deadlift and squats questions/observations

[mrRuckus]

I lifted for a year and just basically did what my friend told me to do so i never did squats or deadlifts. Then I took a year off after finishing college and now i'm back to it and dedicated and have started doing both of those (plus doing a lot more things the correct way after learning for myself).

Are deadlifts supposed to kill your lower back so much? I think i have the form right (exrx.net) but my lower back is like "arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" during a set. I don't much feel it much anywhere else. The pain doesn't last and i don't think i get injured at all.



Squats. I only started doing these about 3 weeks ago. I'm doing 185lbs as of 2 days ago. I'm not really a big guy but i feel i could do 200+ easy next week. I keep racking on more and more weight thinking "this will be too much" but it never is and i end up not doing as much as i can simply from not putting enough on to begin with. Other guys just starting doing squats are doing like 110-130. Am I a freak? I do go at least parallel.

Straight leg deadlifts. I only feel these in my back and not my hamstrings at all. Could it be that my back is weak but i have strangely strong hamstrings so my hams are like "whatever" and my back is the only one having to put in any real effort?

thanks

 

[Lifeforce]

Do you warm up enough before the deadlifts? Do you sacrifice form to get the last reps up? Deadlifts hit the lower back mostly.

Maybe you have good genetics for squatting.

If you don't feel anything in your hamstrings you lift too heavy and let the lower back do too much work. lower the weights and try to feel the hamstrings stretch in a mild way when you lift the bar down.

 

[Warboss Alex]

It's normal for the back to 'hurt' after deadlifts, but this shouldn't be actual pain. Is it hurting or just aching?

Keep your legs perfectly still during the SLDL - slightly bent, just a little short of a lockout.. you'll feel it in your hamstrings I'm sure.

Squats: you obviously have strong legs but parallel isn't much of a challenge. Go below parallel and see how you go!

Incidentally, my initial squats were in the 200lb+ range, if you've got a good powerbase (big hips, legs, ass) then you're a natural squatter and have a HUGE advantage as opposed to other bodybuilders, since legs are the hardest and most painful bodypart to improve..

 

[mrRuckus]

Originally posted by Lifeforce
Do you warm up enough before the deadlifts? Do you sacrifice form to get the last reps up? Deadlifts hit the lower back mostly.

Maybe you have good genetics for squatting.

If you don't feel anything in your hamstrings you lift too heavy and let the lower back do too much work. lower the weights and try to feel the hamstrings stretch in a mild way when you lift the bar down.

How much warming up is "enough?"

I actually feel like I can do more deadlifts if it weren't for the pain. I'd lift through it but I stop because I assume the form is wrong since it hurts, but I just don't see how i'm doing it wrong.

I'll try lowering the weight. Maybe it'll be good for a few weeks just to get my body used to doing them.


Thanks.

 

[mrRuckus]

Originally posted by Warboss Alex
It's normal for the back to 'hurt' after deadlifts, but this shouldn't be actual pain. Is it hurting or just aching?

Keep your legs perfectly still during the SLDL - slightly bent, just a little short of a lockout.. you'll feel it in your hamstrings I'm sure.

Squats: you obviously have strong legs but parallel isn't much of a challenge. Go below parallel and see how you go!

Incidentally, my initial squats were in the 200lb+ range, if you've got a good powerbase (big hips, legs, ass) then you're a natural squatter and have a HUGE advantage as opposed to other bodybuilders, since legs are the hardest and most painful bodypart to improve..

I suppose my back is aching. A lot. It's not really after the deadlifts but during. It goes away. It just feels excessive, and i'm not sure if i'm about to seriously pull out my back doing it wrong or if it was normal.

I'm 5'10. ~6 weeks ago I was 162 and now that i'm back lifting i'm hovering around 172. I'm really fairly skinny and don't have much fat except a little on my stomach. I'm sure it's much higher now but my body fat was under 5% two years ago (but that was when i did cardio everyday). I don't know where those 172 lbs are hiding. Maybe in my quads I don't think i have big hips or ass.

Actually leg day is becoming my favorite day. Back is my least just because i suck at it. I can do like 4 pullups :/

 

[EFFORT]

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3404

 

[semag]

from reading what you posted, I'm guessing your form is bad, both on deads and SLDL...

why? you ask, here's my theory (maybe you can get us a vid so we can confirm).

