Sore lower back after deadlifts

mdivamuffin
mdivamuffin Posts: 164 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My lower back is really sore after deadlifting yesterday. Not sure what to do. I'm in the middle of stage 1 of the NROLFW programme. I'm really enjoying it and don't want to stop but don't want to have a back injury either!!
Maybe I'm doing it wrong. This happen to anyone else?
«1

Replies

  • infamousdrew76
    infamousdrew76 Posts: 176 Member
    Are you sore?...or are you injured?

    Answer that, then let you're body be the judge!
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    There is a difference between muscle soreness (DOMS) and pain caused by injury.

    If it is just muscle soreness then you'll be fine in a couple of days - it's just a response to muscles being used which are not used to the exercise. Hot baths or stretching/yoga are helpful to some people.

    If you've caused an injury, usually by poor form when performing then lifts, then it could be more serious and should be checked out by a doctor/physio and your form corrected to prevent further damage.

    Edited for typo.
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
    Agreed with all of the above, if your lower back is sore its is muscle soreness from starting a new routine, even though Ive been lifting for 6 months If i take a week off from working a particular area then even I get sore its normal and usually goes within a day or two.

    If its more of an injury sore then get it looked at, many people on this forum have been through lower back problems and its just not worth the risk to keep working with a injured back.
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
    I did deadlifts earlier this week for the first time in about 5 years. My lower back, mid back and traps were all sore, which alarmed me at first. I thought for sure I injured myself. Today the soreness is gone and I feel much better. I would lay off the weights for a couple days and see if it starts to feel better in a day or so. If not I would definitely see a doctor.

    On a side note, if you are new to weight lifting I would recommend asking someone (that looks like they know what they are doing) to check your form the next time you deadlift. It is quite easy to injure your lower back while doing it.
  • janer4jc
    janer4jc Posts: 238 Member
    If it's a new activity, my thought would be muscle soreness. A few weeks ago I swam for a longer than usual amount of time and used hand paddles. The next day I could hardly move my neck. It took a few days for the shoulder muscles to loosen up. I haven't used the paddles since.
  • april1445
    april1445 Posts: 334
    Make sure you hold the weights close to your legs. If you hold them too far out in front of you, you will feel it in your back when you should feel it in your butt and hamstrings.
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
    Make sure you hold the weights close to your legs. If you hold them too far out in front of you, you will feel it in your back when you should feel it in your butt and hamstrings.

    This^
    When I started nrol4w and didn't really know what I was doing I had the same problem. Corrected my form and the pain was gone! Also, foam rollers are amazing to get your back on track after deadlifts!
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    how long after deadlifting did the pain start?
  • CallMeBacon
    CallMeBacon Posts: 196 Member
    Your back shouldn't be sore after deads.. I would ask a trainer to check your form, this is a lift where you can really easily hurt yourself if your form is not good.

    You can also tape yourself and post to the eat, train, progress group here on MFP for form critique.

    Couple videos to suggest:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syt7A23YnpA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX8jgCFXYTU
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • mdivamuffin
    mdivamuffin Posts: 164 Member
    Thanks a mil for the advice and links to videos everyone.
    I'm really not sure if it's an injury or DOMS. It's so whenever I move but fine when I'm sitting, lying in bed, etc. My thighs and legs are also really sore but the soreness feels different somehow.
    I think I'll take a rest from lifting til Wed then do workout a which involves a squat not a deadlift. Then on Friday try the deadlift again if my back feels better and get someone to check my form or video tape it. I am new to it so I could be doing it wrong, and I don;t want to keep on doing it wrong.
    Thanks again :smile:
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Having completed NROLFW myself, I know the book doesn't tell you enough about proper form. Please look up "Mark Rippetoe deadlift form" videos on youtube. This will help you immensely.
  • mdivamuffin
    mdivamuffin Posts: 164 Member
    Thanks Cait. Will have a look.
    Another thing maybe is that I'm not warming up properly! I was warming up by doing 10 mins on elliptical but maybe I need to do some warm up sets. especially for deadlifts and squats.
  • MisterDerpington
    MisterDerpington Posts: 604 Member
    Do you expect it not to be sore from a lift that works it directly?
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    While doing NROLFW, one of the mistakes I was making because I didn't know better was rounding my back. When you lift, make sure to stick out your chest and keep your back as straight and flat as you can. Also, foot placement is important. The bar should start at the middle of your foot and move up in a straight line and never deviate from that straight line. It helps to keep it in that straight up and down line to keep the bar close to your legs as it and your body raises, I even drag it against my legs as I lift it.

    If you can, please read "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe. It explains so much about form. But looking up the youtube videos will give you a good start.
  • tawanda6329
    tawanda6329 Posts: 139 Member
    When I used the Smith Machine to do deadlifts, I injured my back. I haven't had any problems since I stopped using it.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • mdivamuffin
    mdivamuffin Posts: 164 Member
    I don't even know what a smith machine is so that's definitely not my problem :smile:
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I use the smith machine for inverted rows :p


    I am on stage 2 week 2 and I hurt my lower back deadliftng because my body was exhausted (I over do exercise some days) and I let my back round for 1 second and boom sharp back pain. No fun when you are holding a 90 lb fixed barbell that you have to rerack. I am just coming off my week rest from this injury but am terrified of deadlifting now
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    Make sure you hold the weights close to your legs. If you hold them too far out in front of you, you will feel it in your back when you should feel it in your butt and hamstrings.

