Three Deadlift Problems & Three Deadlift Solutions
You want to get your lower back stronger, or you just want to get stronger; numerous men who reach out to me on my Bed-Stuy personal training page do so after having asked ChatGPT or Google, or fill in the blank “what’s the best way to gain muscle/get stronger/build my lower back,” or any question along those lines.
Problem #1: You Might Not Be Built For The (Conventional) Deadlift
You aren’t built for conventional deadlifts. A squat is more or less universal; every human is made to squat because their DNA was designed for every human to use the restroom outdoors. Maybe evolution will change this at some point, but for now, “a squat is a squat.”
However, the deadlift is more or less arbitrary. Almost all plates, or at least 45lbs plates, are the diameter of 17.72”. This is because when lifting became an Olympic sport, it was determined that this would allow a barbell plate to clear an average human head if someone fell backward, something I saw firsthand at an Olympic lifting meet once.
So, for you, this means that a deadlift from the floor is totally different for someone 5’5” as compared to someone 6’5”. Rather than going into complicated specifics on femur-to-arm length to height ratios, just look in the mirror. If your hands are closer to your mid-thighs or you are a “knuckle dragger,” you are definitely built to deadlift. But if you held a barbell in your hands and it was near your beltline, or if you have T-Rex arms, the conventional deadlift isn’t a great choice for you.
Solution #1: Pick The Deadlift Right For You & Your Goals
Unless you are competing in the sport of powerlifting, strongman, or Weightlifting, you do not necessarily ever need to deadlift from the floor, like this: conventional deadlift. Some options for a trainee who does not have great conventional deadlifting levers would be to deadlift from the safeties on the squat rack, or to use the trap bar. The trap bar, sometimes called a hex bar, doesn’t lock the trainee into a specific movement pattern the same way. You can even elevate the heels to get more quads involved, like I’m doing here: heel 1” elevated trap bar deadlift.
Problem #2: Desk Worker Low Back
Lower back strength. Even people who do not go to the gym tend to still use their leg muscles; you walk up stairs, stand, etc. But in modernity, people often rarely use their lower backs in load-bearing activities. The low back will be the limiting factor in a deadlift. It will more often than not, along with the rest of the core, be the limiting factor in the barbell squat. People often hurt their backs deadlifting not necessarily because their backs are weak, but because their backs are weak in relation to their legs. If your legs are a “9” and your back is a “3,” you will still be able to break the bar off the floor, but then when the back needs to maintain its position under load, you will often fail the lift.
Solution #2: Direct Low Back Work
Before embarking on your deadlift journey, create a solid base of strength and muscle in the low back. My preferred way of doing this is by first using the 45° back extension, like shown here with a long pause at the top: 45° back extension, 3-sec pause, bodyweight. After building up to being able to do 10 reps this style, I would begin to add dumbbell weight and take the pause down to 2 seconds; then I would progress to a barbell on the back, 45° back extension, EZ-bar on back. I have some specific strength endurance metrics I like individuals to hit before we start deadlifting; if you are interested in those, please reach out to me at mark@sayerfit.com
The 45° back extension is far from the only method to directly target the low back and muscles around it; some other great ones are all the good morning variations and RDL variations. Even loaded carries and some sled variations can build up the low back and trunk, but I find that the 45°
Problem #3: Flexibility
Lack of flexibility in setting up a good deadlift position is another hindrance. Two tests I like to do with potential trainees before progressing to the deadlift are a simple standing toe touch and the 3-point hinge assessment. Every conventional deadlift involves a hinge, or an RDL movement; being able to hinge and keep the back functionally rigid is what allows the hips and glutes to drive force on the deadlift.
The standing toe touch is simply, “can you keep your legs straight and touch your toes?” I find that this, although incomplete, is a good assessment for gauging potential for productive deadlifting.
Solution #3 Intentional Flexibility Training
Flexibility, like any athletic athetic attribute, needs to be trained intentionally. If you have trouble performing the hinge as shown in the 3-point hinge assessment, specifically if you cannot get your body near parallel to the ground without the dowel coming off the three points- back of your head, mid-back, tailbone- it could mean several things, but two likely causes are tight hip flexors or tight hamstrings.
A way you can address these areas of tightness is to begin incorporating simple static stretching. I would start with 2 minutes a day, on both the left and right sides of your body, with the couch stretch and the seated hamstring stretch.
Wrapping Up!
I hope this helps you on your strength journey! I you have any questions about what I went over here, or would like some additional guidance, feel free to reach out to me at mark@sayerfit.com