Deadlifting with Lower Back Problems

I hurt my lower back a few times in my early years of weight training. The strange thing was I never hurt it doing heavy weight; rather it was usually strained due to me being lazy on one of my reps (even if it was only for a split second which all it takes it one wrong move) or not using proper form. But the few times I hurt it, I struggled just to get out of bed for several days thereafter and it was one of the most painful experiences. For that reason, I had always shied away from doing deadlifts as many who have lower back problems do in fear that deadlifts may cause even more damage to my lower back.

Anyone who does any type of powerlifting, strength training, or whose goal is to achieve thick dense muscle mass realizes the importance of performing deadlifts. It's indisputable that this compound exercise will build slabs of muscle and will also enhance overall mass and strength. The benefits make it difficult to ignore the deadlift altogether. And some who are prone to back issues are even willing to risk injury for this, thus making them a part of their routine anyway. The good news is this isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but there’s a method to it in order to prevent injury.

For starters, proper form is a must with deadlifts. You must keep your entire body tight throughout the lift and maintain 100% focus and concentration on what you’re doing. You also need to be mentally prepared and well rested. Now go back and reread the beginning of this paragraph as these are imperative concepts to doing deadlifts whether you have lower back pain or not. This is a given for everyone, again, even for those who do not suffer from lower back problems (do deads with bad form, and trust me you’ll develop lower back problems quickly). For those who have trouble in this area, the key is moderate weight with moderate intensity. Now I know some of you may be thinking that if you have lower back issues you should forget about doing deadlifts, period (and this may be true for extreme cases). The problem with that is if you don't do something to strengthen your lower back you're not going to improve your condition. So here's the remedy, and this is a weight training concept I rarely recommend in the gym as I'm a firm believer in lifting heavy weights and training until muscle failure with all-out intensity. However, this is one exception to the rule. With having a history of lower back pain, I’ve learned that going super heavy with extreme intensity on deads kills my lower back and I’m walking funny for several days afterwards (of course some say I walk funny anyway).

The way around this is to use a weight that you can normally perform eight to ten reps with, and do three sets of five reps with it. Keep in mind that you’re not going super light here; you’re still pulling a decent amount of weight, enough to stimulate the muscle. Using a lower rep range and not training until failure will keep your lower back from reaching it's most vulnerable point (when you're fatigued) and will also prevent you from losing your form within the set. Don't lose heart on this as I know you hardcore weight lifters (which is probably everyone whose taking the time to read this) are avid fans of heavy weights and extreme training intensity; this doesn't mean that you can't progressively go up in weight each week or so. You’ll still get the benefits of building thick muscle mass and will achieve overall strength gains from deadlifts but without the lower back pain or injury. With all this being said you may want to make deadlifts your second exercise on back day as opposed to your first. This will ensure you're warmed up thoroughly; another important preventative measure.