Will deadlifts really snap your back?

[nigeltheoutlaw]

I've been seeing stuff about guys messing up their vertebrae while lifting, sometimes seriously enough to warrant surgery, and it's almost always from deadlifts. Are deadlifts a bad idea to include in a routine, or are they only dangerous at higher weights? I've seen really mixed answers so I am a little confused.

I personally do RDLs because I like the greater hamstring activation, but I was thinking about adding in deads once a week. I won't if it'll just snap my **** up.

[k9pit]

It can happen at any weight if you do them wrong or have some pre-existing condition.

[rarog]

I like RDLs too, partly because I'm new and do full body workouts, don't want to deadlift and squat the same day. If you're going to DL, just use proper form and don't go too heavy (so as not to compromise your form).

[dmacdonal9]

I popped two discs deadlifting. Deadlifts weren't the issue though, my own ego/stupidity was. That can be true of any exercise.

[bum11]

I popped two discs deadlifting. Deadlifts weren't the issue though, my own ego/stupidity was. That can be true of any exercise.

with almost everyone i talk to they say this is the reason for almost all injuries they have had

[mtownballer20]

Form/being stupid causes injuries, not the movement.

[dougy08]

Form/being stupid causes injuries, not the movement.

cliche, but a carpenter never blames his tools.

[dski79]

you do ANYTHING without proper form your gonna get injured eventually! Deadlifts get a bad rep because you can lift more than any other excersise excluding the squat IF your past the novice and intermediate stage!!

I've been seeing stuff about guys messing up their vertebrae while lifting, sometimes seriously enough to warrant surgery, and it's almost always from deadlifts. Are deadlifts a bad idea to include in a routine, or are they only dangerous at higher weights? I've seen really mixed answers so I am a little confused.

I personally do RDLs because I like the greater hamstring activation, but I was thinking about adding in deads once a week. I won't if it'll just snap my **** up.

[DCSpartan]

Ive actually hurt my back worse incline DB pressing more than I ever have deadlifting

[magician27]

i hurt my back doing light set of squats, you never know when it is coming . there is risk with every exercise . focusing and keeping core tight is really important to reduce the pressure on your spine. if you just focus on moving the weight , it will start pounding your spine and it will give out one day. but you know almost every successful bodybuilder at least having one surgery in his life thats like badge of honor

[jma141]

About three weeks ago I started doing dead lifts and bent over rows with very light weights, like under 65lbs. STILL hurt myself very badly, I have a rounded middle back to begin with (Rhomboids/Traps/Lats all hurt!) and I was crawling out of bed with extreme pain every day. Ice/Heat/Painkillers did nothing for me. X-ray showed nothing. Started doing some Y and T stretches laying on my stomach and I have been pain free the last 2-3 days. The muscle groups in my mid/upper back were just that weak.

My opinion, start with small movement stretches like this, as well as some for the shoulders, as it will quickly get you ready for deadlifting. Try these exercises and see if your arms shake after doing so. This will show you if you have weakness in these areas. Slowly build up strength in each muscle group and you should not have any concerns with the heavy lifts, given you have proper form. Just my opinion, don't rush things.

[YoJared]

You can't snap your back in the traditional sense... only break a few vertebrae... which I guess is arguably worse.

[pyrolee]

Any exercise can hurt you if you don't do it right. Most people have tight hips and generally poor biomechanics...very difficult to do a deadlift (or any movement) appropriately.

[fraudbuster]

proper form, don't go too heavy at firt

[adamdavidson47]

Ive actually hurt my back worse incline DB pressing more than I ever have deadlifting

I hurt my back using the hack squat sled. No f'ing idea how, but I was in pain for about a week.

[skk5076]

Its mostly ego lifting, start deadlifting with light weight and proper form in will save you from major injuries (but that doesnt mean you still cant get injured)

[Tommy W.]

When done properly and with the correct amount of weight, DL can actually make your spinal area stronger as it builds the muscles that protect the spine. You need to go light and perfect your form. Once the form is spot on, then add a small amount weight and continue to do so over time.

