Deadlifts and delts

Silkysausage
Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I've been slowly getting heavier in my conventional deadlifting but as of 3 days ago my right delts in particular have been sore. I did some cupping on them and they seem fine now.

I take it my legs and upper back are not strong enough yet (lifting for 16 weeks beginner) hence the delts taking the brunt.

I can lift the highest weight, after going through a ramp up of lighter weight, for 2 X 8 reps with no back pain or any other problems.

Should I reduce the weight again, build up legs and back and then go back to my PB?

Replies

  • Ryan__JV
    Ryan__JV Posts: 3 Member
    When it comes to the DL, the posterior Deltoid has to stabilize the shoulders aswell as the Lats. If you are feeling pain here in the shoulder area do a bit more isolation work in that area to hopefully add some hypertrophy in that area for added stabilization! Having a bit more muscle in that area will give you the ability to focus on the bigger muscle groups for the big lifts.

  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    That might be a good idea - back off the weight maybe 20% & re- start
    When repping with deadlifts it's a good idea to reset your grip & set up for each rep, treat it as a series of singles, you can get out of wack easily. don't go high reps
    Are you doing them with correct form?
  • joemac1988
    joemac1988 Posts: 1,021 Member
    @Silkysausage Do you use a mix grip? And do you ever switch it? I use a mix grip and prefer my left to be overhand, right underhand. Causes a slight imbalance that I need to work on.
  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    I like the idea of 'singles' that might help, I've read that mixed grip can hurt the biceps potentially?
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    I would not use the mixed grip for training, you want to strengthen your grip. Save the mixed grip for a max effort
  • billkansas
    billkansas Posts: 267 Member
    I consider muscle soreness (if that's what you're talking about) a win. I love it after a heavy deadlift day and feeling soreness in my traps or lats... personally I wouldn't reduce weight unless you think you really hurt yourself. This is the thing I like about deadlifts... if done heavy you can feel soreness all over the place. I figure this means I'm getting a lot of benefit and my time was well spent in the gym. Some people goof around with endless dumbbell and cable exercises for their delts but it seems to me that your deadlift workout was effective at growing your delts too.
  • billkansas
    billkansas Posts: 267 Member
    ecjim wrote: »
    I would not use the mixed grip for training, you want to strengthen your grip. Save the mixed grip for a max effort

    I agree. Double overhand grip will balance it out better. You might consider practicing the hook grip too... if you want avoid straps.
  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    edited July 2018
    billkansas wrote: »
    I consider muscle soreness (if that's what you're talking about) a win. I love it after a heavy deadlift day and feeling soreness in my traps or lats... personally I wouldn't reduce weight unless you think you really hurt yourself. This is the thing I like about deadlifts... if done heavy you can feel soreness all over the place. I figure this means I'm getting a lot of benefit and my time was well spent in the gym. Some people goof around with endless dumbbell and cable exercises for their delts but it seems to me that your deadlift workout was effective at growing your delts too.

    Well, it felt like an impingement really (I'm a massage therapist) so I'm not sure what would have happened unless I did the cupping to ease it off.

    It was all in the right side, the left arm got off lightly. This is an indication that my left side is weaker, I know that from dumbbell curls.

    Maybe if I keep to the same weight and 'single' them out as suggested...I'll see what happens.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    I tried the mixed grip....even though I swore that I never would...and injured my left bicep pretty quickly. It was one-part too heavy and one-part bad form. I was too dang tired but did something I had never done before and was inspired and exceeded my abilities.

    But, the reason that I was messing around with the mixed grip is because I was being me. I am not afraid to try things....now, not talking about jumping from the rooftop of one building to the rooftop of another building that is 40 feet away...talking about new techniques.

    When I was doing deadlifts and they were heavy then I would feel them in my lats (I make sure that I am squeezing the bar and bending the bar like a madman).

    Not sure that you have "hurt" anything....maybe just "worked it" a little harder than usual. Dang I miss dead lifts! :-)
  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »
    I tried the mixed grip....even though I swore that I never would...and injured my left bicep pretty quickly. It was one-part too heavy and one-part bad form. I was too dang tired but did something I had never done before and was inspired and exceeded my abilities.

    But, the reason that I was messing around with the mixed grip is because I was being me. I am not afraid to try things....now, not talking about jumping from the rooftop of one building to the rooftop of another building that is 40 feet away...talking about new techniques.

    When I was doing deadlifts and they were heavy then I would feel them in my lats (I make sure that I am squeezing the bar and bending the bar like a madman).

