I seem to have a problem with my regular deadlifts. I have quite long legs and I would say normal length arms. I am 6"2". It seems that every time I try to do heavy deads, I hurt my lower back. As hard as I try, it just ends up stiff for a few days. Not muscle sore, but painful sore.
I can do heavy straight leg deads with no problem. I think its because of my height and leg length it puts me in a weird position at the bottom of the lift. Am I losing out if I replace regular deads with SDL’s???
I also do front and Zercher squats so my quads get plenty of work from those. Any advice???
I’m 6’4" so I can relate. I don’t go heavy on conventional deads all the time due to the stress on my low back. Often I’ll do speed pulls convenionally then do heavy sumo deads. Sumo deads put much less stress on the low back.
I also perform good mornings with strict form and a full range of motion (probably similar to your straight leg deadlifts) and if I don’t feel up for putting a lot of weight on my back or in my hands, I’ll do back extensions, 45 degree hypers and/or reverse hypers.
In other words, just work around it. You won’t be missing out by not doing conventional deads all the time. Just play around with your stance, bar placement, grip, etc.
maybe use a belt? im 6’2 and the only time i had back pain was when i used horrible form and i was bed ridden for 4days or so. now i focus a lot more on form and i dont have to worry bout it. it doesnt even get tight either…
[quote]bretc wrote:
I’ll do back extensions, 45 degree hypers and/or reverse hypers.
[/quote]
What are the differences in all of these exercises. I know hyperextentions are done on a hyperextention bench where you bend down at the waist and pull yourself back up with your lower back and hams, what are 45 degree hypers and reverse hypers???
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
maybe use a belt? im 6’2 and the only time i had back pain was when i used horrible form and i was bed ridden for 4days or so. now i focus a lot more on form and i dont have to worry bout it. it doesnt even get tight either…[/quote]
Well, not really sure but I had a few other guys that were with me and even a couple other guys watch my form and they all said I kept my back straight and shouldnt have had a problem. It may be a flexibility thing with my lower back. Not sure whats going on, i just know I dont like it much. It doesnt make me bed ridden for any amount of time, its just pretty sore.
Trying Sumo style is good advice. You should try that first.
Try dropping your butt a bit at the bottom of the deadlift. A lot of people raise their hips too high and essentially straight-leg the weight off the floor.
Also, I find that mobility work combined with glute activation beforehand helps a lot.
The other thing is make sure your upper back is tight with your shoulderblades pulled back the whole time and keep the weight close your body. It sounds weird but when my upper back rounds, it beats the shit out of my lower back even if I keep my lower back straight as a board.
[quote]Leafblighter wrote:
It sounds weird but when my upper back rounds, it beats the shit out of my lower back even if I keep my lower back straight as a board.[/quote]
Hmmm, I’ll have to check into that. Maybe my upper back was rounding and since everyone was watching my lower back so much they didnt see it.
[quote]boss99er wrote:
bretc wrote:
I’ll do back extensions, 45 degree hypers and/or reverse hypers.
What are the differences in all of these exercises. I know hyperextentions are done on a hyperextention bench where you bend down at the waist and pull yourself back up with your lower back and hams, what are 45 degree hypers and reverse hypers???
[/quote]
With back extensions or hypers your legs are fixed parallel to floor and your torso is suspended. With 45 degree hypers your legs are fixed at a 45 degree angle and your torso is suspended. With reverse hypers your torso is fixed parallel to floor and your legs are suspended.
Check out elitefts.com to see pictures of the equipment.
It’s okay for the hips to be high and for the upper back to round.
[quote]bretc wrote:
It’s okay for the hips to be high and for the upper back to round. [/quote]
Upper back rounding is not acceptable for your casual lifter. It helps powerlifters move max weights, but really should not be done by most people.
For this morning I did SDL’s and was able to do 295 with no discomfort. I think I will be able to do even more next time. I didnt want to push my back too much since the pain was still “slightly” present. I can feel that these hit my hams and lower back plenty hard so maybe I will just stick with these instead of conventional deads.