Deadlifts

kco3d

Hey guys,

I've been doing deadlifts for 6 weeks now and at the start I found them quite challenging. I'm working towards gaining muscle and have been adding weight to the bar gradually.

However, I'm a bit concerned with form and safety. I've been doing quite a bit of reading on this and I believe my form is good.

Is it possible to be doing the deadlift while causing injury to your back without realizing until one day you’re lifting and bang all of a sudden you've slipped a disc? or would something like this happen only if you try to lift too much with bad or good form?

The following day my lower back aches a bit but this just feels like muscle ache from the workout.

Cheers for any comment......

Transform

gotta post video or get a trainer to have a look at your form

Zamboni

A long time ago I started out doing deads on my own after some reading.
During a deadlift something happened which I can only describe as the most horrific pain I've ever felt.
After that I went straight and paid for instruction.
I reckon I was lucky to come away without any injury.
You cannot put a price on your spine.
Get instruction.

Deedsie

Zamboni wrote: »

A long time ago I started out doing deads on my own after some reading.
During a deadlift something happened which I can only describe as the most horrific pain I've ever felt.
After that I went straight and paid for instruction.
I reckon I was lucky to come away without any injury.
You cannot put a price on your spine.
Get instruction.

Where did you go for instruction? I have the same concern.

RealistSpy

Do you guys use backbelts?

104494431

It's my opinion that using a belt when you're not lifting a very large amount is basically making up for a lack of strength in other areas (core, back, etc).

Zamboni

Deedsie wrote: »

Where did you go for instruction? I have the same concern.

The place doesn't exist anymore

Inspector Coptoor

104494431 wrote: »

It's my opinion that using a belt when you're not lifting a very large amount is basically making up for a lack of strength in other areas (core, back, etc).

I agree
My belt doesnt go on til over 165kg

kco3d

I dont use a backbelt. From reading different forums the advice was, better to build up strength in legs/lower back without using one!

sfag

no back belts required.
flat shoes or socks - drive into the heal. never lift in runners.

Keep the strain in the back at all times.
If you aint hurting already then dont worry.
Back should have a dull ache the next day but no more than that.

marley007

Are you doing weights at home or in a gym? if its in a gym then just ask the instructor on duty it should be free cos your paying membership....if its a home just pay for 1 session in a good gym nd dey'll hepl you out, i often have ppl coming into me for just that!

RealistSpy

I use back belts anything over double my body weight but am not a pro lifter i rather be safe than sorry :S I do what am save and comfortable with.

mdc5065

Back belts and wrist straps while "safe" and allowing for heavier lifts only hinder your progress. If your body isn't ready for the weight, you really shouldn't be lifting it. Weight lifting is, after all, about training your muscles to do the work.

Hanley

mdc5065 wrote: »

Back belts and wrist straps while "safe" and allowing for heavier lifts only hinder your progress. If your body isn't ready for the weight, you really shouldn't be lifting it. Weight lifting is, after all, about training your muscles to do the work.

But if there's one weak link in the chain (grip say), should your whole body have to suffer??

Would it not make more sense to use straps for the DL and train your grip on it's own to bring it up?

mdc5065

That's why the lifting gods invented Heavy Grips. Packed pounds onto every lift just progressing from 100 to 150 to 200 training with those.

mdc5065

mdc5065 wrote: »

That's why the lifting gods invented Heavy Grips. Packed pounds onto every lift just progressing from 100 to 150 to 200 training with those.

Edit: Only took a few months of sporadic training. Much more worth it to me intrinsically at least

Hanley

mdc5065 wrote: »

That's why the lifting gods invented Heavy Grips. Packed pounds onto every lift just progressing from 100 to 150 to 200 training with those.

That's mad... wouldn't think crushing strength would carry over to supporting strength. I worked up to closing the CoC #2 and my static/holding strength went nowhere.

It wasn't til I started doing high rep dumbbell rows, double overhand shrugs and farmers walks that it picked up.

mdc5065

Ah well I used to run an outdoor fitness boot camp so that meant lugging 700 lbs worth of sand bags on and off a tennis court twice a day. Didn't hurt

Edit: Also it's not about just repping with the grips but holding it shut until failure a few times here and there throughout the day. Used to keep them in my back pocket for idleness.

RealistSpy

Good for you guys not using back belts

Vegeta

I hurt my back doing deadlifts recently and confidence is now shattered. Was in socks, making sure to drive with heels, ever rep I was making a conscious effort to make sure I was well positioned before pulling

I haven't done any in 2 weeks and there is no pain anymore, I can do hyper extensions holding a plate completely pain free but I am afraid to do the deads again.

Worst thing is the weight wasn't even that heavy (for me), I was trying to do as many reps as I could of about 80% max.

Scratching my head a bit on how to get back on the horse.

J.S. Pill

My new work schedule means I'll probably be doing a lot more A.M. workouts from now on.

I was just wondering, is there much truth in the notion that deadlifting in the mornings is not advisable due to accumulated fluid in the disks??

This is the kind of thing I've come across:

Rowers have it worse than almost anybody. They row in the early morning so that they have smooth water. Big mistake. The disks are fully hydrated in the morning from the over night rest and the back is about 0.7 inches taller as a result of the thicker disks. This height is lost over the day as compression squeezes the liquid out of the disks. Rowers have among the highest rates of disk herniation because they flex the spine to reach for their "pull" on the oar when their disks are essentially swollen.

Full article

Any insights??

arybvtcw0eolkf

mdc5065 wrote: »

Ah well I used to run an outdoor fitness boot camp so that meant lugging 700 lbs worth of sand bags on and off a tennis court twice a day. Didn't hurt

Edit: Also it's not about just repping with the grips but holding it shut until failure a few times here and there throughout the day. Used to keep them in my back pocket for idleness.

I don't get you, were you training for a stronger grip or a bigger DL?.

If your looking to increase your DL use straps, if your looking for grip strenght use grip strenght training methods.

As for using a belt, when I'm approaching max lifts which is rare these days) I use a belt and wrap my knee's.

.

jayoo

Interesting info bout the fluid in spine. Its def true in my case, the shower head at home is pretty much perfect head height in morning im just a tiny bit tall to stand directly under it, few hours later i can stand under it with tiny bit to spare

rubadub

jayoo wrote: »

Interesting info bout the fluid in spine. Its def true in my case,

Its definitely well known that you change in height during the day. I would wonder if there are any other things to watch for, e.g. I would do negative dips with up to 70kg on a dip belt, and wonder if this could stretch out the spine again, so should you be doing deadlifts before weighted hanging exercises (I already do them first anyway)

J.S. Pill

Is there anything you can do to 'warm up' the spine before you start deadlifting at 7am, not just warm up the lower back muscles??