young kid who wants to be in good shape and wants to be strong around the house. Advice: Unless your picking up Volkswagons in your livingroom …you don’t need to do deadlifts.
[/quote]

Or he could just learn to deadlift properly. If you have a problem, you don’t ignore it or give up, you correct it. You can’t give up just because it’s hard.

OP, if your lack of flexibility prevents you from deadlifting then it’s your flexibility that’s the problem not deadlifting as an exercise. You got some great advise earlier re: the stretching and substitutes you could use in the interim.

The only thing I would add is to buy a foam roller, they really do work and they’re relatively cheap. As soon as you’re flexible enough to bend down without lifting your heels then it’s time to get deadlifting.

26

It was mentioned above, but I’ll second doing RDL’s - romanian deadlifts. Start with a lightish weight, a bare 45 lb bar perhaps. It’s essentially a reverse deadlift, so you start standing straight, and then you bend your knees, keeping your back straight.

This way, you don’t need to go down all the way to the ground. This should help your body get used to the deadlifting form. The DL really is a great exercise for overall health, but there’s no reason you can’t spend months easing into it. But honestly? Once you start doing deadlifts, you’ll never want to go back!