morning after the deadlift

Absolute Zero

..did deadlifts yesterday and I'm feeling a it all in my back, especially in the lower back and traps, is this normal? is there any stretches or something i can do to relieve the soreness? (its more of a sore than a pain)

Jimmy Bottlehead

I started them not too long ago too, and (unless I'm wrong, quite possible!) it's normal. Deadlifts work a load of bodyparts, including the traps.

aye

yeh its normal enough if you havent done them in a while. perhaps you had too much weight.
Deadlifts primarily work your quads (front of legs), but they also work on your lower back, your traps (as you hold the bar with a straight back), your grip, your transverse abdominus.

just make sure you are keeping your back straight.

i would suggest next time doing a little less weight tho, just to get those muscles use to donig deadlifts.

Colm_OReilly

Deads are incredibly taxing on your system, and will expose a weakness somewhere - be it forearms, traps, lumbar spine, hamstrings, etc. For me my hammies will feel it the day after, and my grip strength will be seriously taxed during them.

You might need to reduce the load the next time you do them. Or else you might need to get used to it. Is the pain prohibiting movement. Is it uncomfortable to stand/walk/sit/breathe?

Colm
-No links added

Hanley

Aye, tis normal. I'd disagree with using less weight tho. Most beginners seem to work deads in like a 10-12 rep range. You'd be much better off adding another set or two and doing 5 or 6 reps instead.

Lothaar

Man, I suck so much at deadlifts. I'm pretty sure I'm going to injure myself unless I do something drastic. I've been trying to do them for a couple of years, on and off, and I keep stopping because I start feeling it in my lower back. I've researched the form ad nauseum... but I still can't get it right.

I have no flexibility in my hips and I think that's killing me. I'm 6'2" and I have to get down very low for deadlifts. My back ends up curving no matter what I do.

I have a similar problem with squats.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Only bit of advice I'll throw in is DON'T STRETCH, not while your back muscles are cold.

I know its tempting to stretch out a pain the next day, but I liken cold muscles to chewing gum!!. They're cold, stiff and not very flexible and liable to rip if you stretch either cold!.

Like gum, muscles should be gently warmed before stretching.

This is important, stretching a cold muscle is very dangerous.

-Martin
No links added either.

g'em

Active recovery to ease the pain - not quite stretching, but more lifting with super-light weights just to get your blood flowing and encourage recovery.

Things like light pull-throughs, lots of supine bridges, bird-dogs, bw lunges and assisted push-ups are great for this.

Hanley

Lothaar wrote: »

Man, I suck so much at deadlifts. I'm pretty sure I'm going to injure myself unless I do something drastic. I've been trying to do them for a couple of years, on and off, and I keep stopping because I start feeling it in my lower back. I've researched the form ad nauseum... but I still can't get it right.

I have no flexibility in my hips and I think that's killing me. I'm 6'2" and I have to get down very low for deadlifts. My back ends up curving no matter what I do.

I have a similar problem with squats.

I'd say since you're so tall you'll need to start with your hips higher so you're not crowding the bar, so you'll end up closer to a stiff leg deadlift than a normal height person might be.

Colm_OReilly

I'd disagree with using less weight tho. Most beginners seem to work deads in like a 10-12 rep range. You'd be much better off adding another set or two and doing 5 or 6 reps instead.

I said "might" damnit You're dead right, should have asked about the rep scheme.

Lothaar,
It might be a case of you being ill proportioned to DL. Rip, in a vid from the CFJ, talks about people with long lever arms (actual arms in this case) being at a disadvantage if their form is off. I'll have a look later tonight/tomorrow and see if there's any advice.

Have you seen the vids on CF.com about the deadlift, have they helped?

If nothing has helped so far (video/internet wise) there's very little anyone can do without seeing you in person.

As to your squats, it a lack of depth? I ask because I've a tall guy training with me who has a similar hamstring flexibility problem. I got rip to critique it and now he's breaking parallel and it is improving. I don't know if the issue is the same for you but here's the link: http://www.strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=633

Have you vids you can post for critique?

Col

Malteaser!

Hanley wrote: »

I'd say since you're so tall you'll need to start with your hips higher so you're not crowding the bar, so you'll end up closer to a stiff leg deadlift than a normal height person might be.