[MrGreenTea]

I think the problem with deads is that a person can lift much more than they should. Even if the weight is too much for your body and too much to keep strict form, the exercise lends itself to being able to get the weight up regardless. So guys see other people on the internet bragging about dead lifting 3-5 plates and they try to do the same, then injuries happen.

[melDorado]

Well heres the other side of the coin.. I was always scared of deadlifts thinking I would do it wrong. Like you I did a lot of RDLs. After about 8 months of lifting I sort of felt like I couldn't resist trying. It was so easy and I was adding weight to the bar every week for a cpl months and have never had a sore back ever from them (only sore hams) and now they are my best lift and i really love to do them. I would say go for it but not start too heavy. Maybe at like 120% of your RDL and take it from there?

[jgreystoke]

No.

They will injury-proof your back.......

......if you do them right.

Lots of guys leave their low back and whole posterior chain weak because they are afraid of:

Deadlifts/Stiff leg deadlifts/Goodmornings/Power Cleans/Power Snatches......

They are then more likely to injure themselves overhead pressing, moving anything heavy in the garden or workshop, or even doing heavy curls!

The mistake most people here make on deadlifts: they think they must train like a Powerlifter. For most of us who are never going to step on a lifting platform:

Three plates(315lbs) x 20 decent reps, every rep pulled from a dead stop on the floor, will do more for injury proofing their back than:

Five plates(495lbs) x 1 for a ragged all-out effort.

In other words, no matter which deadlift you do from the floor, get strong for reps. That will work wonders for your development as well(they go together).

Forget touch and go reps, or bouncing the weight off the floor to get the next rep.........unless you want to injure yourself due to bad form.

Forget training to real failure. If the next rep ain't going up in decent form, terminate the set.

Err on the side of building up your high rep strength instead of building up your single.

Having a much stronger low back and posterior chain will enable you to have a much safer and stronger squat, row, overhead press, push press etc etc. It will even make your heavy curls much safer and more productive.

Lift well and prosper.

[adamdavidson47]

No.

They will injury-proof your back.......

......if you do them right.

Lots of guys leave their low back and whole posterior chain weak because they are afraid of:

Deadlifts/Stiff leg deadlifts/Goodmornings/Power Cleans/Power Snatches......

They are then more likely to injure themselves overhead pressing, moving anything heavy in the garden or workshop, or even doing heavy curls!

The mistake most people here make on deadlifts: they think they must train like a Powerlifter. For most of us who are never going to step on a lifting platform:

Three plates(315lbs) x 20 decent reps, every rep pulled from a dead stop on the floor, will do more for injury proofing their back than:

Five plates(495lbs) x 1 for a ragged all-out effort.

In other words, no matter which deadlift you do from the floor, get strong for reps. That will work wonders for your development as well(they go together).

Forget touch and go reps, or bouncing the weight off the floor to get the next rep.........unless you want to injure yourself due to bad form.

Forget training to real failure. If the next rep ain't going up in decent form, terminate the set.

Err on the side of building up your high rep strength instead of building up your single.

Having a much stronger low back and posterior chain will enable you to have a much safer and stronger squat, row, overhead press, push press etc etc. It will even make your heavy curls much safer and more productive.

Lift well and prosper.

Great, great post.

But one thing. Did you just say do 315x20. I am throwing up thinking about that.

[MackemPacker]

Great, great post.

But one thing. Did you just say do 315x20. I am throwing up thinking about that.

I'm hoping he meant 20 reps over 2 or 3 sets! I'm up to 3 plates for 5 at the minute and I both love and fear it.

[dmacdonal9]

Three plates(315lbs) x 20 decent reps, every rep pulled from a dead stop on the floor, will do more for injury proofing their back than:

Five plates(495lbs) x 1 for a ragged all-out effort.

Well, singles, especially for someone not used to them, is kind of an exaggerated case.

For compound movements, I wonder if form isn't more likely to break down on high reps than it is for low reps. Assuming you're not going to failure in either case, I think I'd prefer lifting heavy, from a safety standpoint.

