Better / safer for back: Deadlifts, or Bentover Rows?

[Capnwilliam]

And why?

Jim

[Joe Go]

They are both different exercises attacking different muscles.

The deadlift will go after your lower back (Christmas tree area when you lean out), hamstrings, and glutes. Since it is a compound movement other muscles will join in, but the main groups it's after is what I listed in the first sentence.

The bentover row's main group is the muscle that runs down the middle of your back. Just like the deadlift, other groups will join in since it's a compound movement.

These are both pretty tough exercises and the weaker secondary muscle might fail before your able to feel the weight on the main muscle group. If that happens come back to these exercises after you get the failing muscle group up to par. Otherwise, you risk injury due to poor form because of the failing secondary muscle group.

Good Luck!

[PeteB]

Not sure if it is fair to compare a standard DL and a row... maybe SLDLs/Romanian DL and a row have more in common.

I would say that the lower you have to go w. the bar, the more likely you are to involve the lower back, and therefore the risk increases (if you do not have perfect form).

If you have good form, DLs and rows are likely to make your back stronger, and less prone to injury. My back seems to get less sore from other activity during cycles when I incorporate DLs as part of my workouts.

[boathead]

deadlifts and rows have little in common. sldl's and rows have nothing in common.

apples and oranges all over the place.

[asmolenski]

Two different exercises with different muscle groups as already pointed out. Bentovers also hit the posterior delts and the deads also hit the traps. I do both of them in my back routine and as long as you use good form and dont try to lift more than you can handle then they are safe. Both also strengthen the spinae erector muscles which keep your spine straight and if they are strong they will help prevent future back injuries.

[Guff]

Do both

[NuclearArms]

Missing the point on most of these answers.

Here's my opinion from experience.

1. Deadlifts are safer on your back than rows. Specifically, lower back safety.
2. Reason - Deadlift is a fluid motion, rowing is static with your lower back as the fulcrum.
3. Bad move on rows and its an injury. Deads, first sign of pain you should let go, and will hopefullly avoid injury.

[gbg]

Missing the point on most of these answers.

Here's my opinion from experience.

1. Deadlifts are safer on your back than rows. Specifically, lower back safety.
2. Reason - Deadlift is a fluid motion, rowing is static with your lower back as the fulcrum.
3. Bad move on rows and its an injury. Deads, first sign of pain you should let go, and will hopefullly avoid injury.

I agree with NuclearArms in that rows are not the safer of the 2 for the reasons he mentioned. The better exercise? I do them both,one hits more muscle groups deads incorporate legs as well as back and IMO is more of an overall strengthening exercise as it increases your heart rate as well. Deads are in a league of their own.

[Guff]

Sorry, I guess I should have been a bit more detailed with my answer.

I agree they are totally different, but IMO you should do both. If you find one to be more "dangerous" for some reason (I also agree with the above posts about rows being the riskier) then I would suggest continuing to do them with a lower weight. I feel it's important to do both.

[Cgb6810]

Deads work your entire back not just your lower. BO rows are targeting lats, traps, rhomboids. If done properly they wont hurt your lower back.

I cannot do deads from the floor without hurting my lower back. I think its from a short torso and long legs (short arms?) but I cannot start a deadlift from the ground without rounding my back.

Rack dead lifts are a good alternative for the bodybuilder. It takes the lower back and legs pretty much out of the lift. I can rack dead 700lbs started at just below the knees. With that much weight my lats are aching when Im done. I can feel it all the way to my toes. But I could never pull that weight from the floor. This excersize takes much of the emphasis off the legs and lower back and targets the areas Im working.

[Capnwilliam]

Sounds as though the winning formula is: do both, use excellent form, and don't get carried away with more poundage than you can safely handle.

SLDL = straight-legged deadlift?

Jim

[FitIron]

Deads work your entire back not just your lower. BO rows are targeting lats, traps, rhomboids. If done properly they wont hurt your lower back.

I cannot do deads from the floor without hurting my lower back. I think its from a short torso and long legs (short arms?) but I cannot start a deadlift from the ground without rounding my back.

Rack dead lifts are a good alternative for the bodybuilder. It takes the lower back and legs pretty much out of the lift. I can rack dead 700lbs started at just below the knees. With that much weight my lats are aching when Im done. I can feel it all the way to my toes. But I could never pull that weight from the floor. This excersize takes much of the emphasis off the legs and lower back and targets the areas Im working.

Additionally BO rolls can be performed with either an under or overhanded grip. Each working a slightly different set of muscles groups.

Poor form, and/or too much weight with either movement can result in injury.

[TDetroit]

I would say the unsafe thing to do is advance one to a new max without advancing the other.

Another unsafe thing is to lift either heavy without a program to hit a new max. I work other excercises to hit the back muscles, then after 3 months, I start a 3 month program to build to a new max test. I start well below my max and do low weight high reps. then every week increase the weight and decrease the reps. finally test for new max and then go back to other excercises. this way I am not constantly pushing the max and instead building the muscles to obtain the new max. 9 months ago, my max dead was 205, now it's in the 310-315 reange.

and use the calculator for max, if you are in the over 35, you are too old to actually put your max on a bar. lift the weight that you can only do 3-5 times, then input in the calculator and be satisfied that it is close to correct in gaging your max. this doesn't have to be rocket science!