Fix Lower Back Pain During Deadlifts With These 3 Tricks
Lower back pain during the deadlift is common and a lot of people just ignore the pain and push through.
If that’s you stop.
Trust me, the deadlift is not worth you messing your low back up especially if you want to live a healthy active life.
With that being said I think the deadlift is a GREAT exercise for overall strength but it needs to be done right (especially if the deadlift is causing your back pain)
In today’s video, I am going to break down why you’re getting lower back pain during the deadlift and 3 simple changes you can make to your form to help reduce the risk of sensitivity.
Is It Normal To Have Lower Back Pain After Deadlifts?
Experiencing discomfort and a few aches and pains when it comes to exercising should be expected. These things do not necessarily mean there’s any damage.
What you want to look for is a consistent increase in pain or a level of pain that isn’t going away.
These are signs that something could be wrong.
If you have pain after deadlifting that takes a while to go away and normally always happens after deadlifting then this is NOT to be looked at as normal and would suggest diving into a few things before you really start pushing the weight with this exercise.
In some cases when doing heavier sets or higher volume it’s normal to have some discomfort but again you have to keep tabs on whether it’s just soreness from pushing it with this exercise or a breakdown of your form and technique that could be causing pain.
Looking for a deadlift alternative?
Here is a great deadlift variation that is great for sensitive low-backs.
Is Deadlifting Bad For Your Back?
Deadlifts are not BAD for your lower back. Your body is designed to hip hinge and lift loads in this position.
Your spine is safe (assuming form is good) and compression on the spine is perfectly normal and safe within normal situations.
Now there are situations where deadlifts (in my opinion) become bad for your lower back.
If you are constantly in pain after doing them but refuse to give up these exercises then yes, deadlifts are bad for YOUR back.
If you lift more with your ego than your brain and refuse to address the constant back pain you have with exercise then yes deadlifts are bad for YOUR back.
Can you see the pattern here?
There really isn’t one exercise that is bad for your body but when applying a specific exercise to different people you will get different responses and with those responses, you need to determine whether or not that exercise should continue to be used if long-term health and happiness are at a risk.
Saying deadlifts are bad for your back because your back hurts when doing them is like saying bicep curls are bad for your elbows if your elbows hurt…you need more context to make that claim.
How Do I Stop My Lower Back From Hurting During Deadlifts?
The most important thing you do is have someone who knows what they are looking for give your form a solid critique.
In my opinion, there are two different ways to break down and correct the deadlift.
Internal Factors and External Factors:
Some external factors are:
- Correcting bar path,
- Body position over the bar
- Foot placement and/or deadlift style
Internal Factors are things that you may not be able to see in the mirror but are normally coached through cueing.
These would consist of:
- Ensuring the lats are engaged and your focus is on bending the bar around your shins
- Deep breath and anterior ab brace that includes the entire trunk before lifting..not just going into overextension to “tighten” the lower back.
- Mindset around the internal narrative of the lift. If the deadlift scares the crap out of you that is a big deal and can/will affect your experience doing them.
