Question regarding Dead lifts?

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gemmaleigh1989
gemmaleigh1989 Posts: 241 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When I do dead lifts, I feel it mostly in my glutes, and hardly my back...

From my understanding, I thought it was meant to hit your back just as much as your glutes? I'm sure my form is ok, as I watch in the mirror and know how they look. Should I be lifting heavier? The weight I'm lifting feels like it's a heavy enough weight...

Thanks!

Replies

  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    Are you talking about straight leg deadlifts or regular ones?

    The only place I don't feel regular ones is my head.
  • Lieann22
    Lieann22 Posts: 67 Member
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    When you do a dead lift it pulls on your hamstrings so you will feel it there.

    try adding a row into it to really feel it in your back.

    Do 5 dead lifts and then 5 rows for example. make sure your elbows are tucked in!!
    :)
  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
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    Are you talking about straight leg deadlifts or regular ones?

    The only place I don't feel regular ones is my head.


    THIS. Can you lift more weight, if so you should. I lift to the point I really could not lift any more x 5 this session (making sure form is right though). next session I always try more....
  • gemmaleigh1989
    gemmaleigh1989 Posts: 241 Member
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    Just regular dead lifts...

    And thanks, bent over rows are already in my routine and I definitely feel those in my back!
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    It really depends on your form and the amount of weight your lifting, for me, I feel it most in my glutes and traps. I also feel it in my hammies, hip flexors, abs and lower back as well. I've always found when I lock out and kinda lean back at the top, it really seems to target my traps.

    But will most exercises, its all about form, and your bodies strength and weaknesses. In heavy compounds people tend to use the muscles they are the strongest in when performing and their form is a result of that sometimes.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
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    How heavy are you lifting? Are you tapping it down between reps?
  • rendonjr
    rendonjr Posts: 12 Member
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    http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/main/popup/name/barbell-deadlift
  • gemmaleigh1989
    gemmaleigh1989 Posts: 241 Member
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    How heavy are you lifting? Are you tapping it down between reps?

    14 kilos (30 pounds) not including the bar which is quite heavy on its own! But don't know what it weighs... For instance with my skull crushers I am just doing the bar itself at the moment!

    And yep I'm going right down to the floor between reps!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    It really depends on your form and the amount of weight your lifting, for me, I feel it most in my glutes and traps. I also feel it in my hammies, hip flexors, abs and lower back as well. I've always found when I lock out and kinda lean back at the top, it really seems to target my traps.

    This is how I feel mine as well. I never feel in my upper back. Or abs, for that matter.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
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    How heavy are you lifting? Are you tapping it down between reps?

    14 kilos (30 pounds) not including the bar which is quite heavy on its own! But don't know what it weighs... For instance with my skull crushers I am just doing the bar itself at the moment!

    And yep I'm going right down to the floor between reps!

    If you are using an Olympic bar they weigh 20kg.

    So you are doing 34kg.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    It really depends on your form and the amount of weight your lifting, for me, I feel it most in my glutes and traps. I also feel it in my hammies, hip flexors, abs and lower back as well. I've always found when I lock out and kinda lean back at the top, it really seems to target my traps.

    This is how I feel mine as well. I never feel in my upper back. Or abs, for that matter.

    See that's funny because I feel it in my abs. Particularly when I'm returning the bar to the ground.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
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    How heavy are you lifting? Are you tapping it down between reps?

    14 kilos (30 pounds) not including the bar which is quite heavy on its own! But don't know what it weighs... For instance with my skull crushers I am just doing the bar itself at the moment!

    And yep I'm going right down to the floor between reps!

    If you are using an Olympic bar they weigh 20kg.

    So you are doing 34kg.

    This is a theory only.

    But my guess would be that your back muscles are more conditioned to the movement/weight than some of the smaller muscles.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    If you want a similar exercise to deadlifts that puts more emphasis on the lower back, look into good mornings.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    This is a fairly broad generalization but:

    The more narrow your stance, the more you'll be hitting your low back (this has a tendency to make the sticking point for folks right before lockout)
    The more wide your stance, the more you'll be targeting your hams (this has a tendency to make the sticking point for folks right off the floor)

    Pick whichever you feel more comfortable with (I personally go with a more narrow stance, but it's all about preference) and try to put a bit more emphasis on the lacking musculature in your accessory work.

    Since I go narrow, http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html is a good resource to look up exercises to hit specific muscle groups.

    My $0.02
  • gemmaleigh1989
    gemmaleigh1989 Posts: 241 Member
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    This is a fairly broad generalization but:

    The more narrow your stance, the more you'll be hitting your low back (this has a tendency to make the sticking point for folks right before lockout)
    The more wide your stance, the more you'll be targeting your hams (this has a tendency to make the sticking point for folks right off the floor)

    Pick whichever you feel more comfortable with (I personally go with a more narrow stance, but it's all about preference) and try to put a bit more emphasis on the lacking musculature in your accessory work.

    Since I go narrow, http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html is a good resource to look up exercises to hit specific muscle groups.

    My $0.02

    Thanks! I didn't realise... I will give that a go next time!
  • Loftearmen
    Loftearmen Posts: 380
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    When you do a dead lift it pulls on your hamstrings so you will feel it there.

    try adding a row into it to really feel it in your back.

    Do 5 dead lifts and then 5 rows for example. make sure your elbows are tucked in!!
    :)
    If you can row it for 5 reps then it's WAY too light to use for your deadlifts. I do rows with less than half of what I can deadlift.

    Also, regardless of how good or bad your form is, you will feel the weakest link in the chain being worked the most during deadlifts. If you have strong spinal erectors and weak glutes then you will feel it in your glutes and not your back no matter what you do until you bring up the lagging area. The weakest link in the chain is usually the low back or the hamstrings but could also be the glutes, especially if you sit in a chair at work all day and have developed a "sleepy butt" (you lack the neuromuscular coordination to use your glutes during everyday activities).

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