Aye, this is what worked for me. I had terrible trouble trying to squat and deadlift because my legs are so long. It seems to be ok now, with the squat I just had to learn how to sit back into it more so as not to allow my knees drift forward, when I did that my back automatically straightened up.

Lothaar

Thanks for the replies.

Hanley - because I've never been able to progress this lift, I'm using a fairly small weight. This means that the bar is very close to the ground. I have to get down low to put it on the ground. I wouldn't be able to put a SLDL on the ground without bending my knees. And once I bend over a certain amount... like, when the bar is around my kneecap, my lower back curves and I can feel it taking the strain (in a bad way).

Colm - I'll check that out later. Site is blocked in work. I don't have any vids of myself. The squat problem is that I can't go very low at all. When I do get low, I end up putting a lot of strain on my back to get back up.

OP - sorry for hijacking your thread.

Hanley

Lothaar wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Hanley - because I've never been able to progress this lift, I'm using a fairly small weight. This means that the bar is very close to the ground. I have to get down low to put it on the ground. I wouldn't be able to put a SLDL on the ground without bending my knees. And once I bend over a certain amount... like, when the bar is around my kneecap, my lower back curves and I can feel it taking the strain (in a bad way).

Colm - I'll check that out later. Site is blocked in work. I don't have any vids of myself. The squat problem is that I can't go very low at all. When I do get low, I end up putting a lot of strain on my back to get back up.

OP - sorry for hijacking your thread.

The simple solution there is work RDL's and SLDL's until you've got sufficent flexability and strength to start pulling 60kg off the floor (since the big plates are the right height to be starting from). Just try and lower the RDL's to the ground a tiny bit more every set, and keep a tight arch in your back.

It's pretty much the exact same steps that Malteaser went thru and she's pulled 100kg while weighing only 60kg in under 6 months of training.

aye

Lothaar wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Hanley - because I've never been able to progress this lift, I'm using a fairly small weight. This means that the bar is very close to the ground. I have to get down low to put it on the ground. I wouldn't be able to put a SLDL on the ground without bending my knees. And once I bend over a certain amount... like, when the bar is around my kneecap, my lower back curves and I can feel it taking the strain (in a bad way).

sounds like you have tight hamstrings and probably tight hip flexors, to me.
strecth them on days you arent lifting, make sure you warm up before stretching tho as said.
to lengthen the muscle you must hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds.
If it starts to hurt, or your leg shakes, its your body telling you that you are stretching too far.
in that case, release the stretch and start again.

http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/html/gym/general/middle/hamstrings_stretch.html
http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/HipFlexors/KneelingHipFlexor.html

also when bend forward, are you bending at the hips or at your trunk.
bend your knees slightly, and push your arse out.

also are you trying to do a stiff-legged deadlift? in that case the bar shouldnt go past your knees anyway.

if you are doing a normal deadlift, keep the bar close to your body.
you shouldnt be bending that much in this case, its more about lowering yourself.

also in the deadlift keep looking forward, dont look down or you will curve your back.

this is good.
http://www.criticalbench.com/exercises/deadlift.htm

BossArky

Why not put a sturdy block under each side of the plates on the bar? Most gyms have these. This will give you the increased height of larger plates.

Absolute Zero

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Deads are incredibly taxing on your system, and will expose a weakness somewhere - be it forearms, traps, lumbar spine, hamstrings, etc. For me my hammies will feel it the day after, and my grip strength will be seriously taxed during them.

You might need to reduce the load the next time you do them. Or else you might need to get used to it. Is the pain prohibiting movement. Is it uncomfortable to stand/walk/sit/breathe?

Colm
-No links added

Hi, no its not prohibiting movement ,and im able towalk and run very much it just soar if i sit down etc, but its more of a soarness not a pain, ill reduce the weight next time to get more used to it

aye

Really i think the best advice here to Zero and Lothaar would be to talk to an instructor in your gym, and ask if your form is correct.
If you dont trust the instructors, ask a friend who knows what he is on about.

here we can give you advise but without seeing you do a deadlift, i (we) cant say what exactly needs to change.

but keep at it, deadlifts are like women.
complicated, difficult, annoying, but great when you get it right!