New to Deadlifts...Advice

[Savage Tenacity]

Alright guys, yea I've been lifting for the last 5 years now. And yes, I have neglected one of the most (if not the most) respected lifts out there. I got by with bench, squat, power clean, overhead press, and rows for my mass building exercises. After the urging of a few respected members here, I have thrown deadlifts into my workout on back and bi's day. I know form is very important, and I just was looking for some advice. Yesterday was my third time doing the exercise over the last 3 weeks, and I decided I would push myself to my one rep max, just to see where I'm at. Not the smartest idea, but that's just how I am.

My routine looked as follows....

135 x 12

185 x 12

225 x 10

275 x 10

315 x 1

335 x 1

365 x 1

I chose to stop here because i began to feel a stiffness in my lower back region. I may have been able to lift more, but probably not a whole lot. I figured I got plenty of time to go up. Today I have a stiffness in my lower back thats not killing me, but it is noticeable. I was wondering if this is normal? chest is sore after benching, glutes hammies and quads after squats, so is lower back pain normal after deads? i also feel it in my upper back, my shoulder blades, my traps, and glutes.

I'm 22, still all natty, currently cutting, so my weights are dropping a bit. down from 202 in winter to about 192 now. about 12-14% body fat. Any advice?

 

[MadMike103012]

long as your form is good you should be good to go. I always have some stiffness in my lower back after deadlifts. they are some good videos on youtube of correct posture if you think you are doing it wrong. everyone does it different. main thing is to keep your back straight.

 

[Savage Tenacity]

thanks for the advice. i wasnt sure of my form because I like to do my heavy lifts away from people...that also puts me away from the mirrors in my gym to see if i'm keeping my back straight. i wanted to make sure the lower back stiffness was normal

 

[R9]

There's no way to self-check your form in a mirror. Video from the side as you go up in weight and watch out for lumbar rounding at least. Post the videos for form-checks. Deadlifting seems so simple, but there's a lot of subtlety to doing it safely.

 

[halfwit]

Two things:

1) If you don't have one, get a belt. I don't care how good one's form is, when you start to get tired, you're going to be arching your back - which is a recipe for disaster. The key is to learn not to rely on it though.

2) Your back is stiff and really sore because of the sheer volume of deadlifts you did. You started off really light and did another three sets with pretty generous bumps in weight. You then proceeded to try to find your 1RM by adding 100lbs to your last "working set" weight. Your back is mad at you for this. If you want to find your 1RM, don't go through a full workout and THEN start doing heavier weights. Start off with a mid-range weight for warmups and then you can play. Just be safe about it please; you'll learn that the back is not very forgiving if you push it too hard too quickly. If you're a taller fella, try a wider "sumo" stance. That will help take some of the pressure off your spine as well.

My .02c

 

[Timetomoveup]

Do not use straps until you can get past the 500 lb mark or further. Wait until you have no other option but to use straps.