Feeling deadlifts in the legs

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serpentegena
serpentegena Posts: 42 Member
edited October 2022 in Fitness and Exercise
I recently took on a new objective of learning how to do deadlifts, and my beginner's session went well. I studied up on the correct form, I went to the gym and did 4 sets of 6-8 reps, to start off using about 40-50 lb (I'm a woman, I can probably lift 100 lb max). I managed to avoid using my lower back, yay for that. But my legs were jello afterwards! I didn't finish my 5k run because I could feel my energy sapped and my legs too weak to keep going at my usual pace (which is around 6:20/km).

OK to be perfectly honest, I skipped running for about 4 days, and that's too long to maintain running form. And there are other factors involved, like eating enough during the day to sustain the effort of a 5k run at 70-75% of capacity.

Just wondering. Is it normal to feel deadlifts in the upper leg? (I feel them in the lats, as well, as I should)
Should I do my run before doing deadlifts?

Edit: I'm a dummy. Of *course* I would feel deadlifts in the upper leg. They mostly work the quads and hamstrings. So that "mystery" was solved with a little bit of googling.
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,525 Member
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    Question from me is are deadlifts needed for you to reach your goals or are you just adding them to add them? If running us your goal and still want to deadlift, run first.



    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Timing is up to you and how you feel and what your priorities are. I used to be pretty hardcore into endurance road cycling and training and that was my priority so I had to back off from my lifting to 2x per week and I did my bike training on non-lifting days as there was no way I was going to get in a 30+ mile ride right after a session that included deadlifts and squats and there was no way I was getting under a heavy bar bell after a 30+ mile ride. Ultimately I started working with a cycling coach and he completely changed my lifting routine to be more in line with the training on my bike and optimal recovery...his routine had almost zero traditional deadlifts, particularly "heavy" deadlifts.
  • serpentegena
    serpentegena Posts: 42 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Question from me is are deadlifts needed for you to reach your goals or are you just adding them to add them? If running us your goal and still want to deadlift, run first.



    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    Thank you! Will try running first tomorrow.
    I run for improved cardio and VO2 max capacity, and for stress relief. I wanted to start strength training to gain muscle definition, and to isolate muscles I want to focus on. Deadlifts just looked fun, and I enjoy doing them. Having fun while doing physical activity is my foremost goal. I will push myself when it's time (for competition, for example), but if it stops being fun, something has gone wrong.
  • serpentegena
    serpentegena Posts: 42 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Timing is up to you and how you feel and what your priorities are. I used to be pretty hardcore into endurance road cycling and training and that was my priority so I had to back off from my lifting to 2x per week and I did my bike training on non-lifting days as there was no way I was going to get in a 30+ mile ride right after a session that included deadlifts and squats and there was no way I was getting under a heavy bar bell after a 30+ mile ride. Ultimately I started working with a cycling coach and he completely changed my lifting routine to be more in line with the training on my bike and optimal recovery...his routine had almost zero traditional deadlifts, particularly "heavy" deadlifts.

    Good point! I will consider planning a training plan to integrate both activities harmoniously, but for now I'm just trying stuff out. Lifting is quite fun, though!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,081 Member
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    The best exercise is the one you keep doing. The easiest exercise to keep doing is one you enjoy. I lifted off and on through high school and college, but at the time was focused upon running. Fast forward a decade, and suddenly running is out (hard on my knees), and lifting has become my love. Things may change again at some point, though I've been lifting for 13+ years now and no signs of fading interest yet!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,166 Member
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    Keep in mind that if your goals are general fitness, fun, some definition but sub-bodybuilder, and especially if your athletic priority is elsewhere . . . it's OK to sub-optimize sometimes.

    Sub-optimal results aren't zero results, and don't even have to be trivial results.

    What I mean is that it's OK to play with higher rep/lower resistance (or whatever), variations by season, alternate strength exercise choice, different schedules, etc. You can find your personal sweet-spot balance.

    I'm a rower (boats when I can, machines when I must). I don't do much lifting in on-water season. (It's fairly common to significantly reduce lifting volume in season even among high-level competitors).

    For sure, I don't do leg strength work in season, because - especially now that I'm a li'l ol' lady (66) - I can't get enough leg recovery with any variation I've tried. (I usually row 4 days a week for about an hour, which amounts to around 1000 reps of body weight + some boat weight/friction, through something that looks like a horizontal leg press to deadlift to high pull kind of motion. On around 2 other days, lately I bike, so more legs.)

    In the off-season, the machine row and stationary bike volume is less, and I typically do some lifting, but always lift after row - priorities! Even then, it's not a lot of legs - more focus on upper body push (for balance vs. the rowing's overemphasis on pull).

    What I do is absolutely sub-optimal from a strength or mass standpoint, but absolutely not bereft of benefits, either.

    Don't let the results of your first experiment discourage you from test-driving other variations. You'll figure it out!

  • serpentegena
    serpentegena Posts: 42 Member
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    nossmf wrote: »
    The best exercise is the one you keep doing. The easiest exercise to keep doing is one you enjoy. I lifted off and on through high school and college, but at the time was focused upon running. Fast forward a decade, and suddenly running is out (hard on my knees), and lifting has become my love. Things may change again at some point, though I've been lifting for 13+ years now and no signs of fading interest yet!

    I feel you on the knees issues. I injured my knees by doing yoga of all things (bad form at home, overextensions and forcing joints into poses I shouldn't). My runner friend taught me to never run two days in a row, and to avoid breaks of more than 2 days. So far it's worked out well! My knees are actually better off now, when I'm doing physical activity regularly, and not forcing my body into unnatural positions. I did retain some value from my yoga practice, for example pigeon pose is one of the best possible stretches for one's legs after a run :)
  • soulo_ridah
    soulo_ridah Posts: 50 Member
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    As others have mentioned you cant have both. Something has to give. I am a road cyclist and had to learn this the hard way. What I do now is once the season ends I stop serious cycling and only do couple trainer rides in zone 2 evenings while watching tv. But what I up in my lifting. I am not trying to bulk up but gain strength so I run a strength program. No way would I be lifting heavy and riding 3-400km weekly lol
    Once I get back into serious riding, then I drop the lifting to mainly upper body and only trying to get to 50-60% of my usual. This seems to work for me.

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