Hello,

I just started some light deadlifting (60kg) to get my form right.

But after my gym session, i felt sore at my back around my hip area. Is this normal?

Or it might be because my form is not right.

Any advice? Would a lifting belt helps?

Thank you

I have the same problem too

The easiest way to see whether your form is correct or not is by recording yourself from the side or asking a spotter..

Im quite sure my form is right...the pain of my back coming when I do deadlifting and it's gone after 15minutes like that...is this normal?

So if it's not sore then form is correct? Doesn't make sense.

if pain and not like a muscle sore(after workout) could be something wrong with your form ..

I ALWAYS record myself deadlifting if I'm going for a new poundage. You should, then get people to do a form check on it.

My guess is that you get the correct way up and the wrong way down.

good advice. i never check on this b4

Do you warmup before maxing your weight?

I used to have bad form and causes me lower back pain. i stop doing it for 4 months.

After fully recovered, nowadays i will start my session with few sets of warm up, at least 5 sets of 3 reps each. pyramid up. once reach my working weight than will bust 2-3 set of 5.

btw, i would recommend no belt at all for the warm up.

cheers! SEX!

i feel the same way too during my deadlift.
shifting the hips back first when going down?

If you are deadlifting anywhere close to your 5RM...there's no need to control descending, waste energy and very stress to your lower back. Just relax and descend quickly then retightEn Your body for the next rep.

Just like how you do squat you would descend quicker than going up.

Maybe I care too much about the weight dropping too hard on the floor haha

If your gym allows or they don't say anything bout it then to hell wuth it...my gym is located on first floor on top of restaurant, the restaurant owner told the gym owner to tell the gym members try not to slam the weight down on the floor cuz the dub dub dub sound can be heard from downstairs. But its really hard to control when you are deadlifting 200kg.

Best I can do is to put a layer of rubber mat that the gym have to absorb a little impact.

what about on lower weights? did you try 40kg? still got the pain? lifting belt maybe only on new PR just to be safe. but if you getting backpain, the belt may help but only hiding the problem.

For me, thinking of the deadlift as a "PUSHING" exercise instead of a "PULLING" exercise helped.

You should think about pushing the ground away through your heels instead of lifting with your back.

I did that and I felt 0 lower back sore.

today i tried deadlifting... felt my knees instead of lowerback. Feels like squat..

Probably because your hips are too low.

But if i dont lower my hips and bend my knees, I cant reach the bar.

That's why I never deadlift.

You meant you have the same issues as me?

Yes... legs to long and bad hamstring flexibility. Cant reach the bar down. Do RDLs.

the first and last thing you should do is to listen to this guy. I'm a 6 footer (184 cm) and i can perform the conventional deadlift just fine.

watch layne norton's vid. he covered the 3 main exercises, deadlift, benchpress and squats. the reason you felt more on your knees could be due to your setup. record yourself deadlifting and post it here for the others to provide advice (who knows darklight might come in as well).

This post has been edited by axtray: Nov 15 2015, 05:16 PM

Yeah I did watch his videos. He said different body types could have different postures to deadlifting but I followed his steps to setup. Still felt it more like knees area.

Next workout I will try using the smith machine to do squats.

if form is ok then probably the weight is too light for you.

or the back is so much stronger than your legs

try to avoid smith if possible. better to go free.

practice on a lower weight to get the movement correct. shoulder blades over bar, shins close to or touching the bar during grip, etc.

yeah for deadlift. my shins are close to the bar. grip is just beside my shoulder width stance. thrust it up with hips and hamstring and not just lifting it up. yet it still feels on my knees.

Smith machine for squats is going to be my first squat with weights. As mentioned before, the olympic bar is too damn heavy for me to carry on free. so thats why i wanna try maybe 10kg on smith machine since squats is just vertical movement. it will prevent injuries.

hmm i am afraid to try heavier as not sure if form is right. scared injury haha

the gym don't have the shorter bar which weight 15 kg?

Well deadlift uses similar muscles for the lift.so maybe you're just not feeling it yet when you go heavy then you'll feel the other muscles kick in. Ask some people to record you doing the lift. Then can review.

Olympic bar is 20kg. But you have better form to support. For smith. Its like a leaning back kinda position. So if possible, once you get comfy with the squat and can do 20kg. Switch to the free weight squat. But that's only imho.


This post has been edited by panda-man: Nov 15 2015, 10:41 PM

tak ada bro. the shorter bar cannot use the thing to hang.. cause too short.

yeah.. maybe i try the smith tmr for squats. and try deadlift again for free weights. people watching me do also never try to comment or help if I was doing it wrong. LOL

if i was a veteran lifter.. and if i see a newbie doing it wrong will go correct him/her

Ask. "Bro.. you know how to deadlift ah? Can pls help me ah?"

light deadlifting 60 kg???

If you can't squat with the olympic bar.. Then do bodyweight squat or use light dumbbells..

Its not a proper squat on smith machine..

i tried using the goblet. but i figured it might be easier to let the weight hang on top of my shoulders.

