One of the problems that often occurs in deadlift is that the low back pain after deadlift. In the back muscles we have different layers of muscle tissue, one superficial and one deeper. Superficial muscles cover larger anatomical areas while deep muscles move from one point to another closer, covering less area.
Both layers have two functions: to provide stability and to provide mobility. Superficial muscles will have a work ratio of 80% mobility and 20% stability, while these ratios are reflected in deep muscles: 80% stability and 20% movement.
Gyms tend to work the largest muscles, which are responsible for moving the large anatomical muscles, with heavier weights. This logic leaves the deep muscles that settle unattended and this is where the problem occurs, notes physiotherapist Kyrillos. “If we only train the mobilized muscles and neglect the stabilizers, movement without control, joint and/or muscle pain can occur due to not knowing how to properly manage the distribution of muscle roles.”
Is lower back pain after deadlift normal?
For starters, it is very normal to feel lower back pain, which is not different from forearm pain, because the spina erectus muscle is relatively small, so it is more sensitive, and a little stimulation causes pain. But for veterans, or those who’ve trained for three or four months, if your lower back hurts after every deadlift, it means you’re not doing the deadlift properly
Low back pain after deadlift is not normal.
In essence, the deadlift is a leg press-up movement, which means it uses your big motors: your glutes, hamstrings, and core.
Many of us do not have enough spinal muscle activation or enough core strength to maintain a neutral lumbar spine. This is partly due to lifestyle factors, such as prolonged sitting all day, impaired functional mobility, or a combination of both.
From the way you pick up your kids to the mechanics of lifting grocery bags, these movement patterns should match the technique and technique you use for your deadlift.
The solution
The ideal solution would be to work out both large and small muscle groups with controlled training and body awareness at the time of execution. With a strong lower back, you’ll have more control over your exercise and avoid injuries and pain.
But, more often than not, people tend to use external items such as belts or braces, which may or may not come in handy depending on when they are used. “These accessories are external fixed fasteners that we do not control, so they provide stability while they are in operation, which causes our anatomical elements responsible for the said function to not work,” Kyrillos explains. Thus, when the belt is removed, the lack of this element will be observed and more mobility and less control over the area will appear in the long run.
These items can come in handy when training with high weights and you want to provide more stability that gives us confidence to perform the exercise without any problem. But it should serve only for that and “we should not get used to using it at any time or in any exercise”.
Suddenly after the deadlift, your back starts to hurt or tighten up. Sometimes it can come to real low back pain after deadlift. Maybe your back hurts every time you arch your back .
Cause 1: You don’t push your butt through at the top, you overextend your back. The back takes over the tasks of the bottom and protests desperately.
Here’s what you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again:
- Keep your stomach tense: imagine someone trying to punch you in the stomach.
- Push your bottom forward (but be careful: don’t overstretch!)
Cause 2: You have large discs on the barbell and therefore the distance to the floor is too small. Especially with women, the weight is still low at the beginning and they go down too far with the barbell. For some, this leads to horrible low back pain after deadlift.
Don’t know how to lift weight correctly?
I’m not just talking about it while lifting, but just watching yourself move in the gym, carry weights or pick up the empty bar. The way you take things should be the same when lifting 35 pounds as when lifting 135 pounds if you want to avoid low back pain after deadlift.
How do I properly perform deadlifts?
Standing:
- At the beginning of the exercise, stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- The feet are firmly on the floor and the toes point slightly outwards.
The grip:
- Grip the barbell about shoulder-width apart.
- Make sure your thumbs are firmly wrapped around the dumbbell so you can grip it securely and the dumbbell doesn’t slip out of your hands.
The start:
- The barbell is at midfoot level in front of your shins.
- Bend your knees, pushing your shins over the barbell.
- Your upper body bends forward and your hips bend backwards.
- Hold the dumbbell firmly and keep your back straight.
- The head should be in line with your spine – not rounded!
- You ensure this by appropriate core tension.
- Push your chest out just before the movement.
