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can't do dead lifts, loooking for advice

Noek

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I love dead lifts but my back just won't let me do them. I have watched multiple Youtube videos and have had several people check my form and my form is spot on, my back just ends up flaring up the next day. I have chalked it up to one of those exercises that just doesn't agree with me, which sucks because I definitely get a great pump with them and I hate not doing them.

My question is, I can use a trap bar just fine but I always feel like I am doing more of a squat with it, actually a combo between a dead lift and a squat. If I am using the trap bar, should I continue to do squats as well? I never ever feel back pain the next day after using the trap bar like I do with straight bar DLs. It seems to be the same motion. I just want to do DLs. Thanks!
 
I love dead lifts but my back just won't let me do them. I have watched multiple Youtube videos and have had several people check my form and my form is spot on, my back just ends up flaring up the next day. I have chalked it up to one of those exercises that just doesn't agree with me, which sucks because I definitely get a great pump with them and I hate not doing them.

My question is, I can use a trap bar just fine but I always feel like I am doing more of a squat with it, actually a combo between a dead lift and a squat. If I am using the trap bar, should I continue to do squats as well? I never ever feel back pain the next day after using the trap bar like I do with straight bar DLs. It seems to be the same motion. I just want to do DLs. Thanks!
Rack pulls.
 
Squats are a heavy eccentric/concentric muscle movement and deadlifts are a concentric contraction so pick an exercise that duplicates those movements as closely as you can such as leg presses.
Have you found out why your back hurts?
 
Squats are a heavy eccentric/concentric muscle movement and deadlifts are a concentric contraction so pick an exercise that duplicates those movements as closely as you can such as leg presses.
Have you found out why your back hurts?

No idea. I don't have a bad back at all, unless I do something to injure it. Then it hurts and gets better and I'm 100% again in a few days. This happens every time I dead lift. I get the effects of the lift in my other muscles but my lower back takes a hit. Not enough to take me out of the gym but enough to make me not want to keep dead lifting. Like I said I have had several people check my form and they tell me it is spot on. I ask them to see if it looks like I'm using my back and they all say no. It doesn't hurt while I'm doing the lifts, but the next day I feel it.

Is a rack pull just like an elevated dead lift starting a little higher?
 
In my experience most of the back problems people associate with deadlifts are caused when the bar begins its DESCENT, not on the actual lifting of the weight. Even the people who "watch your form" will only judge you as the bar goes up. If you have access to bumper plates try dropping the bar under control, then resetting between each rep. Fellow powerlifter friend swears this also helps him avoid dbol/anadrol back pumps while deadlifting.
 
No idea. I don't have a bad back at all, unless I do something to injure it. Then it hurts and gets better and I'm 100% again in a few days. This happens every time I dead lift. I get the effects of the lift in my other muscles but my lower back takes a hit. Not enough to take me out of the gym but enough to make me not want to keep dead lifting. Like I said I have had several people check my form and they tell me it is spot on. I ask them to see if it looks like I'm using my back and they all say no. It doesn't hurt while I'm doing the lifts, but the next day I feel it.

Is a rack pull just like an elevated dead lift starting a little higher?

Yes. Thats why I would do leg press until I had a doctor consult to rule out any problems.
 
In my experience most of the back problems people associate with deadlifts are caused when the bar begins its DESCENT, not on the actual lifting of the weight. Even the people who "watch your form" will only judge you as the bar goes up. If you have access to bumper plates try dropping the bar under control, then resetting between each rep. Fellow powerlifter friend swears this also helps him avoid dbol/anadrol back pumps while deadlifting.

Great info, thanks!
 
No idea. I don't have a bad back at all, unless I do something to injure it. Then it hurts and gets better and I'm 100% again in a few days. This happens every time I dead lift. I get the effects of the lift in my other muscles but my lower back takes a hit. Not enough to take me out of the gym but enough to make me not want to keep dead lifting. Like I said I have had several people check my form and they tell me it is spot on. I ask them to see if it looks like I'm using my back and they all say no. It doesn't hurt while I'm doing the lifts, but the next day I feel it.

You might want to look into a deadlift hex bar or try one out at your gym. Some have longer hand-holds and and considerably shorten the span of the lift taking a lot of strain off of the lower back during the initial pull.
 
Have you tried changing your style? Not meaning you have bad form. If you stand shoulder width and put your hands just outside your knees maybe try standing sumo and bring your hand width way in about 2-4 inches apart. This helps me since I'm tall. For the record it is very awkward at first but after a month my weight was back to the same as the standard style.
 
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Have you tried changing your style? Not meaning you have bad form. If you stand shoulder width and put your hands just outside your knees maybe try standing sumo and bring your hand width way in about 2-4 inches apart. This helps me since I'm tall. For the record it is very awkward at first but after a month my weight was back to the same as the standard style.

I seen guys doing this at the gym. I was thinking of trying it out just as a variation to mix things up
 
I had to stop deadlifts too. Was one of my favorite exercises, even had multiple people tell me my form was spot on. I grew up with scoliosis and bad backs run in my family. I concluded it's not worth the back pain since I do HVAC for a living. You can still get big and strong without deadlifts, to be honest, there's quite a few pro body builders that don't deadlift either. I got up to 565lb deadlift and that is a bit of weight to be putting your back under tension with. Your situation sounds identical to mine and I concluded I wasn't meant for it.
 
I had to stop deadlifts too. Was one of my favorite exercises, even had multiple people tell me my form was spot on. I grew up with scoliosis and bad backs run in my family. I concluded it's not worth the back pain since I do HVAC for a living. You can still get big and strong without deadlifts, to be honest, there's quite a few pro body builders that don't deadlift either. I got up to 565lb deadlift and that is a bit of weight to be putting your back under tension with. Your situation sounds identical to mine and I concluded I wasn't meant for it.

It's very frustrating to see people in the gym doing them and I can't.....Oh well, there are just some exercises that I guess don't work for me.

I am waiting for my gym to get a trap bar. I have tried rack pulls and I just don't seem to get anywhere near the same stretch and feeling as though I'm really working my hips and back as I do with D/Ls. On the flip side, it doesn't hurt my back either which is great. Really looking forward to the trap bar, I have used it several times and I absolutely love it and I have never experienced back pain using it.
 
Regardless I would never sub anything within my training routine to replace squats unless that is you can't squat with your back either but as long as I am able i would always squat. And maybe suggest to start working at lighter loads in which a belt can be done alway with. Squats and deadlifts improve core strength immensely over time. Losing the belt and training yourself to set your core on each squat or rack pull at lighter loads in the beginning without a belt could prove to be very effective.
 
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