    ^ This, activate your glutes when deadlifting to prevent lower back injuries!
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Make sure your form is good like others have said. If you are injured wait until you are better. If you are just sore then rest a little and try it again.

    I would recommend doing this routine at least twice a week also. Helps a ton with low back and hip tightness.

    http://youtu.be/FSSDLDhbacc
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
    I'm somebody who deadlifts who has a lower back spinal injury (I have the MRI's to prove it). My experience with deadlifts is that it takes someone a long time to get the form truly right, many months of practice. If this is new to you, likely thats the issue.

    But I can also attest to the fact that its possible to do deadlifts with some light spinal damage present. It's not necessarily a blocker. So it makes me think that if you're feeling pain, your form is probably off in some way or another. Just about the only time I felt real pain was when I was doing it wrong, failing to protect my spine.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    Thanks Cait. Will have a look.
    Another thing maybe is that I'm not warming up properly! I was warming up by doing 10 mins on elliptical but maybe I need to do some warm up sets. especially for deadlifts and squats.

    I've been lifting for well over a year now and do on occassion still get lower back soreness from dead lifting so it may not be anything serious. If it's not gone in 2-3 days, if it's affecting your day-to-day activites or causing you to lose sleep then go get a professional opinion. You should definitely be warming up by doing the same exercise with a lighter weight. I would never jump straight up to my highest weight on a squat or dead lift.

    You also might want to consider having a PT check out your form and check to see if you 're doing it right. If this isn't an option you may want to take a video of yourself and post it online for a a form check
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Thanks Cait. Will have a look.
    Another thing maybe is that I'm not warming up properly! I was warming up by doing 10 mins on elliptical but maybe I need to do some warm up sets. especially for deadlifts and squats.
    In Starting Strength, which is written for novices, Rippetoe stresses always doing warmup sets, starting with the empty bar. And has you do squats first in the routine, saying that the squat helps to warm you up for the upper body sets and the deadlift. I start my warmups with the empty bar for squats, but with 65 for deadlifts - because one, I'm already warm from squats like he says, and two, I have a hard time lifting from flat on the floor without rounding so I'd rather start with bumper plates loaded instead.

    I've had lower back soreness once or twice after deadlifts. It was quite sore the first time and I worried that I might have hurt myself. But it was greatly diminished within 24 hours and gone by the next workout session. If this was a new exercise for you, some soreness would be normal.

    Please do check your form carefully to prevent injury. Starting Strength is a great book to accompany the Rippetoe videos online, especially if you're a mathy geek type like me. :smile:
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
    Yeah always do light weight warmup sets. Always always always. It's an important part of the process, it helps you lift heavier weights more effectively and keeps you from suffering injuries. Too important to skip.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I had to widen my stance when I do DLs makes it easier on my back
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    If the soreness causes you to want to curl forward its probably a mild injury due to poor form.... In my experience, doms doesnt make you want to curl up. Now, thats not to say that the lack of this curling desire would mean you arent injured, I;m just saying that if you do feel that sensation than you probably did tweak your back a bit. Same goes for a desire to flex backwards.

    Bending backwards would make me thing you rounded your lumbar spine and wanting to curl up would make me think that you over arched it and hyper extended it...
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    This isn't hard.

    Was the onset of soreness delayed or not? If delayed, it's delayed onset muscle soreness. If not delayed, it's an injury.


    It's almost like they call it DOMS for a reason relating to the definition.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Thanks a mil for the advice and links to videos everyone.
    I'm really not sure if it's an injury or DOMS. It's so whenever I move but fine when I'm sitting, lying in bed, etc. My thighs and legs are also really sore but the soreness feels different somehow.
    I think I'll take a rest from lifting til Wed then do workout a which involves a squat not a deadlift. Then on Friday try the deadlift again if my back feels better and get someone to check my form or video tape it. I am new to it so I could be doing it wrong, and I don;t want to keep on doing it wrong.
    Thanks again :smile:

    Generally, the lower back feels wierd when it's stressed out. Even DOMS feels kinda funny for the lower back, where the rest of your body generally feels like you would expect it to. You will figure this out with some time though, as you feel it out.

    So for your deads, I would say just feel it out and make sure you're starting LIGHT. Starting light is a virtue in lifting, and it helps you ease in. Just start off with the bar if you have to, or lighter if need be, no shame in that.

    Also, make sure that you are locking in your back and not rounding the lower back (YouTube it). You might also be overarching (like, really really sticking your *kitten* out), and that can make it feel wierd too.

    Over all, just make sure you're taking the time to learn the movement and feel it out for yourself.... and starting light so you have some wiggle room to learn :)
  • nixism
    nixism Posts: 258 Member
    When I was doing deadlifts even with a smallish weight my form was off and I got a sore lower back... once my PT corrected my form I was away... you need to be sure to keep the weights close to your legs etc and back nice and flat/straight... and don't be shy to stick out your booty!! :) Goodluck :)

Categories