Jangan la smith. Use those 10kg bars ka 15kg bars ka that ppl use to curl for squat. Smith is just not the same as barbell squat.

A friend just tried today. There is no good carry over from smith to bb squat.

but there is no place to rack the barbells safely. like an area to squat and rack. we do have barbells with 10kg and 15kg.

10 15kg wont crush u to death if thats what u mean.

Perhaps your knees are too far forward? Take a video and show us.

I am saying that due to being new to this. I am afraid if my legs or hips give way. and if I lose balance, there is no safety bars or place to rack the barbells. hmm..

i will try. cause i work out alone.....lowyat forum can post videos ka? I dont know how lol.

This post has been edited by BacktoBasics: Nov 16 2015, 08:54 AM

What I mean is that 10 15kg wont crush you. Drop those weights backward if you really cant make it.

No offense bro but i still find it hard to believe that you can't even squat the olympic bar.. maybe u dunno how to squat properly. Drop your ego and do bodyweight squat.. Avoid smith machine at all cost!

1. Place dumbbell on the floor. Set your phone against it so you can record yourself.
2. Upload video to YouTube and post link here.
3. ?????
4. Get your form check by experienced lifters here. PROFIT!!!

if you can perform a vertical jump and land without breaking anything, im sure legs can handle 20kg squat. but start with bodyweight squat to get the form.

does your gym have a squat rack? that provides some safety measures. or if you see one of the PT's just ask them to help spot you and check your form. of course try find those that actually squat. then ask him/her for deadlift help too while you are at it.

This post has been edited by panda-man: Nov 16 2015, 09:20 AM

its not that I cannot squat with olympic bar. I never tried it yet. Cause last week I tried using free weights olympic bar for bench press and I could barely lift up the bar. lol. I do bodyweight squats about 15 reps for 4 sets about 2 times a week.

I mentioned and thought of using smith machine cause I saw one member who used smith machine that normally people use for bench press. He used it for squats with weights. So then I thought to myself, Oh you can use it that way too.

Then I thought it is safer as well still I can *hook* the weights back anytime at any position.

yeah i will try tonight. the free weights olympic bar only with no weights.

Okay bro. will try it tonight. Hope its not too packed. Monday is chest day and they be benching and queuing like mad LOL

I will try oylmpic bar only tonight to see if I can take the extra weights.

and no we dont have a squat rack. normally I go gym about 9pm and PT and staff members are all off duty and went back.

I think I will record or try to ask someone tonight.

by the way, yesterday I felt the deadlift soreness. Not sure if it sore where it should be, my butt cheeks and my back is sore.

wut, no squat rack, then maybe no choice but to use the dreaded smith. what gym is it?

anytime fitness. hahaha so using smith is safer?

anytime fitness DP is it? i walked in and then walked out because no squat rack... the one at solaris is pretty good tough. i dont squat that heavy, but i still need the rack hahah.

imho, the smith isnt safer because:
1. weird leaning backwards type of posture. chance of slipping.
2. once the weight is heavy, gotta lift it up off the rack, then twist it to make sure hooks arent gonna catch.
3. chance of hooks catching/knocking the rack.

but some people love the smith. i tried few times, but cant get a comfortable squat or even bench press.

hmm. then I think I will try the free weights today. 20kgs on my shoulders should be fine. Place the weights on the traps right?then support with two hands without lifting it.

Hopefully the free weights barbell area is less crowded.. then again.. its chest day monday LOL

yeah bar should rest on the traps. it will hurt at first. so some people put a towel. but i stopped doing that and after several sessions. now no pain from the bar.

Oh don't worry about that.. The strongest muscle is our leg as we use it everyday.. Everyone can easily squat their own bodyweight pretty quick..

I think they have this black foam thing that I can use to ease the pain. Will go check out again. Maybe it was the member's personal item that he carries to gym.

free weights barbell tonight lol

Traps? IMHO, the bar should rest as low as possible while you clip your shoulder blade. Once your traps are bigger, it will bulge and the bar won't sit steadily there.

most important is your form.... will help if you watch lodsa u tube vids about it....

depends on preference. but he needs to test them out and whichever is more comfortable.

^this

I did watch some youtube videos. most people will do a low bar one.

is this a picture of you?

No.. I simply search at google..

Normally powerlifters would go for low bar cause less depth = more weights.. if you're not competing.. Its more beneficial to do high bar squat as it work more on your quad.. low bar squat works more on glute/hamstring which already covered by deadlift..

thanks for the pro tip. will work on it

If you cant squat with an empty bar it just means that you are not ready for it.
Do bodyweight exercise or goblet squat with dumbbells.

Feeling it on your knees during deadlift may just mean that your hips are too low, knees too far forward. As always, video recording of yourself doing the exercise will help us troubleshoot your problem properly. Otherwise you just have to trial and error.

Oasis and Kota Kemuning also got rack what.
Still can't believe you can't squat a empty 20kg barbell. Even girls can do that.

