What Did I Do Wrong?

L

lorajc

Cathlete
I did deadlifts the other day and used the heaviest weight I've used so far (25 lb dumbbells) and I felt fine while I was doing them. I don't think my form got bad. I kept my shoulders back, etc. However, the day after (and even now ....a few days later), I have a bad pain in the exact center of my lower back, right over the sacroileac joint or sacrum. Does anyone know what I may have done wrong and how to avoid this?

Also, rather than start a new post, while I have everyone's attention......I started lifting heavier a month or so ago (at my full capacity now -- was sidelined with an injury for a while) and I've been so hungry. I know I'm eating too much, but if I don't eat, I feel shaky and lightheaded. I know you're supposed to eat about every 3-4 hours, but sometimes I need to eat in 2 hours.....or sometimes I eat an apple for my snack and before I ate it, I wasn't starving, but then after I eat it, I become famished. I am a vegetarian and I do drink protein drinks after a heavy lifting session. I also eat cheese, yogurt and almonds, etc for protein. How does everyone deal with this famished state without gaining weight (like I am).
thanks
 
I have to be really really careful with deadlifts. I've had the same thing happen, altho I'm not at 25 lbs!!! I would try lowering your weights after it feels better and go slower in upping the weights.

Colleen
 
I can't eat an apple without "chasing" it with something else, because they do the same thing to me. I won't be hungry before, but after eating it, I'm famished!!! Try eating apples and cheese together...or apples and almonds. I haven't tried that myself, but it might help.

Remember, that the harder you work out, the more fuel your body needs...and with weight work, it needs lots more protein. As a vegetarian, you're probably not getting enough protein, and your body is telling you so. Carbos are the most readily available fuel for your body, and when you're doing heavy weight work, your body will burn through carbos like a fire in dry leaves. You need more protein...and it sounds like you need a lot more of it.
 
> As a vegetarian, you're probably not getting enough protein,
>and your body is telling you so.

Though I don't agree with this statement in general, as it assumes all vegetarians don't get enough protein, I agree that you do need to be sure to include good protein sources (lentils, beans, soy, quinoa, seitan) in your diet. For example, spread some PB on that apple to make a more satisfying snack that has protein and good fats as well as carbohydrates.

You can also take your protein shake about and hour before working out. I've seen recommendations to do this so that the protein is in your system when you need it.

I like to have a smoothie in the morning (as breakfast, or as my second feeding) that contains juice or soy milk, frozen berries, a flax/glucosamine combo, and a scoop of a vegan meal replacement that is high in protein and also contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
 
Conventional deadlifts, that work the back, or stiff-legged deadlifts that work the hamstrings? Either way, it sounds like either improper form, or just a weakness you have in your back. Sometimes even when we think our form is impeccable, it really isn't. Have you had someone watch you, or watched yourself in a mirror? 25 # dumbbells are really light for either of these exercises, so I can't see the weight itself being an issue. But since you had this problem, do go ahead and lower the weight and check out your form. You can see a lot of exercises demonstrated via video clips on bodybuilding.com.

As for you meals, eating every 2 hours is not uncommon for bodybuilding. I had to switch from every 3 hours to every 2-2.5 hours to get in a 6th meal. The main thing is to make each meal a complete meal, with protein, fat, and carb. An apple by itself is not a complete meal. It needs a fat and protein to go with it. Are you vegan or lacto-ovo? Egg whites are a fantastic source of protein. 5 egg whites and 1/2 cup of oatmeal is a great meal that will fill you up a little longer. Hope this helps!
 
You've already gotten some great advice here but one other thing to metnion on those dead lifts. Did you ever experience this with a lower weight? And by how many pounds did you increase from the last weight? I would guess that either the heavier weight was too much, you increaed too much too soon or that the heavier weight effected form.
 
Lora, after doing a S&H rotation for a few weeks, I had made a jump in weight from 20 to 25 pounds in deadlifts. When I did that, I too got a pain in my back at the sacroiliac joint. It hurt for days later. For me, 25# dumbbells were too heavy. I went back to 15's for a little while, and gradually worked me way back up to the 25's. I also have to use a mirror to check my form. Even I when I think I have my back flat, shoulders back, they're not!

I've jokingly said this before... eating an apple makes me hungrier! I would eat an apple before I left work and get home famished. So, now I eat egg whites, either alone or with an apple.

I'm not one to give out diet advice, but, how much cheese are you eating? Cheese is fattening. I don't eat much meat (I just don't like it), but I find tuna and cottage cheese filling.



Susan C.M.
 
Thanks for all of the responses. Here are some comments based on all of the above comments.

I do eat cheese and dairy and I do watch my cheese consumption. At home and when ordering at restaurants that have it, I eat low-fat cheese. When eating regular cheese, I really watch my portions. I don't eat regular cheese that often though.

As far as eating beans and lentils, I have stomach problems and I can't usually digest beans...except for black beans. I don't cook (don't be surprised ....I'm just not very domesticated)...so I usually only eat black beans when I go out to eat and get veggie tacos with black beans. Also, since I don't cook (and my stove is even broken), I don't usually eat egg whites. I need access to foods that are quick and don't require a stove. Mostly, I get my protein from almonds, yogurt, peanuts, protein drinks, wheat cereals and cheese.

As far as my low back and the deadlifts -- I think I did them with 20 pounds and 15 pound dumbbells before, as well as a 40 pound barbell with no problems, so the increase was only 5 pounds. I should mention that I have low back problems intermittently. I have to modify a lot of the higher impact aerobic jumps on my rebounder because when I do them on the floor, I get horrible back pain. My back has been hurting all week (ever since the deadlifts), but then yesterday (or the day before), I may have aggravated it even more, as I ran over to the hospital (I work at a large hospital - but my building is separate). I have been trying little "spurts" of running here and there to see if I can get my low back used to the impact of running and perhaps running makes my back hurt just like high impact aerobics do.
 
OK, sounds like you definitely have low back issues to deal with. Have you tried doing "supermans" (back hyperextensions on the floor) to improve your back strength? You can work into these slowly, by just lifting your top half off the floor, leaving your legs down, until you have the strength to lift both your top half and your legs off the floor. Take them slowly, because you don't want to aggrevate your back more. You may just need time to build strength there.

If you are interested at all in egg whites, you could buy an electric griddle to cook them on, like you would pancakes; or a hot plate to boil water and make them hard boiled. Just an idea.
 
I was thinking about your question on deadlifts yesterday, when I was doing some of my own. One thing that came to mind is that you may be using perfect form on the deadlift itself (chest out, shoulders back and down, bending only from the hips and not the waist, not rounding the back, etc.), BUT the problem may be in handling the weights after the exercise. Your muscles are fatigued at that time, and bending over wrong or twisting to put down the weights could cause some problems. Be sure to bend at the knees and hips to set the weights down, keep the chest out/shoulders back and down position, with the core held strong.
 
Be very very careful with deadlifts... 4 years ago I ruptured a disk in my back doing deadlifts and had to have surgery..
 
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