Wanted to do Stronglifts 5x5, but trainer won't let me deadlift!

Are deadlifts against the rules of the gym? If so, and you wish to deadlift, join a different gym. If they aren't, but your trainer "won't let you", hire a different trainer.

Joining a gym but having to buy equipment to use at home to perform basic exercises doesn't make sense.

smith machine isn't completely useless, but like every machine it is less effective than free weights because it stabilizes itself instead of your core having to do that. you can bench/squat much more weight on a smith machine than you can with free weights

If you pay the trainer, he should be willing to go with what YOU want (within the rules of the gym you're in). If you want to use the free weights, you tell him that he will be helping you with free weights, or you are taking your MONEY elsewhere. (Even if that means you watch a bunch of videos, try on your own, take videos of yourself, and post them to MFP or Reddit for form checks.)

However.

The insistence that deadlifts aren't "safe" and the reluctance to help you with free weights *might* suggest he doesn't have the confidence in his knowledge of what good form looks like. That could end poorly for you.

(Deadlifting is perfectly safe, *if* your form is good, especially keeping your back 'neutral'. *I* do not consider myself expert enough to identify if someone's back is neutral, so I would not feel comfortable training someone in deadlifting.)

Ask the trainer why he will not let you. Is it that he does not think you are ready yet? That he hates them in general? That he wants you to pregress with dumbbells and machines for now? I do very few of my exercises with bar, as dumbbells at the gym go up to more than I can lift yet, it is easier to progress and easier to be safe so far without a spotter. Dumbbells are not evil or less effective in general. And many machines are perfectly fine. As a beginner, starting with some basic exercises, lower weights, and building up to heavier weights is not at all bad practise. As long as he does not tell you to do 1000 reps with 0.5 kg dumbbells...
Do you have a reason to want to do deadlifts right now, or to do stronglifts? If you trust the trainer, and he is helping you strength train, IMHO it does not make much sense to dictate to him what exactly you want to do. It makes sense to explain your goals and to discuss how to get there, but asking, from the very beginning, to follow a specific routine, you have only read about, I can imagine most trainers would not be thrilled about it. Ask him what his plan is. If it does not match your goals, look for a different trainer.

To add, a while ago, I asked a trainer in the room to help me with deadlifts, as I had not done them for a long time. He is a small guy in general and I have never seen him lift. He was very reluctant and insisted other exercises are better for me at this point. In the end he did help me, but insisted on romanian deadlifts and gave me some valid reasons, considering what else I am doing in my routine. My first assumption when we started talking,was he is not comfortable with lifting, or does not know about it much. Getting to know him better over the next weeks, I realised the guy can easily deadlift over 100 kgs with minimal effort. So, just ask.

Unless you have an injury that would be exacerbated by the exercise there's no reason not to incorporate deads into your program. How long have you been training? I'm going to give the trainer the benefit of the doubt and say if you have only just begin he may feel it's better to work on your stabilization before progressing you.

Go back to him and ask him about the training program he has you on and where he feels you are in terms of progress to the initial goal you have set. Ask him why he feels you should avoid this exercise for now and what you need to work on to progress to deadlifts. If you're not happy then seek a second opinion.

lynpcooper wrote: »

His basic reasoning is that he thinks that they are unsafe. He has his own strength training routine that he likes to teach. I kind of let it ride because He has all of these fitness degrees on the wall and seems very knowledgeable, but the reason I want to do Stronglifts is because of its simplicity and the results I've seen on this site and others. I absolutely didn't want to tell him how to do his job. I'm a nurse and I "love" when people tell me how to do my job based on what they've read on the Internet. So I was trying to be respectful. I just really don't love the machines. I'm also starting to read about Bret Contreras' Strong Curves. I just want to change my body in the shortest amount of time possible and don't want to waste my time doing potentially ineffective stuff.

Ask him what he plans to teach you. Decide if you are comfortable following his plans or not. Then either decide to follow his routine, or would rather do your own thing without him.

if you have proper form there is nothing wrong with deadlifting, it's a great compoud movement that works multiple muscle groups. Smith machines are generally not a good route in my opinon because it limits ROM and controls the bar for you so you lose some of the benefits to your accessory muscles. I would find a trainer who is more comfortable with barbell movements if that is the type of training you are looking for

The question is: do you like your routine/trainer and are you making progress with them?

It's perfectly fine to do a routine without deadlifts if you want. Just like it's perfectly fine to ditch the trainer and do Stronglifts.

At the end of the day you should do what you want to do, not what you heard you should do.

Can you get stronger using machines? Yes.

Is the deadlift a great full body strength and mass builder? Yes.

Is a routine you are happy to follow and get progressive benefits from better than the "best" routine that you hate and quit after two weeks? Yes. Yes it is.