Also, please avoid playing with the Smith machine. You wouldn't engage your core stability as much as free weights as the machine is stabilising the weight for you

no bro. I didnt say I cannot. I havent try. The other time i mentioned about olympic barbell is that using it to bench press. squats i havent try.

so far deadlift I tried 30kg. It wasnt difficult. but i just mentioned I felt it at the wrong places.

will do. I just thought of it as I saw the other members do it in the gym. So I thought oh you can do it like that on the smith machine.

I workout in the gym while observing people on how and what they do. cause I am still learning. Long way to go.

I watch youtubers workout with proper form and stuff. Easier said than done. Needs practise.

This post has been edited by BacktoBasics: Nov 16 2015, 01:49 PM

i learnt my deadlift form via Crossfit....

love the deadlift

anytime doesnt give you a free PT session?

No offence but you didn't use barbell for deadlift? Use smith machine?

hes talking about smith for squat.

I used barbell for deadlift. Hamptons. 30kg.

I was saying that I was thinking about using smith machine for weighted squats since I saw some members did that.

bingo. anyttime fitness gave me free PT but the PT only taught me how to use machines. and treadmill and the bicycle machine.

and he was the one to tell me to use machines first. Dumbells and barbells are for the advanced. So dont bother first about those.

I only started to learn about deadlifts. squats. and barbell stuff bench press. dumbell press from youtube.



This post has been edited by BacktoBasics: Nov 16 2015, 02:05 PM

Have you heard of starting strength?
Search on YouTube, he has some good videos

Must be really a small barbell since you said you can't lift the 20kg barbell during bench press.

Just did a search on youtube. Its mark rippletoe haha

thats why i find it weird. I dont know. Smith machine was easy since they do all the balancing for me already. I am able to do 20kg on smith. Maybe I am weak??

This post has been edited by BacktoBasics: Nov 16 2015, 02:08 PM

different muscles lah bro. deadlift & squat max will be more than bench. if its the other way around, then need to adjust work out plan.

have you checked the resistance on the smith machine? each machine is kinda different. you mean 20kg of plates? or total weight?

yeah. thats why I was saying that my shoulders might be able to support the extra weight. I been doing bodyweight squats. It is getting easier...well...at least it seems so to me...

So i thought I might wanna decrease the reps and add weights to it. cause i never try before.

lot of good beginners programs out there. starting strength, 5x5. im working my way up 5x5 right now after a year haitus due to injury. quite like the program.

The other day I tried looking for the resistance when unloaded... Its not stated on the smith machine. 20kg I meant 10 kg plates per side. so total weight is 20kg assuming it is 0 when unloaded which I dont think so at all.

O.o i watch chris jones LOL. he is massive hahaha.

show some progress and results?

Know lah is different muscles but for those also cannot do an empty barbell rep shows how not ready he is.

Like I said. I am not sure now but I dont think I can engage my biceps or chest to lift up the empty barbell. but I think I can handle the extra weight on my shoulders/ traps. just maybe. need to try tonight

if u can do decent pushups, empty bar is no problem la.
in general a pushup is 60% of ur bodyweight.

resistance at my gyms one is i think 9kg. i think its not the cannot do, but afraid to do hehe. let us know the outcome.

yeah I can do pushups

alright bro.

alright here goes today's workout.

I stepped into the gym at 9.30pm. I saw there is this Aussie Staff that I never seen before sitting at the office.

I think he is here to do some inspection.

Anyways, here goes... I tried fiddling with the free weights barbell and I found out that there are smaller barbells but they are so short. I think those are 15kg ones.

Nevertheless, i tried benching with it. No problems with that. Just balancing issues. and the rack is not suitable I think for short barbells 15kg.

So then, I tried the 20kg ones. I can also bench it but unstable as expected. So next I tried squating with it. I also can do it. But problem is the racking part. There is this part of the barbell between the weights and the bar. That round thing to rack the barbell.

It seems that one side shorter and one side longer. Not sure if can adjust. Surprisingly monday chest day so empty. So cant ask anyone to put the plates to stabilize them. I tried putting 5kg each side and it cost problems to rack it back and the plates moved but didnt fall out.

Then i lost patience, I went to ask the Aussie staff dude to teach me to setup the free weights barbell for bench press and squats.

He immediately told me nono. I think you can better off with the smith machine said the Aussie dude.

He told me it is dangerous to work out alone with free weights and just ignored teaching me how to setup. He points to the smith machine and said that it is safer to use it.

So today I used the smith machine to squat for the first time and used the usual dumbbells to chest press. Managed to do 18kg plates in total to squat 3 sets at 15 reps each. Not too difficult it seems. Not sure how much resistance for smith machine barbell unloaded.

Then I asked the Aussie dude, so how about deadlift? Can you teach me how to do it?

Then he said I dont recommend you to do deadlift. In fact, anytime fitness has this unwritten rule to not do deadlifts. Thats why you see there is no rack for barbell squats and stuff.

Then the big aussie dude said even I dont do deadlifts myself. Its far too dangerous and you might injure yourself.

So no choice but to say okay lor...

This post has been edited by BacktoBasics: Nov 17 2015, 12:03 AM