deadlifts?

moment_to_arise

every single person who i talk to when they find out the program i am doing involves deadlifts, THEY ALL (like literally over a dozen people) have said to never do deadlifts unless you are an athlete or someone who gets paid to do it. they said all i am going to get out of it is a busted lower back....

thoughts?

chunkmunk

This suprises me. Frankly, I thought proper deadlift form was quite easy to learn (from a book and/or watching online videos) and I don't worry at all about hurting myself deadlifting. Now squats, on the other hand . . . .

But if this bothers you and you are worried, then don't do deadlifts. They are great for you, but in my opinion you should never do an exercise you are not comfortable with.

And that is my awesome advice, random internet stranger.

moment_to_arise

This suprises me. Frankly, I thought proper deadlift form was quite easy to learn (from a book and/or watching online videos) and I don't worry at all about hurting myself deadlifting. Now squats, on the other hand . . . .

But if this bothers you and you are worried, then don't do deadlifts. They are great for you, but in my opinion you should never do an exercise you are not comfortable with.

And that is my awesome advice, random internet stranger.

see i have NO problem at all with squats, and lots with the deadlift lol! my biggest problem with the deadlift is i am not strong enough to really do it with too much weights on the barbell, so im starting with it too close to the floor (no weights on the side to lift it up)

dunno... hmmm...

chunkmunk

This is a problem because then you are extending your back too far and ARE at risk for injury. Do you have anything you can prop the weights up on? I actually use old and old aerobic step on one side and part of my fanny lifter from the FIRM (yes i just admitted to that) on the other. Starting from the proper height will make a HUGE difference for you.

So what's your squat secret?

BikerGirlElaine

Deadlifts are a monster for sure. But I don't think they're dangerous if you have the right form. I think what freaks people out is all the DOMS in their lower back after they first do them, they think they're injured and they don't go back for more.

Leadfoot_Lewis

You SHOULD do Deadlifts. Deadlifts & Squats are the 2 exercises that use the most muscles in your body to perform. Unless someone has an injury that prohibits them from doing so, I see no reason why anyone would deprive themself of such a useful exercise.

see i have NO problem at all with squats, and lots with the deadlift lol! my biggest problem with the deadlift is i am not strong enough to really do it with too much weights on the barbell, so im starting with it too close to the floor (no weights on the side to lift it up)

dunno... hmmm...

You need to find a way to prop the barbell up. The bar should be approx 8.9" off the floor. Any lower and your back is going to go into flexion (rounded back) which is a guaranteed way to get injured.

ahviendha

well let me ask you this, those people giving you advice, how much experience have they had with weight lifting? how well do they know your fitness levels?

you know yourself best. if you feel you want to take a shot at deadlifts, then do it! research everything you can so you're well prepared for any known trouble areas.

i dead lifted my own body weight this morning. i looooved it.

Leadfoot_Lewis

well let me ask you this, those people giving you advice, how much experience have they had with weight lifting? how well do they know your fitness levels? .

I'm a personal trainer, so yes, I give a lot of advice on these kinds of things.

If shes does the things mentioned - has no current back issues, has the barbell at proper height, starts with the olympic bar or lighter weight bar i.e. very light weight, and performs the exercise with proper form then there's no reason at all that Deadlifts will in any way cause her and anyone else for that matter, an injury.

ahviendha

well let me ask you this, those people giving you advice, how much experience have they had with weight lifting? how well do they know your fitness levels? .

I'm a personal trainer, so yes, I give a lot of advice on these kinds of things.

If shes does the things mentioned - has no current back issues, has the barbell at proper height, starts with the olympic bar or lighter weight bar i.e. very light weight, and performs the exercise with proper form then there's no reason at all that Deadlifts will in any way cause her and anyone else for that matter, an injury.

It was directed at OP - should have made that more clear! Your guns give you street cred, my friend :P

Leadfoot_Lewis

It was directed at OP - should have made that more clear! Your guns give you street cred, my friend :P

That's cool and thanks for the gun compliment. Hope my response didn't come off the wrong way - just trying to be helpful

moment_to_arise

thanks everyone. I am not finding PAIN in my lower back since i started it, just the general soreness that comes from working muscles. the same i am feeling in my thighs and arms and such

i am doing this at the gym so i am kinda limited.... maybe i can find out if there is a stepper or something i can prop it up on until i get to a higher weight.

thanks for all your insight everyone!