On high reps form breaks down due to fatigue, whereas on low reps it breaks due to inefficiencies and mechanical compensations. The latter is more controllable than the former to my mind.

[ALeafbrah123]

lol i fukked my lower back from being stupid,maxing every week, deadlifting heavy(near max) like twice a week sometimes and also heavy near maximal squats and ohp(leans back alot) in the week also

and now i cant even do those exercise anymore fml

im waiting for it to heal tho never got it checked or whatever,and currently doing reverse hyper hoping it will heal itself

[chazzy1864]

People who blame the movement are the same types that swear whatever they were doing was of no fault of theirs and uncontrollable. They'd be the person that wrecks their motorcycle and tells the story and punctuates with, "and then I had to lay it down." No they didn't. If they were more skilled and/or not an idiot they wouldn't have had to lay it down. They worked themselves into a situation where they "had to lay it down".

If you work beyond your skill and compromise the lift, you could mess up your back.

[ALeafbrah123]

No.

They will injury-proof your back.......

......if you do them right.

Lots of guys leave their low back and whole posterior chain weak because they are afraid of:

Deadlifts/Stiff leg deadlifts/Goodmornings/Power Cleans/Power Snatches......

They are then more likely to injure themselves overhead pressing, moving anything heavy in the garden or workshop, or even doing heavy curls!

The mistake most people here make on deadlifts: they think they must train like a Powerlifter. For most of us who are never going to step on a lifting platform:

Three plates(315lbs) x 20 decent reps, every rep pulled from a dead stop on the floor, will do more for injury proofing their back than:

Five plates(495lbs) x 1 for a ragged all-out effort.

In other words, no matter which deadlift you do from the floor, get strong for reps. That will work wonders for your development as well(they go together).

Forget touch and go reps, or bouncing the weight off the floor to get the next rep.........unless you want to injure yourself due to bad form.

Forget training to real failure. If the next rep ain't going up in decent form, terminate the set.

Err on the side of building up your high rep strength instead of building up your single.

Having a much stronger low back and posterior chain will enable you to have a much safer and stronger squat, row, overhead press, push press etc etc. It will even make your heavy curls much safer and more productive.

Lift well and prosper.

brah im gonna have to disagree bout dead stop deadlift being safer,ive done 315 for 20,heck even 350 for 20 (no e-stat)and all done touch n go

i fukked my lower back up now cos of dead stop deadlifts(tryna do 405x10 deadstop) as u can see i love high rep stuff hue hue

ive hurt my back twice now and both are the result of deadstop deadlifts

even wendler says TnG are alot safer when doing high rep

[jgreystoke]

But one thing. Did you just say do 315x20. I am throwing up thinking about that.

I'm hoping he meant 20 reps over 2 or 3 sets! I'm up to 3 plates for 5 at the minute and I both love and fear it.

1 x 20, after warmups

Three plates x 20 is a good target for squat, box squat, deadlift, trap bar dead, stiff leg dead(lower poundage potential ).

Even stiff leg dead three plates x 20 is realistic. It will just take a while to get there.

For compound movements, I wonder if form isn't more likely to break down on high reps than it is for low reps. Assuming you're not going to failure in either case, I think I'd prefer lifting heavy, from a safety standpoint.

Doing singles up to say Training Max, usually 90% of tested or calculated max, is no problem.

Singles at your all out max should be saved for a competition or test.

Doing twenty reps at 50-60% of Training Max is no problem. Or even monster volume like 5 x 10 at the same weight(Boring But Big template for 5 3 1).

Doing your actual 20RM is a problem.

brah im gonna have to disagree bout dead stop deadlift being safer,ive done 315 for 20,heck even 350 for 20 (no e-stat)and all done touch n go

i fukked my lower back up now cos of dead stop deadlifts(tryna do 405x10 deadstop) as u can see i love high rep stuff hue hue

ive hurt my back twice now and both are the result of deadstop deadlifts

even wendler says TnG are alot safer when doing high rep

Most of what Jim Wendler says is pure gold. But: "Even Homer nods". We'll forgive him, because he is an antidote to all the bollocks.