Alternatives to the deadlift.

[monster squad]

I need a worthwile, hopefully temporary, substitute for my deadlifts. I fell down a flight of stairs in Feb. (ice on an outdoor, metal stairway), and messed up my left knee and lower back. Stopped doing deads and squats for a month, got back into squats no problem, but deads slaughter my back. I can only do like 135 lbs. right now, and that kills me. Tried 155 this past week and could only get one rep in. I should be doing three times that as a warmup. The lift isn't a bother, it's on the way back down that I run into problems. It feels like I'm getting shot in the back or something. I've tried everything I could to protect my back in form, and nothing works.

The only thing I can think of is leg curls and rows for now. Anything better?

 

[shaunuk]

Damn, that sucks man. You might wanna get to the doc and get it checked out, if things are hurting you that bad.

Do a posterior core movement (leg curls aren't the best), i.e. a heavy goodmorning, and barbell rows.

-shaun

 

[stronglifts]

I need a worthwile, hopefully temporary, substitute for my deadlifts. I fell down a flight of stairs in Feb. (ice on an outdoor, metal stairway), and messed up my left knee and lower back. Stopped doing deads and squats for a month, got back into squats no problem, but deads slaughter my back. I can only do like 135 lbs. right now, and that kills me. Tried 155 this past week and could only get one rep in. I should be doing three times that as a warmup. The lift isn't a bother, it's on the way back down that I run into problems. It feels like I'm getting shot in the back or something. I've tried everything I could to protect my back in form, and nothing works.

The only thing I can think of is leg curls and rows for now. Anything better?

If you can squat, you can deadlift. The movement is similar.

Read this article on deadlift safety

 

[EFFORT]

If the deadlift is hurting you simply don't do it for now. Keep working the squats, you'll be fine. Don't do any exercise that causes it any pain, nothing heavy. Some light pullthroughs should be fine do something like 4x15

 

[monster squad]

Derpdy duh. I finally realized what I was going wrong. Somewhere along the way my grip got too close, and I was rounding my back just a bit. Business as usual now.

Back still hurts most of the time though. I've had problems ever since I was a kid. I was like 7 and was playing king of the hill with some kids who were twice my size, little tough guy that I was. They threw my ass down the ****ing hill and I landed flat on my back. Went into brief paralysis. Those ***holes just picked me up and dropped me off at my parents house, then ran home. I was able to get up a few minutes later, but I had shooting pain in my back for years. Doctors could never find anything wrong though. Now it pops up here and there, and my little spill in Feb. did nothing to help matters.

Or maybe I'm just sleeping wrong, since some days I'm perfectly fine. It's usually isolated to my left side, and that's how I tend to sleep.