my worst fear....deadlift-lower back

ok so...i never do deadlifts normally, but after reading a bit, they seem so vital to any bulk up routine so i thought id start. (i never do them b/c my lower back is injury prone) but i started out and on my 4th set i felt a REALLY sharp pull (almost like my spine was separating) . so i was wondering if you guys knew the fastest and most effective way to heal this??

this will def. keep me from my squats along with a variety of other lifts so im fu**ing pissed. i cant stand this....

18yrs old
senior h.s.

bench: 445lb
squat: 630
clean: 275 :(
deadlift: ? idk never really do them


bodyweight: 185lbs
2/9/06 bdywt: 196lbs
3/1/06 *NEW* bodywt: 211lbs!!!!!
fat%: 9.3 approx.
ht: 6"1

If it doesn't go away after a couple of weeks of rest, ice and heat- See a doc. a professional opinion in most cases is the best way to go. Once you get clear of this problem, make sure you stay light with the deadlifts- Real light- and listen to your body. Once you get the form down so it's second nature, you can add weight in small increments until you're up to speed. I know it's frustrating, especially with some impressive numbers like you've got with other lifts, but take it slow. Once you're up to speed with the deads, you should be a lot less prone to injury- Provided you continue to lift, eat and rest smart.

thanks cpl. lol ya i figured what the hell, everyone else can deadlift SO much...why cant i? i dont think i was bending my knees enough.....very painful when it happened. 

18yrs old
senior h.s.

bench: 445lb
squat: 630
clean: 275 :(
deadlift: ? idk never really do them


bodyweight: 185lbs
2/9/06 bdywt: 196lbs
3/1/06 *NEW* bodywt: 211lbs!!!!!
fat%: 9.3 approx.
ht: 6"1

Make damn sure you keep your lower back arched- If you leave it rounded, you're REALLY asking for trouble, at least in my personal experience anyway. While I was learning form, I tweaked my back pretty bad once- Thank God I got over it, and now I feel confident enough in my back AND my lifting form that I'm not in the least bit scared to lift anything- Of course, even when it's heavy boxes, furniture, whatever- I always make sure I can lift it just like a deadlift. It really sorta burns me when someone asks me to move something at work that weighs a ton AND can't be lifted with anything resembling a safe form- I just refuse, they make a comment about me being the weightlifter around here, I got all those muscles- I just tell them I got the muscles by lifting smart and not f'ing myself up along the way.

ORIGINAL: cpl
 I just refuse, they make a comment about me being the weightlifter around here, I got all those muscles- I just tell them I got the muscles by lifting smart and not f'ing myself up along the way.

 
That's brilliant, everyone is always saying that to me and I can never think of what to say back!
 
It's very true, you have to lift smart otherwise you wont be lifting at all...

ORIGINAL: Kang114

ok so...i never do deadlifts normally, but after reading a bit, they seem so vital to any bulk up routine so i thought id start. (i never do them b/c my lower back is injury prone) but i started out and on my 4th set i felt a REALLY sharp pull (almost like my spine was separating) . so i was wondering if you guys knew the fastest and most effective way to heal this??

this will def. keep me from my squats along with a variety of other lifts so im fu**ing pissed. i cant stand this....

 
Have you tried doing lower back exercises with and without weights to strengthan your lower back? When I say with weights I mean really light weights...You don't need much

no not really. i mean i know i should and have to, but i always neglect it so. i guess i shoulda started out with a lighter exercise than deadlift to get my lower back going...

18yrs old
senior h.s.

bench: 445lb
squat: 630
clean: 275 :(
deadlift: ? idk never really do them


bodyweight: 185lbs
2/9/06 bdywt: 196lbs
3/1/06 *NEW* bodywt: 211lbs!!!!!
fat%: 9.3 approx.
ht: 6"1

It's fine to start out with deadlifts- But like I said earlier, start out nice and light. A light dead won't put anywhere near the strain on your back as some of your other lifts already do- Squats, for example. Or stiff leg deadlifts. As I said before, it's just a new exercise your body has to get used to- You already have the muscle, you just have to learn how to use it.

