Deadlift pains!

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stac3wa
stac3wa Posts: 38 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I had help from a PT the other day to advance on my legs and we did bent knee deadlifts and straight leg deadlifts. I couldn’t do the straight leg.
Might sound strange, but it felt unnatural to me to not bend my knees. (I’m working on it!) anyways, for 2 days the lower part of my back is killing. Only way I can describe it is doms just on my lower back. Top back fine. Legs fine. Just that part of my back.
Is this normal? For first time dead lift? Was my form completely off? PT said my form was great. Was behind me supporting my waist/hips etc. So maybe as I’ve never done it before? Any help would be great. As if it’s to do with my form I will chat to PT about it.
Maybe practising using no weights on bar or even dumbbells until I feel like it’s better positioned?
Thank you

Replies

  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
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    Mine will start to hurt with a lot of sets/reps. I have to keep it close to 30 total reps working weight.

    It could be DOMS, you could be out of position/form... it could be newness to the movement. It's really hard to tell without video evidence.

  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    stac3wa wrote: »
    I had help from a PT the other day to advance on my legs and we did bent knee deadlifts and straight leg deadlifts. I couldn’t do the straight leg.
    Might sound strange, but it felt unnatural to me to not bend my knees. (I’m working on it!) anyways, for 2 days the lower part of my back is killing. Only way I can describe it is doms just on my lower back. Top back fine. Legs fine. Just that part of my back.
    Is this normal? For first time dead lift? Was my form completely off? PT said my form was great. Was behind me supporting my waist/hips etc. So maybe as I’ve never done it before? Any help would be great. As if it’s to do with my form I will chat to PT about it.
    Maybe practising using no weights on bar or even dumbbells until I feel like it’s better positioned?
    Thank you

    Stiff leg deads will put more stress on lower back. Is it unusual to be sore there after any deadlifts? No.

    The barbell experience of your PT and how you respond to training will have some effect on the soreness.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    sounds like poor form. Why was the trainer behind you supporting your waist/hips? that is just really odd. Was he actually touching you? There is no reason for that, not with a dead lift. You need to manage your own form without him supporting you. Straight leg deadlifts are all in the hams/glutes. Learn to engage those muscles for the lift and not use your back. You gotta bend over and make your hams and glutes burn . Shoulders back, lats tightly engaged. You're lower back should not have any stress at all.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Once I got the hang of it, I prefer straight leg deadlifts, feel it more in the butt. My lower backs typically hurts for 24 hours the day after.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
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    SonyaCele wrote: »
    sounds like poor form. Why was the trainer behind you supporting your waist/hips? that is just really odd. Was he actually touching you? There is no reason for that, not with a dead lift. You need to manage your own form without him supporting you. Straight leg deadlifts are all in the hams/glutes. Learn to engage those muscles for the lift and not use your back. You gotta bend over and make your hams and glutes burn . Shoulders back, lats tightly engaged. You're lower back should not have any stress at all.

    Agree the deadlift is a no spotter lift. No touchy feely is needed. In fact, I would be freaked out by it. I do SLDs for volume and rack pulls/deadlifts for intensity. Any version of the deadlift is more stressful than most other lifts. It is also reasonably technical once you pull with high percentages to your 1RM and form breaks down with volume. Yes, you can feel sore in lower back from the lift but it shouldn't be bad.

  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
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    SonyaCele wrote: »
    sounds like poor form. Why was the trainer behind you supporting your waist/hips? that is just really odd. Was he actually touching you? There is no reason for that, not with a dead lift. You need to manage your own form without him supporting you. Straight leg deadlifts are all in the hams/glutes. Learn to engage those muscles for the lift and not use your back. You gotta bend over and make your hams and glutes burn . Shoulders back, lats tightly engaged. You're lower back should not have any stress at all.
    Agreed. There shouldn't be too much strain on the lower back, other than core stability. Maybe try good mornings to get the hip hinge movement down. Are you maintaining your arch in your lower spine and keeping your shoulders back?
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    Eh. I'd see how you feel next week after deadlifts and let us know. ONCE in awhile I'll get a little bit of a sore back from deadlifts, but only if I've taken time off. I don't think I've ever had pain from a stiff leg deadlift.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Chieflrg wrote: »
    stac3wa wrote: »
    I had help from a PT the other day to advance on my legs and we did bent knee deadlifts and straight leg deadlifts. I couldn’t do the straight leg.
    Might sound strange, but it felt unnatural to me to not bend my knees. (I’m working on it!) anyways, for 2 days the lower part of my back is killing. Only way I can describe it is doms just on my lower back. Top back fine. Legs fine. Just that part of my back.
    Is this normal? For first time dead lift? Was my form completely off? PT said my form was great. Was behind me supporting my waist/hips etc. So maybe as I’ve never done it before? Any help would be great. As if it’s to do with my form I will chat to PT about it.
    Maybe practising using no weights on bar or even dumbbells until I feel like it’s better positioned?
    Thank you

