Injured lower back deadlifting. Alternative?

[rafiki121]

Hi guys, i'm 38 and have been lifting in the gym since 25. I never had a problem with deadlifts until recently where I injured it pulling a simple 185lb. It's been a month and half and my lower back still feels weak. I'm pretty sure my form wasn't too great and probably age caught up and my lower back is not as forgiving as before because I use to pull 275 with ease.

I'm wondering if I'm trying to be fit and not extremely strong do I need deadlifts in my routine? Are there better exercises besides that. I know using a trap bar would be best but LA fitness by me doesn't have it. Should I do rack pulls instead or kettle bell swings. I guess after this injury, I'm rethinking how I should train and not sure if the risk to reward is worth it.

Thanks.

[Camarija]

There's a lot that could have gone wrong with that kind of injury

See a physiotherapist or a doctor to proceed

In general, yes, you don't need to deadlift with those goals

[air2fakie]

I guess after this injury, I'm rethinking how I should train and not sure if the risk to reward is worth

How you train is much more than just the exercises you choose, but do whatever you feel comfortable doing.

[StephenCGreen]

General fitness is more about endurance anyway. In real life practice, you need to be able to expend a moderate level of physical strength over a long period of time, usually helping others and with the help of others. Real life is not about giving your absolute all for just one lift and then going and sitting down while everybody else continues to work away because you were so great.

So, while deadlifts are not necessary for you to achieve fitness, you may be able to continue the movement, if you wanted to, with an approach that builds endurance. This may serve to help you troubleshoot your lower back injury and learn your new limit while gradually rebuilding your confidence.

Here’s hoping you are not permanently hurt.

[rafiki121]

General fitness is more about endurance anyway. In real life practice, you need to be able to expend a moderate level of physical strength over a long period of time, usually helping others and with the help of others. Real life is not about giving your absolute all for just one lift and then going and sitting down while everybody else continues to work away because you were so great.

So, while deadlifts are not necessary for you to achieve fitness, you may be able to continue the movement, if you wanted to, with an approach that builds endurance. This may serve to help you troubleshoot your lower back injury and learn your new limit while gradually rebuilding your confidence.

Here’s hoping you are not permanently hurt.

Thank you so much for your response.

[FoulSmell]

Video yourself doing deadlifts. Post video on the Starting Strength Facebook page ask for advise. Pay attention to the responses that end with SSC. (Starting Strength Coach)

My guess is you were arching your back. I’m 53, had 4 hip operations from a car accident and still deadlift.

[SuicideGripMe]

Traditional deads from the floor require a little mobility and understanding of body mechanics. I would argue they aren't necessary for most people. The hinge pattern is a necessary movement though. Romanian deadlifts, zerchers, rack pulls, sumos, swings, or GM variations are good. Even when I powerlifted I rarely did deadlifts as an ME lift because it killed my recovery and was annoying to load and unload with multiple lifters of various strength levels.

[munirashraf9821]

Hi guys, i'm 38 and have been lifting in the gym since 25. I never had a problem with deadlifts until recently where I injured it pulling a simple 185lb. It's been a month and half and my lower back still feels weak. I'm pretty sure my form wasn't too great and probably age caught up and my lower back is not as forgiving as before because I use to pull 275 with ease.

I'm wondering if I'm trying to be fit and not extremely strong do I need deadlifts in my routine? Are there better exercises besides that. I know using a trap bar would be best but LA fitness by me doesn't have it. Should I do rack pulls instead or kettle bell swings. I guess after this injury, I'm rethinking how I should train and not sure if the risk to reward is worth it.

Thanks.

Man, sorry to hear about the injury. I can relate; lower back issues are no joke. If you're looking to stay fit rather than go for extreme strength, you've got plenty of alternatives. Kettlebell swings can be great for posterior chain development, and rack pulls are also a solid option for lower risk. It might also be a good idea to consult a physical therapist to make sure you're doing exercises that are appropriate for your current condition.

[Lylawa]

In summary, general fitness revolves around endurance and the ability to sustain moderate physical effort over time, often in collaboration with others. While deadlifts aren't essential for fitness, you can continue them with a focus on building endurance, which may help with a lower back injury and confidence rebuilding. Wishing you a full recovery.

[x824]

All excercises can be replacedz! Do not give up, search fir alternatives and good luck!

[pondman]

There are a variety of hinging exercises that are not going to be as taxing on the body. Pull throughs and kettle bells swings might be useful if you are injured. I've been there with shoulder problems, and at one time was stuck lifting 20 lbs dumbbells. Do what you can. But get it checked out. For me lower back problems were always the symptom of lack of mobility in the hips, and usually could be reduced with a stretching program.

[EliKoehn]

If general fitness is your goal and you have already sustained a legitimate injury from the deadlift, I wouldn't return to it, honestly. I love the lift myself but I want to enter the territory of my strength potential, so my goals are different from the get-go. Callisthenic back extensions off of a 45 degree platform with some added weight might be a great alternative in this case.

[Horizon92]

Hi guys, i'm 38 and have been lifting in the gym since 25. I never had a problem with deadlifts until recently where I injured it pulling a simple 185lb. It's been a month and half and my lower back still feels weak. I'm pretty sure my form wasn't too great and probably age caught up and my lower back is not as forgiving as before because I use to pull 275 with ease.

I'm wondering if I'm trying to be fit and not extremely strong do I need deadlifts in my routine? Are there better exercises besides that. I know using a trap bar would be best but LA fitness by me doesn't have it. Should I do rack pulls instead or kettle bell swings. I guess after this injury, I'm rethinking how I should train and not sure if the risk to reward is worth it.

Thanks.

There are no lifts that you MUST do.

In general, I do not recommend people do deadlift unless they really, really want to because its not a particularly good mass builder, it poses a significant injury risk compared to the alternative movements, and it has a terrible stimulus to fatigue ratio. In your case, you've already experienced an injury, which would make my recommendation to drop it even stronger.

The only people who must deadlift are powerlifters. Thats it. For everyone else, its honestly just a totally overhyped movement which is basically a relic from the time where everyone on the internet thought starting strength was the holy grail of programming.

[TheShadowMan]

For me it would be a question of what reason I had for deadlifting conventional. If the lift gets me there more efficiently than I would reduce the weight way down, and work my way back up again while also working on my technique of it. But that's if you need them, not everyone does. I feel tremendous rewards from them, but only after doing them right, and that's something that should be learned at the lighter starting weights. Might be time to start over again.

[ChunkBuster]

I did the same and moved to landmine RDL for now.

Il probably shift to bb RDL once my back is 100%.

It’s about the third or fourth time so I’m really done with deadlifts