Breathing:
- Once you are in the correct position, take a deep breath.
- Hold your breath for a moment and tighten your abs.
- This will ensure a strong chest and a straight back.
- Breathing creates tension.
- Only after you have performed the exercise do you breathe out again while standing.
- As soon as you lower the weight in a controlled manner, breathe in again.
The movement:
- Be sure to carry out the upward movement in a controlled manner. Just don’t work jerkily or even gain momentum!
- You straighten your upper and lower body at the same time, hips and shoulders change their position in parallel.
- At the end of the upward movement, push your hips forward and exhale.
- You perform the downward movement in the same way as the upward movement, just the other way around.
- Release the weight slowly and in a controlled manner.
- Push your hips back, tighten your chest and core.
- Shoulder and hip move parallel again.
- Do not bend your legs until the barbell is level with your knees.
- The movement is complete when the weight is back in front of you, midfoot in front of your shins.
Here are some simple ideas you can start adding to your routine to combat low back pain after deadlift:
3 Exercises to fight low back pain after deadlift
1. Bird Dogs
Everyone talks about core strength, but what does it even mean?!
Your trunk is made up of deep and superficial muscles. Superficial muscles such as the rectus abdominis (more commonly: the 6-pack muscles) do nothing for lumbar stabilization. Meaning: not all show go in this department. Your lower abdominals, or your transverse abdominis, are the main muscles that work to stabilize your spine.
Your lower back and the segments of the spine that make it up don’t like excessive movement – that’s what causes low back pain after deadlift. Losing your neutral spine as you lift off the ground creates excessive movement in your lower back. So how do you train this muscle?
It ‘s not with sit-ups or planks. Instead, slow, controlled movement of your upper and lower limbs through space, while maintaining a neutral spine, creates significant changes in spinal stabilization. Bird dogs are a great way to train this activation pattern. Perform this exercise before deadlifts to “warm up” your lower core.
Start in a quadruped position. Work through the two extreme ranges of extreme spinal flexion and extreme spinal extension (also called cat/cow) to find your neutral spinal position halfway between these final ranges. Then hold this position while bringing your opposite arm to full flexion and the opposite leg to full extension.
Hold this position for 5 seconds (emphasizing these holds for stabilization) and return to neutral without breaking your midline. Repeat for 2 sets of 10 reps on each side. This should prepare your midline for a neutral spine position throughout your lifts.
As it gets easier, you can add a weight in your hand or an unstable surface to increase the challenge.
2. Buttock bridge
You need your butt muscles during the deadlift, they are the primary movers in this exercise. No wonder deadlifts are becoming more and more popular among female athletes. The gluteus maximus is a huge muscle that can move a ton of weight if you can activate it properly. A quick way to fire up your glutes before lifting weights is to perform the gluteal bridge exercise. Instead of using both legs, try the single-leg technique to reduce compensating patterns.
Do 3 x 8 reps per leg, adding weight to your hips, if possible. Try to focus on that feeling in the center of your buttocks rather than your hamstrings or the back of your leg. Don’t add weight until you feel a strong energizing pattern.
3. Romanian One-Leg Deadlift
There is no warm-up exercise that compares to the ability of the single-leg RDL to “wake up” the back muscles. Unlike the squat, this exercise requires the ability to rotate the hips or move around the hips (a necessary component of the deadlift).
There are different ways to exercise:
First, you can start in a tandem position with your front foot and back foot in a crutch behind you for balance. Leaning forward with a neutral spine, load your glutes and hamstrings until you reach the final range (which means you can’t bend forward any longer without losing your neutral spine).
If it’s easy, let your back foot come off the ground as you roll on your hips. Your back knee should be completely closed and your toes should remain pointing toward the floor. Root your big toe and the little toe of your foot planted in the ground to create a “tripod foot” to help keep you stable.
The ability to keep your balance and move on your hip on one leg with a neutral spine translates to ten times your deadlift technique. When you feel more comfortable with this movement, you can start adding weight to the opposite side – the side opposite your planted foot.
