I had never done deadlifts until this previous friday. My back became very tight so that if i bent over at the waist my lower back hurt. I have been stretching it consistantly to help this. Today is the first day that it dosn’t hurt to bend at the waist although i can still feel some tightness in my back. Should I do leg day as planned tomorrow? Included are squats and deads so I’m a little weary of my back knotting up again. what do you guess think?
if youre body feels up to it tomorrow, why not. I find warming up first and really stretching my lower back with several different stretches helps keep me from locking up like that.
OK, you’ve never done deadlifts before, and the first time you try, you hurt your back.
- You used too much weight.
- You have postural mechanics/imbalances to address. Address them before you attempt to deadlift again.
Best case, you sprained a muscle. This generally wouldn’t happen unless you were trying to lift more than you were capable of lifting.
I would not recommend stretching your lower back. The spine needs stability; too much flexibility is associated with a higher rate of injury.
You probably need to stretch your hamstrings and hip flexors. Hamstrings probably need strengthening, too.
Then patiently learn the deadlift movement. Start with very, very, very light weight, maybe just bodyweight, and make sure your form is perfect. Try the Waterbury 100 Reps to Bigger Muscles protocol; specifically, do 10 reps 10X per day for awhile. This protocol is great for motor learning.
It could’ve been me posting what you posted. I’m trying to follow the advice I’ve written here.
don’t forget the reverse hyper.
very good rehab tool.
not only does it assist in tractioning the spine, it helps build strength in the posterior chain.