OH! and in response to people who had been giving me advise, they were my boyfriend, people at the gym, a guy at work who lifts himself.... so all different versions of people.

i guess i'll try and figure out a way to get the bar high enough and keep doing them, even if my boyfriend tells me not to and says i never listen to him and only listen to everyone else

moment_to_arise

would starting off with dumbells in order to get myself up to a higher weight (in order to have the bar high enough off the ground to start) be acceptable?

xidia

Just prop it up on spare plates. You have every right to use them with the barbell, you're just not putting them ON it

My lower back was very sore the first time I deadlifted, but that's because the muscles weren't used to the work. It's been fine ever since, so take it slow and there's no reason you shouldn't.

Dumbbells are actually harder to control because they're not connected, so I'd say you're at more risk of injury with them, not less.

moment_to_arise

Dumbbells are actually harder to control because they're not connected, so I'd say you're at more risk of injury with them, not less.

really??

BikerGirlElaine

Just prop it up on spare plates. You have every right to use them with the barbell, you're just not putting them ON it

I stacked up two plates under each side at first. Then last week my gym got the plastic plates (and added a dedicated spot for pulling from the floor), how awesome is that! Of course, now I don't actually need them... lol

Amazing1985RSD

most people at globo gyms don't really know what they are doing. The barbell is the best piece of training equipment ever invented. Problem is however most people don't know how to use them so then they won't want to do barbell training.

As bizarre as it sounds, you may even hear people advise against doing squats!

RunDoozer

most people at globo gyms don't really know what they are doing. The barbell is the best piece of training equipment ever invented. Problem is however most people don't know how to use them so then they won't want to do barbell training.

As bizarre as it sounds, you may even hear people advise against doing squats!

Yea I've been advised against deadlifts, squats, and bench press. The one I really think I could actually hurt myself on is that damn OHP. Gonna drop it on my head one of these days. Yea deadlift I'm going to hurt my back. Squats I'm going to hurt my back and knees, and bench press I'm going to kill myself because Im going to drop it on my neck or chest All of these comments came from people that have never actually trained with the exercises. Just make sure you're working hard on your form.Adding weights without constantly making sure your form is ok then yea thats a recipe for disaster. But not just doing the exercises themselves.

taso42

every single person who i talk to when they find out the program i am doing involves deadlifts, THEY ALL (like literally over a dozen people) have said to never do deadlifts unless you are an athlete or someone who gets paid to do it. they said all i am going to get out of it is a busted lower back....

thoughts?

my thoughts are that these people are idiots.

DaniH826

my thoughts are that these people are idiots.

My thoughts are that taso makes 3 ... Y-chromosomials amongst us.

Welcome? :flowerforyou:

victoriannsays

I had never lifted weights before stronglifts (started roughly a month and a half ago) and deadlifts have done WONDERS for my back!

I had pretty significant DOMS when first starting, but as long as you have proper form and not pushing yourself past your limits, you shouldn't get injured.

now I love deadlifting.

LorinaLynn

I borked up my lower back regularly before lifting weights. Since? No problems at all.

I think people who don't lift don't realize that it's a progressive thing. You don't start off THAT heavy. You build up to it. Gradually.

nexangelus

Um...both my personal trainers over the years put me straight onto them when I said I wanted to strength train. First lift was 60 kg. I thought I would not be able to do it, but I did. You need the bigger plates on there anyway to lift the barbell high enough off the ground without a rack of some sort obviously. I am no athlete although I aspire to do athletic things and have achieved a lot in the last few years. Those people are talking nonsense. At first you do use your lower back more, but then you learn to activate your legs and glutes to lift it better and more easily.

DaniH826

Since I started deadlifting, my back is hurting less and less all the time. It gets a bit tight after lifting, but no actual pain. Which is wonderful. I'm also no longer paranoid about tweaking it by moving wrong, because I know it's becoming more and more stable with each workout.

Deadlifting is shaping up to become my favorite lift ...

fishlover888

http://www.fitsugar.com/How-Do-Deadlift-Correctly-21811992

The advice here is pretty good, the model's form is... quite questionable tho, sadly.

'The exercise is an amazingly effective move for your lower body, especially your glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Not only that, it's great for your core muscles, too. "The act of keeping the core tight while the load is trying to pull you forward is extremely beneficial,"

lilawolf

Make sure the weights are the proper height, have someone check your form, and try not to push all of the way to muscle exhaustion. I have to say that I started to get some lower back pain at my desk job. One week into working my lower back (on a machine not dead lifts) and the pain was gone. I'm coming up on 2 years now and it never came back :-) Not working your back would be a mistake IMO.