fbpx
(703) 444-0662 Hours 21620 RIDGETOP CIRCLE STE 150, STERLING, VA 20166
(703) 444-0662 Hours 21620 RIDGETOP CIRCLE STE 150, STERLING, VA 20166

Is the Deadlift Bad For Your Back?

When someone says the word “deadlift” to you, what do you picture? Think about it for a second.

Maybe this?

man deadlifting a barbell

While the above picture is indeed a deadlift, it’s not the only variation.

That image is also what people think of when they hear the myth that deadlifts are bad for your back. It’s a myth that has been perpetuated in the fitness industry for far too long.

This idea—that deadlifting is bad for backs—is pushed by the media, friends and family, and even other fitness professionals. While telling someone that “deadlifts are bad for your back” may be a well-intentioned recommendation, as the person giving the advice likely just wants you to be safe, it does you a disservice… because it’s incorrect.

Deadlifts aren’t bad for your back, unless you do them poorly, or don’t use the variation best suited to you.

A deadlift is simply a hip hinge, and there are tons of hip hinge variations that don’t include a bar lifted from the floor. You can use different stances, elevate the bar, use a hex bar instead of a standard barbell, or even use kettlebells—like we do at BSP NOVA when folks are just learning the movement.

 

 

Deadlifts, when done correctly, can be immensely valuable.

  • building full-body strength and power
  • building lean muscle
  • teach us how to move effectively through our hips

 

Ever have to move furniture or pick up your kid/grandkid? Well, having the skill and strength to deadlift can help to both make these tasks easier and safer.

 

Deadlifting isn’t back for your back.

In fact, it’s good for it. Don’t take my word though, let’s look at what the research says.

 

A study from 2015 found deadlifts to be a useful treatment for those in back pain (1). The researchers said, “…regardless of patients’ age, sex, body mass index, pain-related fear of movement, movement control, and activity, the deadlift exercise seems to be an effective intervention.” So, not only was deadlifting not bad for people’s backs, it helped decrease their pain.

A separate study from 2012 also showed deadlifting improved a subjects functional status and decreased their pain (2).

One thing worth mentioning about these studies is some participants did not benefit from deadlifting in the same way; that is, their pain was not reduced. This is likely due to various factors: (a) a barbell deadlift was chosen in these studies, but maybe a kettlebell deadlift, or even a barbell RDL would have been a better fit depending on the individual; (b) the height of the bar was not elevated—at least, this was not stated—which would be a better fit for some individuals; (c) and since pain is multifactorial, not having a decrease in pain could mean other, more important factors, need to be examined. But, and I want to be clear here, that doesn’t not mean deadlifting was bad for them—only it wasn’t able to decrease their pain.

 

 

Assuming there are no preexisting issues to consider, nearly everyone will benefit from deadlifting. So long as you lift with good form—keep your spine neutral (tall and tight), have hamstring tension, and produce the motion using your hips, not your lower back—you’ll be fine. That last part about form is key: the weight is moved by the legs and hips, not the lower back. This ensures we stress areas we want to stress (our lower body), and don’t stress other areas (lower back).

 

So, we clear on that? Deadlifting isn’t one thing—lifting a heavy bar from the floor—and, it can be good for your lower back; it’s not a lower back destroyer as many claim it is. If you pick variations that make sense for you, load appropriately, progress the weights overtime in a reasonable manner, and ensure the use of proper form, then deadlifts are a relatively safe and beneficial exercise; they don’t need to be feared.


 

Sources:

1) Berglund, Lars, et al. “Which patients with low back pain benefit from deadlift training?.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 29.7 (2015): 1803-1811.

2) Holmberg, David, Henrik Crantz, and Peter Michaelson. “Treating persistent low back pain with deadlift training–A single subject experimental design with a 15-month follow-up.” Advances in Physiotherapy 14.2 (2012): 61-70.

GUARANTEED RESULTS

(OR WE PAY THE FIRST 3 MONTHS AT A GYM OF YOUR CHOOSING)

You expect to see objective, undeniable results for the work you put in.

We agree.

That’s why we offer a Results Guarantee.

Any gym in the world can create a satisfaction guarantee, which is really just them banking on the fact that most people will be too uncomfortable to speak up and say they aren’t “satisfied”—whatever that means anyways.

 

What about something real? What about results?

 

No gym is crazy enough to guarantee results, right?!

We are. And we do.

If you attend at least 85% of your allotted sessions and don’t see at least 3 objective improvements in strength, endurance, mobility, and/or recovery in your first 90 days, we’ll pay the first three months at a gym of your choosing.

GETTING STARTED IS EASY

STEP 1.

Book your free intro.

 

STEP 2.

We'll lay out a plan for you and your goals.

STEP 3.

Build a body that's ready for anything.

 

YOUR MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES…

 

  • Your custom-tailored training program—whether it’s the right kind of deadlift to fit your body or intensity of the exercises during one of our conditioning classes, every aspect of the workout is tailored to fit YOU.
  • 100% coached sessions so that you're not doing this sh*t on your own and always have the certainty you're in the best position to be successful.
  • Simple lifestyle actions and aims, giving you clarity of what to focus on during the other 23 hours.
  • Access to the Beyond Strength training app to keep a running track record of your progress, communicate with your Beyond Strength coaches AND fellow members, and even review videos of YOUR exercises before jumping into classes.
  • The Beyond Strength Member Success Guide, arming you with everything you need to know to improve your strength and endurance and kick your goals in the face (yup, in the face).
  • 35 training sessions to choose from each week.