    Not sure that you have "hurt" anything....maybe just "worked it" a little harder than usual. Dang I miss dead lifts! :-)

    Yes, quite right...just made it wake up and scared it :D
  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    Mixed grip is not bad form. Yes you should do as many reps and as much weight as you can hold over hand, but when you start reaching a weight that challenges your grip but you have more left in your legs and butt, should you just stop. Hell no. Go mixed and lift heavier. Its better to do that than use hooks.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    mutantspicy wrote: »
    Mixed grip is not bad form. Yes you should do as many reps and as much weight as you can hold over hand, but when you start reaching a weight that challenges your grip but you have more left in your legs and butt, should you just stop. Hell no. Go mixed and lift heavier. Its better to do that than use hooks.

    Or, do some grip iso work.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    mutantspicy wrote: »
    Mixed grip is not bad form. Yes you should do as many reps and as much weight as you can hold over hand, but when you start reaching a weight that challenges your grip but you have more left in your legs and butt, should you just stop. Hell no. Go mixed and lift heavier. Its better to do that than use hooks.
    The grip selection is arbitrary. I pull heavier with better form with hook grip than mixed therefore I use hook.
  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    mutantspicy wrote: »
    Mixed grip is not bad form. Yes you should do as many reps and as much weight as you can hold over hand, but when you start reaching a weight that challenges your grip but you have more left in your legs and butt, should you just stop. Hell no. Go mixed and lift heavier. Its better to do that than use hooks.
    The grip selection is arbitrary. I pull heavier with better form with hook grip than mixed therefore I use hook.
    I wasn't referring to hook grip, but assist straps or weight lifting hooks. I actually hadn't seen the hook grip you described until your post, I liked the idea, I tried it but my thumbs aren't long enough for that to work for me.

  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited August 2018
    mutantspicy wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    mutantspicy wrote: »
    Mixed grip is not bad form. Yes you should do as many reps and as much weight as you can hold over hand, but when you start reaching a weight that challenges your grip but you have more left in your legs and butt, should you just stop. Hell no. Go mixed and lift heavier. Its better to do that than use hooks.
    The grip selection is arbitrary. I pull heavier with better form with hook grip than mixed therefore I use hook.
    I wasn't referring to hook grip, but assist straps or weight lifting hooks. I actually hadn't seen the hook grip you described until your post, I liked the idea, I tried it but my thumbs aren't long enough for that to work for me.


    I see.

    Yah, I still would argue that letting your grip govern the progress of your lift is a bad idea in most cases.

    Some may argue if you compete on the platform you shouldn't use straps anytime and such which has slight validity, but it isn't a absolute.

    If I could train and deadlift 600lbs with straps opposed to only train with 500lb with using switch grip, I would definitely use straps at times to get the heavier work if programmed correctly.
  • PhiKapMiin
    PhiKapMiin Posts: 12 Member
    Variations and accessories!
  • pbryd
    pbryd Posts: 364 Member
    My opinion might prove to be an unpopular one but, stop conventional deadlifting.

    1. If you stop and your shoulder improves, then you know it's the deadlifting.
    2. Unless your training to be a powerlifter, you don't need conventional deadlifts. They have a high risk to reward ratio, which could easily be replaced by other exercises like the SLDL or Romanian deadlift.
  • Erik8484
    Erik8484 Posts: 458 Member
    pbryd wrote: »
    My opinion might prove to be an unpopular one but, stop conventional deadlifting.

    1. If you stop and your shoulder improves, then you know it's the deadlifting.
    2. Unless your training to be a powerlifter, you don't need conventional deadlifts. They have a high risk to reward ratio, which could easily be replaced by other exercises like the SLDL or Romanian deadlift.

    Honest question, what is the risk associated with deadlifting?
  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    pbryd wrote: »
    My opinion might prove to be an unpopular one but, stop conventional deadlifting.

    1. If you stop and your shoulder improves, then you know it's the deadlifting.
    2. Unless your training to be a powerlifter, you don't need conventional deadlifts. They have a high risk to reward ratio, which could easily be replaced by other exercises like the SLDL or Romanian deadlift.

    Yes, it improved since thank you. I've now got a PB of my bodyweight so I'm happy for now. I'm not a powerlifter so I really don't need to keep reaching for the stars on deads.

    I also do RDL's, it's interesting what you're saying about conventional deads though. I'm all about the posterior chain but if my hamstrings gain then I'm happy. They are stubborn!

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