    Stiff leg deads will put more stress on lower back. Is it unusual to be sore there after any deadlifts? No.

    The barbell experience of your PT and how you respond to training will have some effect on the soreness.

    No other replies needed.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    stac3wa wrote: »
    I had help from a PT the other day to advance on my legs and we did bent knee deadlifts and straight leg deadlifts. I couldn’t do the straight leg.
    Might sound strange, but it felt unnatural to me to not bend my knees. (I’m working on it!) anyways, for 2 days the lower part of my back is killing. Only way I can describe it is doms just on my lower back. Top back fine. Legs fine. Just that part of my back.
    Is this normal? For first time dead lift? Was my form completely off? PT said my form was great. Was behind me supporting my waist/hips etc. So maybe as I’ve never done it before? Any help would be great. As if it’s to do with my form I will chat to PT about it.
    Maybe practising using no weights on bar or even dumbbells until I feel like it’s better positioned?
    Thank you

    Stiff leg deads will put more stress on lower back. Is it unusual to be sore there after any deadlifts? No.

    The barbell experience of your PT and how you respond to training will have some effect on the soreness.

    No other replies needed.

    I would agree that is true for someone that has the form nailed and is maxing out their working weight reps, they may feel some slight lower back/core doms. But for someone just learning, lower back pain is an indication of poor form. The low weights used for beginners learning form should not be hitting their back. Many people have tweaked their lower back this way.

    The fact that the OP said her legs were fine means she wasn't using the proper muscles for the lift. If her hams were on fire today and her back was slightly sore, I'd say maybe form was ok. But with no leg pain, and only a sore back to me means form was off.
  • stac3wa
    stac3wa Posts: 38 Member
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    I have woken him with slight soreness at the back of my leg. But nothing major. My back still hurts. PT was behind me, touching, as I was just bending straight down rather than sticking my bum out. I realise how stupid that sounds but I am a beginner. I’ve never been into lifting until recently, so I’m going to mess up at some point. I have to learn form, it obviously doesn’t come natural to me.
    I do have difficulty with any kind of squat/lift as my belly is still rather large. So it does get in the way a bit more than it should. I think for now I’m going to practice with some dumbbells (or just without) to make sure my form is where it needs to be. If I keep trying, and keep failing, it’s something I will take out of my workout.
  • MVFORLYFE
    MVFORLYFE Posts: 4 Member
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    A sharp pain is likely to be a result of form breakdown. A stiffness or dull ache is likely DOMS
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
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    stac3wa wrote: »
    I have woken him with slight soreness at the back of my leg. But nothing major. My back still hurts. PT was behind me, touching, as I was just bending straight down rather than sticking my bum out. I realise how stupid that sounds but I am a beginner. I’ve never been into lifting until recently, so I’m going to mess up at some point. I have to learn form, it obviously doesn’t come natural to me.
    I do have difficulty with any kind of squat/lift as my belly is still rather large. So it does get in the way a bit more than it should. I think for now I’m going to practice with some dumbbells (or just without) to make sure my form is where it needs to be. If I keep trying, and keep failing, it’s something I will take out of my workout.

    Watch lots of videos to pick up on the mental cues you'll need to use, and to get a really good sense of what it should look like, so you can try to emulate what they're doing.

    Dumbbells, broomsticks, kettlebells, or without anything at all. It's a hip-hinge exercise, so drive forward with your hips (but don't overextend your back... if you're over-arching at the top, that could be some of your discomfort, too).

    Deadlifts aren't easy to master, but they are super satisfying when you do. And there are lots of variations that you can explore as time goes on.

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