Back pain is a condition that can be both painful and debilitating. Unfortunately, many individuals who regularly lift weights will eventually experience some degree of back pain due to improper technique or an overuse of the lumbar muscles. Fortunately, however, there are several ways to avoid this from happening, especially if you’re a frequent deadlifter. This article will discuss different ways to prevent back pain when you deadlift.
What is Deadlifting?
Before discussing how to avoid back pain when deadlifting, it’s important to understand what the exercise is. Deadlifting is a strength-training exercise that is commonly performed by weightlifters to build power, strength, and muscular endurance. The deadlift is a foundational movement used by many different sports and involves lifting a barbell from the ground to hip level. The deadlift works a variety of different muscles throughout the body, including those in the lower back, gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and core.
Why Back Pain Occurs when Deadlifting
Now that we have discussed the basics of deadlifting, let’s focus on why back pain occurs during this exercise. There are several reasons why back pain may be experienced during the deadlift exercise. These could include poor posture, poor form, weak muscles, or an overuse of the lumbar muscles. Additionally, over-stretching of the lumbar muscles during the exercise can lead to tightness, which can cause pain.
Tips for Preventing Back Pain When Deadlifting
Now that you understand why back pain may occur when deadlifting, here are some tips to help you avoid it.
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Warm Up Properly: Before performing any exercises, it’s important to warm up the body. For deadlifting, a warmup may involve dynamic stretching or foam rolling, which will help prepare the body for the exercise and prevent any potential injuries.
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Start Light: If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with a light weight and build up slowly as your form and strength improve. This will help you build muscle without putting your body at risk for injury.
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Use Good Form: Good form is essential for any exercise, but especially when it comes to deadlifting. Make sure to keep your back straight and slightly arched, your chest up, and your head up and in line with your spine.
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Take Time to Stretch: Before and after your workout, make sure to focus on stretching the muscles used during the deadlift to prevent overuse or tightness.
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Strengthen The Back Muscles: Deadlifting is a great exercise, but it doesn’t do much to strengthen the back muscles. To prevent pain and injury, make sure to add in exercises that target the core and lower back, such as hip thrusts, planks, and reverse superman’s.
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Add Variety Into Your Routine: You can still do deadlifts, but adding other exercises into your routine will help keep you from overworking the back muscles. These could include squats, overhead presses, and other compound exercises.
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Change Your Rep Range: Changing up the rep range of your exercises can promote muscle growth, but it can also help you avoid overuse. For example, if you’re doing 3 sets of 8 reps with a heavy weight, try changing up the rep range and weight in each set to promote muscle growth.
Deadlifting is a great exercise for building strength and power, but it can also cause back pain if not done correctly. To avoid back pain when deadlifting, make sure to warm up before your workout, start light, use proper form, stretch properly, strengthen your back muscles, add variety to your routine, and change up your rep range. If you do all of these things, then you can prevent back pain while still getting the most out of your workouts.