1)SLDL needs to hit your hamstrings. If your back bends at all, you won't hit your hamstrings...
a)you're not feeling it in your hamstrings x

2) Deadlift should be hard, but shouldn't "pain" you, unless you lose form and your back bends. This will get you stiff and start the bad shyt.

b) your deads say they hurt

my prognosis is that you probably have trouble keeping your back straight (waaay harder than it sounds!!!! i know a lot of people that can't do it and don't know how! it takes practice) and that is why those two exercises are doing that for you.

squats.... go all the way down....

 

[Heizen]

Originally posted by mrRuckus
I lifted for a year and just basically did what my friend told me to do so i never did squats or deadlifts. Then I took a year off after finishing college and now i'm back to it and dedicated and have started doing both of those (plus doing a lot more things the correct way after learning for myself).

Are deadlifts supposed to kill your lower back so much? I think i have the form right (exrx.net) but my lower back is like "arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" during a set. I don't much feel it much anywhere else. The pain doesn't last and i don't think i get injured at all.

Deads are hard to get right for alot of people. Some people are natural dead lifters, but for a lot of people they need to be shown. Find someone to show you the form, or find a way to post up a video

Squats. I only started doing these about 3 weeks ago. I'm doing 185lbs as of 2 days ago. I'm not really a big guy but i feel i could do 200+ easy next week. I keep racking on more and more weight thinking "this will be too much" but it never is and i end up not doing as much as i can simply from not putting enough on to begin with. Other guys just starting doing squats are doing like 110-130. Am I a freak? I do go at least parallel.

Go below parrallel. If not ass to grass, 3-4 inches below. Thats where the real growth is

Straight leg deadlifts. I only feel these in my back and not my hamstrings at all. Could it be that my back is weak but i have strangely strong hamstrings so my hams are like "whatever" and my back is the only one having to put in any real effort?

Warboss has it covered. I don't do them alot anyways so I am not really qualified to say

thanks

 

[MetalFortress]

Wanna see perfect deadlift form?

Go find the nearest baby/toddler, who can barely walk. Watch the baby's form as s/he picks up a stuffed animal, a cup, or any other object of the floor. Humans have a natural lifting form that we somehow lose overtime, but when instinct is still top dog, they exhibit the form that you should try to copy when you deadlift.

 

[Flogger]

Re: the straight-leg deads

They hit my hams more if I keep my back straight. Obviously this is a trade-off. But if it's the hams you want then make them do the bulk of the work.

Note: Using regular form with straight legs will hit both your back and your hams, but your hams less than with a straight back.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Straight-leg deadlifts and floor deadlifts are different exercises for different muscles guys .. treat them as such.

 

[mrRuckus]

Re: Re: deadlift and squats questions/observations

Originally posted by Heizen
Go below parrallel. If not ass to grass, 3-4 inches below. Thats where the real growth is

Yeah, i originally said "at least parallel" but i'm actually below it. I guess my grammar wasn't so hot. To me, it barely seems that much harder to go further anyway. I keep changing the distance because there's sooo much conflicting information i keep reading about how far is good to go compared to how far is safe to go (knees and such).

I watch videos of the SLDL, and i can't even really see where the hamstrings can even do any real work. Just a mental hurdle i suppose.

There's no way i can get a video of me doing it.

 

[Lifeforce]

Originally posted by Warboss Alex
Straight-leg deadlifts and floor deadlifts are different exercises for different muscles guys .. treat them as such.

I keep my legs straight and my back straight and lift the weight from the floor during the straight leg deadlifts, it work my hamstrings awfully well.

 

[vanwilder]

Originally posted by mrRuckus
Are deadlifts supposed to kill your lower back so much? I think i have the form right (exrx.net) but my lower back is like "arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" during a set. I don't much feel it much anywhere else. The pain doesn't last and i don't think i get injured at all.

Straight leg deadlifts. I only feel these in my back and not my hamstrings at all. Could it be that my back is weak but i have strangely strong hamstrings so my hams are like "whatever" and my back is the only one having to put in any real effort?

thanks

you will feel it in your lower back for 1, i do racked deads for my lower back.

now if your back is killing you, your form is incorrect, and from a friends experience, i noticed that when he did dead lifts he used a great amount of power derrived from his upper body. he failed to get down really low in a squat positionm and he failed to use his legs, rather he basically jsut picked up 350lbs for reps. he did pull his back 1ce, and that made him learn how to not do deads.