Deadlift question

[Traildoggie]

Cathe.. or anyone who can help... although I've been doing these for years now I still get mid back pain, tightness and discomfort the next day. right at waist level.

I've tried barbell & dumbbells. my back is flat, my shoulders are not rounding forward. either I'm doing something wrong or there's an anatomical issue. no problem when I'm doing them, it's the next day and the day after. the heavier I lift the worse the discomfort. usually I do 40-55 lbs depending. I'm ready to drop these from my routines, or else drop the weight level down to minimal levels.

No matter how I do these, I feel like my low back is doing the work while my hamstrings are marginally involved. Any suggestions welcome. TIA.

 

[melagras]

Have you tried putting a little bit of a bend in your knees?

Are you trying to go too far to the floor? I think Cathe has mentioned you don't need to go as far as your ankles - just to the knees is low enough.

Try soaking in a hot bath. That always works for me. I also use Beachbody's recovery drink. It has kept me from being so sore.

 

[Christine Marie]

Traildoggie, I know this is coming in about 6 months late but I thought I'd offer you my thoughts anyway in case you're still experiencing the back pain with deadlifts. This was happening to me as well, and I also was wondering if I was doing something wrong. Then it occurred to me, its DOMS! If you're experiencing the soreness in your lower back muscles, and not in your spine, then I'd have to say you're feeling DOMS and should simply stretch as you would any other muscles that feel sore the day after a workout.

Let me also add that if you're not feeling it in your hamstrings, then be very aware of where on your feet you're placing the weight. When I tip down with the weights, my butt goes backwards and I teeter on my heels a bit. Keep the weights close to your body to prevent too much pulling on your back.

Hope that helps!!

 

[Traildoggie]

I've backed off on weight and frequency of deadlifts. my low back is strong enough... but it doesn't feel like muscle soreness. I don't ever feel any work being done by my legs. I do enough other exercises and have relegated deadlifts to "maintenance" and use a non-stressful weight. usually 50 lbs or so. I have trouble keeping any weight on my heels, and keep the bar very close.
thanks for responding to the question after so long! I'd forgotten about it.

 

[TexasLaura]

If you have trouble keeping your weight in your heels you might try propping your toes up slightly on 3lb weights, as Cathe does in Gym Style Legs. (I use a piece of puzzle mat as I find it easier to use and more stable than weights)

HTH.

 

[Davidj]

In the past I have had the same troubles as Traildoggie. I think deadlifts (and barbell rowss) are healthy for the back -- so I try not cutting them out of strength excercize videos. What I do is to lighten up (as TD says) to a bare minimum. Also, what I do is go to a half speed, and do half as many as the excercizers on the DVD. When I did both of these things, I did not feel any soreness in the back.

DOMs generally is ok for other parts of the body, but I get cautious about DOMs in the back area.
-- David