Does this mean I am doing deadlifts wrong?

[kierumcak]

So I have been a pretty avid biker for a long time before I started going to the gym. As a result squats are ridiculously easy for me in the meantime before the rest of my body catches up to my legs.

My core is also fairly strong too. I can do a lot of exercises as well as a variety of planks for long times. My only weakness here is I have trouble engaging my core in non ab workouts. Its difficult for me to mentally do this. I am working on this.

I worked with a personal trainer to intro me into deadlifts once or twice and being careful with your lower back is something that was given a lot of importance in that training. I no longer work with a trainer. At this point I am just extra careful to make sure to get my hips out behind me that way my back is straight during the entire time.

I think I do fairly well with this.

The thing is the morning after workouts I am almost never sore, except when I do deadlifts. It is hardly a terrible pain or really a pain at all but my lower back is generally a bit sore the day after. Nothing painful or what I would consider in the realm of danger of injury.

For example last night I did 10 reps of 70, 80, 90, 70 (in that order) and am feeling it a bit today.

I guess my question is, is this within normal bounds? Does this exercise work out the the two muscles that are on the lower back to either side of the spine? Its fairly normal for an exercise that involves you supporting weight like this to work out this muscle right?

[BS57]

The thing is the morning after workouts I am almost never sore, except when I do deadlifts. It is hardly a terrible pain or really a pain at all but my lower back is generally a bit sore the day after. Nothing painful or what I would consider in the realm of danger of injury.

For example last night I did 10 reps of 70, 80, 90, 70 (in that order) and am feeling it a bit today.

70-90 DL reps?

ETA: Are you kin to the guy claiming to do 1000 curls?

[WolfRose7]

70-90 DL reps?

ETA: Are you kin to the guy claiming to do 1000 curls?

Think it's 70kg

[xrayoki]

Yea it's pretty normal to feel sore in the lower muscles when deadlifting, they might just be a bit underdeveloped compared to your glutes and legs. The biggest thing to remember though, is that you should be imagining that you are pushing the ground away, thus you will be using the glutes a whole hell of a lot and not quite as much back as many believe. Try to focus on shifting the concentration of weight from your back to your legs and especially glutes, you'll be able to lift so much more. I would say you should feel it about 50/50 in the legs/back. So yes, if lower back is underdeveloped, you will be sore there.

Now if the pain is in the spinal disk, you are lifting incorrectly. Massage your back muscle, and if you feel the pain there, then it is completely normal. If not, and it feels like a spinal bone pain, correct your form and lower the weight.

[Shihanlifter]

Considering it's an exercise that works the erectors tremendously; yes it's normal.

[kierumcak]

Ah! Erectors is certainly the muscle that is sore I just didnt know the name for it.

As for the reps no worries there. I meant to say I did the full motion 10 times with 70 lbs then 80 lbs then 90 lbs and finished with 70 lbs. Wasnt sure of the proper format to describe that.

[ECGordyn]

Never hurts to post a form check vid to be sure you're keeping your lower back straight.

40 reps of DL is quite a lot. Go for 2x6 or 3x8. 2 sets of 6 reps, 3 sets of 8.

[FaIIen]

I have trouble engaging my core in non ab workouts. Its difficult for me to mentally do this. I am working on this.

Learn how to brace your core.

If your a complete novice, feeling some doms is normal. If you've been at it for a while, < 100 pounds should feel like air.

Post a form vid.

[sooby]

So I have been a pretty avid biker for a long time before I started going to the gym. As a result squats are ridiculously easy for me in the meantime before the rest of my body catches up to my legs.

My core is also fairly strong too. I can do a lot of exercises as well as a variety of planks for long times. My only weakness here is I have trouble engaging my core in non ab workouts. Its difficult for me to mentally do this. I am working on this.

I worked with a personal trainer to intro me into deadlifts once or twice and being careful with your lower back is something that was given a lot of importance in that training. I no longer work with a trainer. At this point I am just extra careful to make sure to get my hips out behind me that way my back is straight during the entire time.

I think I do fairly well with this.

The thing is the morning after workouts I am almost never sore, except when I do deadlifts. It is hardly a terrible pain or really a pain at all but my lower back is generally a bit sore the day after. Nothing painful or what I would consider in the realm of danger of injury.

For example last night I did 10 reps of 70, 80, 90, 70 (in that order) and am feeling it a bit today.

I guess my question is, is this within normal bounds? Does this exercise work out the the two muscles that are on the lower back to either side of the spine? Its fairly normal for an exercise that involves you supporting weight like this to work out this muscle right?

Soreness isn't necessarily an indicator of bad form, unless ofc you feel it in the wrong places. For maybe the first few weeks or so you should probably feel some soreness on your deadlifts but that should generally go away, unless you drastically change factors like volume/intensity. If you work those erectors 2x a week or deadlift 2 times a week you probably shouldn't feel it in your back.

For me personally I don't even really get a sore lower back from deadlifts anymore. I actually feel my quads a bit if I go hard for a high rep set of deads.

obv hard to tell without a form video.

[Petey1832]

So I have been a pretty avid biker for a long time before I started going to the gym. As a result squats are ridiculously easy for me in the meantime before the rest of my body catches up to my legs.

My core is also fairly strong too. I can do a lot of exercises as well as a variety of planks for long times. My only weakness here is I have trouble engaging my core in non ab workouts. Its difficult for me to mentally do this. I am working on this.

I worked with a personal trainer to intro me into deadlifts once or twice and being careful with your lower back is something that was given a lot of importance in that training. I no longer work with a trainer. At this point I am just extra careful to make sure to get my hips out behind me that way my back is straight during the entire time.

I think I do fairly well with this.

The thing is the morning after workouts I am almost never sore, except when I do deadlifts. It is hardly a terrible pain or really a pain at all but my lower back is generally a bit sore the day after. Nothing painful or what I would consider in the realm of danger of injury.

For example last night I did 10 reps of 70, 80, 90, 70 (in that order) and am feeling it a bit today.

I guess my question is, is this within normal bounds? Does this exercise work out the the two muscles that are on the lower back to either side of the spine? Its fairly normal for an exercise that involves you supporting weight like this to work out this muscle right?

One reason why the deadlift is so beneficial is it's direct work on the spinal erectors and stabilizing muscles in the spine. No other lift hits those muscle groups quite like deadlifts. So yes, it is normal to feel soreness in your low back - especially with that many reps of deadlift. That being said, I think that the deadlift provides more benefit in a little bit lower rep range and a little heavier weight, something like 2-6 reps per set for 3-5 sets - having some higher reps workouts can be beneficial every now and then.

When it comes to lifting heavier, especially when doing deadlifts, properly bracing and engaging your core is crucial. One way to guarantee you are engaging your core is using the valsalva maneuver.

Try this:
-Take a big breath in
-Close your mouth tight
-Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth
-Try to force the air out

That will engage your core and you can feel it happening if you put your hands on your core. Be careful with this maneuver if you have any sort of blood pressure issues as this could complicate things. For the timing on this, when performing the deadlift, you take the large breath in and perform the valsalva maneuver right before you go to lift the bar from the ground. You can use the valsalva for every compound lift, this is what powerlifters and strongmen do right before they perform a lift due to the fact that it engages your core so well.

As far as form, like others have said, hard to tell without a form video. Hope this helps!