i had a lower back injury which still prevents me from doing certain movements. regular deads are out or i should say “heavy” regular deads. but i’ve recently started doing rack deads and not doing too badly. i still occasionally feel a twinge in my back here and there but if i warm up very well, i should be ok. but i wonder if just doing partial deads is worth the effort and risk. i’m not a power guy at all so i’m curious about what you strength and power guys think about the pros and cons of partial deads compared to the regular full ROM version. should i stick with them?
If it doesn’t hurt, I say continue. It’s better than doing regular deads that hurt or doing no deads at all.
You might want to give reverse band deadlifts a try if you are able. That way, you still get a full range of motion but you can significanty deload the bottom depending on the band tension.
[quote]skinnyvinny2713 wrote:
You might want to give reverse band deadlifts a try if you are able. That way, you still get a full range of motion but you can significanty deload the bottom depending on the band tension.[/quote]
Neat idea!
Rack deads are great upper back and trap thickness builders. I say keep them if you can.
Don’t do it if it hurts. You don’t need deadlifts for building great physiques.
definatly keep them! but dont train with too much pain (notice i said too much) 
Yeah I’d say a combination of the 2. So you could still be going heavier at the top and ease into the bottom while still going through the full ROM to get all the benefits, like the dynamic stretching you get from using a full ROM.
I don’t want to mama anyone but I’d definitely take it slow, underestimate yourself to start, and use a few warm up sets.
From a hypertrophy standpoint I’ve found that doing rack pulls from about 6 inches below the knee really hits my upper and mid back hard. I rotate them with conventional deadlifts every few months. I’m not a power guy either but the deadlift is by far my most impressive lift.
thanks guys…some helpful info!
I think rack deads are great, but safer for people in their twenties; they could be dangerous when you get into your forties.You can lift inhumanly large weights when lifting from above your knees and given joint degeneration and pre-existing injuries…I just feel its a nasty injury waiting to happen. Just my opinion.
When I first ‘banged up’ my lower back, the most natural feeling movement I could do instead of full DLs was partial deads with dumbells. Because the arms just hang freely, it just seemed less stressful to me, and I was slowly able to expand my ROM a little more each session over a few months’ time.
Eventually, I was able to go back to BB deads, but will still use a somewhat abreviated ROM, and keep my reps in the higher ranges.
Best of luck bro, I’ve had 2 back injuries, and they just throw a wrench in everything.
S
My vote is for the HS Shrug/deadlift machine in those cases. Have you ever tried that? its a more controlled motion so no jerking/asymmetric motion possible.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
When I first ‘banged up’ my lower back, the most natural feeling movement I could do instead of full DLs was partial deads with dumbells. Because the arms just hang freely, it just seemed less stressful to me, and I was slowly able to expand my ROM a little more each session over a few months’ time.
Eventually, I was able to go back to BB deads, but will still use a somewhat abreviated ROM, and keep my reps in the higher ranges.
Best of luck bro, I’ve had 2 back injuries, and they just throw a wrench in everything.
S
[/quote]