I recently sustained a mild lower back injury after squatting. The pain feels as if it's in my tailbone or at the top of my buttcrack. After getting some advice on rehabilitation exercises I'm doing reverse hyperextensions and light good mornings while ensuring that my hammies and back are properly stretched out. This should help strengthen my extensor muscles and make the back less injury prone. It might be worth trying after an initial rest period. I'll let you know if it does the trick. In the meantime I am doing one-legged squats since they don't require as much weight so there is less stress on the back. I find that they are stressing my legs in a whole new way since I have to use stabilizer muscles to a much greater extent than traditional squats. Hopefully I'll come back to traditional squats and deadlifts stronger than ever. Keep working and find a way around the injury.

ORIGINAL: cpl

Make damn sure you keep your lower back arched- If you leave it rounded, you're REALLY asking for trouble, at least in my personal experience anyway. While I was learning form, I tweaked my back pretty bad once- Thank God I got over it, and now I feel confident enough in my back AND my lifting form that I'm not in the least bit scared to lift anything- Of course, even when it's heavy boxes, furniture, whatever- I always make sure I can lift it just like a deadlift. It really sorta burns me when someone asks me to move something at work that weighs a ton AND can't be lifted with anything resembling a safe form- I just refuse, they make a comment about me being the weightlifter around here, I got all those muscles- I just tell them I got the muscles by lifting smart and not f'ing myself up along the way.

you say to make sure you arch your lower back...do you mean arch it toward teh floor, so your butt sticks out, or so that it is acrched toward the ceiling?  My back, arches toward the ceiling, and i think this is wrong, which is why im asking.

I thought you were supposed to be in more of a neutral position, not arched either way, more flat....

ORIGINAL: Kang114

ok so...i never do deadlifts normally, but after reading a bit, they seem so vital to any bulk up routine so i thought id start. (i never do them b/c my lower back is injury prone) but i started out and on my 4th set i felt a REALLY sharp pull (almost like my spine was separating) . so i was wondering if you guys knew the fastest and most effective way to heal this??

this will def. keep me from my squats along with a variety of other lifts so im fu**ing pissed. i cant stand this....

Kang114:

Since you've mentioned you just started out, 2 reasons why you feel you've injured your back.

1) form

2) weights to heavy

When starting out on new exercise you should start off light and have someone who knows there stuff guide you for next 3 months. To even have close perfect or perfect perform takes time and dedication. Not everything in life comes right away.

ORIGINAL: stalker23

ORIGINAL: cpl

Make damn sure you keep your lower back arched- If you leave it rounded, you're REALLY asking for trouble, at least in my personal experience anyway. While I was learning form, I tweaked my back pretty bad once- Thank God I got over it, and now I feel confident enough in my back AND my lifting form that I'm not in the least bit scared to lift anything- Of course, even when it's heavy boxes, furniture, whatever- I always make sure I can lift it just like a deadlift. It really sorta burns me when someone asks me to move something at work that weighs a ton AND can't be lifted with anything resembling a safe form- I just refuse, they make a comment about me being the weightlifter around here, I got all those muscles- I just tell them I got the muscles by lifting smart and not f'ing myself up along the way.

you say to make sure you arch your lower back...do you mean arch it toward teh floor, so your butt sticks out, or so that it is acrched toward the ceiling?  My back, arches toward the ceiling, and i think this is wrong, which is why im asking.

I thought you were supposed to be in more of a neutral position, not arched either way, more flat....

What cpl meant towards arching your back, you wanna do this because when lifting demanding weight it will prevent your back from going more then neutral position. same for ecentric movement(downward) trying to keep your back arch with prevent your back from going any more then neutral

Arch it, meaning so your butt sticks out a bit- Your best bet is to have someone knowledgable check your form. There are some vids around too- Check out the exercises forum, there should be a post near the top or in the "best of" section about how to perform different exercises- Plenty of videos and pics in there of the proper form for all sorts of exercises.

one question hopeing someone could answer for me. during deadlift, on the way down the bar always grazes my knees. not so bothered about the constant bruising that occurs as a result, but it makes me think my form must be incorrect. im wondering if im bending my knees before flexing the hips and that means the bar isnt past the kneecaps by the time they stick out. then again i find that if i flex my hips before bending the knees my back will start to round, which is a definate no go area because i already suffer from mild back pain. can anyone help?

lower the weight of your deadlifts, "google" deadlift form or even "youtube" it...practice. done.