"Overdoing" it at training - Deadlifts???

[chuggafugga]

This story started yesterday evening at my local David Lloyd's, so here we have myself, my mate and his cousin whom is approximately the same height as me, I'm 13.5 stone and 5ft 9 so roughly I'm weighing in at 85kg myself, we've been going to the gym a few weeks now and basically have now started doing "deadlifts" as part of a weekly routine for shoulders or upper body strength perhaps.

Now bear in mind I'm by no stretch of the imagination having any experiance in PTI but anyway the hex bar comes out which itself weighs 30kg and 2 x 20kg weights on side by side, so that

Beginning:

70kg - 10 reps manageable although not exactly light
110kg - Got a few out of it but like say 4
150kg - Here I'm virtually straining my back and I have one guy behind me pointing out it's my "technique"

The question is, am I right in saying that trying to deadlift more than you can manage and than going up not only risking an injury but retarded as a thought? Bearing in mind I was bantering with an ex-para last night whom said he wasn't even a fan as he picked up injury because of it.

Now bearing in mind today my back is aching and I'll be skipping gym until I've recovered

 

[dingerr]

The question is, am I right in saying that trying to deadlift more than you can manage and than going up not only risking an injury but retarded as a thought? Bearing in mind I was bantering with an ex-para last night whom said he wasn't even a fan as he picked up injury because of it.

sounds like you’ve made a common mistake and gone to impress at the gym.

I don’t know what you are trying to achieve in terms of building/maintaining mass/tone/cv, but the simplest advice I can offer (from what you’ve said) is stick to the 70kg, that appears to be your limit for now, attempt three sets of ten (In one gym session) Once you can do that go up weight, but in small increments (5kg total), keep doing sets of ten/incremental changes. Eventually you’ll get to a weight where on your third set you won’t hit 10, this is your plateau and where your body is most efficient for maximum gains. It may take a few sessions to get past your plateau and can be disheartening, but eventually you’ll hit it, probably move up a few increments then hit another plateau, but that’s the name of the game.

Technique is everything. Spend your recovery wisely, weight training is a science, watch some videos for proper technique and do a bit of reading up.

Only compete in the gym with yourself, not others and try and find a good training partner for motivation and support - 3 or more never works

 

[dingerr]

WARM UP & STRETCH AFTER

 

[chuggafugga]

sounds like you’ve made a common mistake and gone to impress at the gym.

No, this is under the direction of an idiot whose thinking going up in these increments is clever, mind you this idiot is also quite strong himself and well built and has obviously been doing it alot longer than myself, but sage advice regards to the lifting etc,

 

[clanky]

Have a look at Stronglift 5x5 in you app store.

 

[Mrsheeny]

I did this, started with the deadlifts with a view to lifting light to get the correct technique but lo and behold a fit bird started lifting the same next to me and I had to lump on the weights to lift a lot heavier, cue bad back for the next week or two.

 

[adouglasmhor]

If you have a smart phone, or an I phone, get the stronglifts 5X5 app, unless your cycling Dianabol or the like, I don't think you are going to be able to manage what they are asking of you.

 

[WatchingWater]

This story started yesterday evening at my local David Lloyd's, so here we have myself, my mate and his cousin whom is approximately the same height as me, I'm 13.5 stone and 5ft 9 so roughly I'm weighing in at 85kg myself, we've been going to the gym a few weeks now and basically have now started doing "deadlifts" as part of a weekly routine for shoulders or upper body strength perhaps.

Now bear in mind I'm by no stretch of the imagination having any experiance in PTI but anyway the hex bar comes out which itself weighs 30kg and 2 x 20kg weights on side by side, so that

Beginning:

70kg - 10 reps manageable although not exactly light
110kg - Got a few out of it but like say 4
150kg - Here I'm virtually straining my back and I have one guy behind me pointing out it's my "technique"

The question is, am I right in saying that trying to deadlift more than you can manage and than going up not only risking an injury but retarded as a thought? Bearing in mind I was bantering with an ex-para last night whom said he wasn't even a fan as he picked up injury because of it.

Now bearing in mind today my back is aching and I'll be skipping gym until I've recovered

I wouldn't rush into deadlifting unless you're very aware of your own body, or have an experienced lifter with you. I would point out that the hex bar deadlift is a lot easier for getting the form right, as it tends to be a lot more 'upright'.

I would suggest looking up a few form videos/articles that highlight the differences.

I wouldn't say that 150kg is too heavy, especially for hex bar, but I would say that if you're are new to the technique, don't rush to go too heavy, focus on 5 sets of 5 reps to begin with, then when you're comfortable with the form, you can try doing sets of 2 or 1 at a heavier weight.

 

[AsterixTG]

How old are you? Gen q.

Even 5x5 only has one set of DLs, rather than five, for a good reason.

I personally warm up with sets of six, increase 20kg each time until it starts to get heavy, then 10's & 5's. I stop as soon as I feel form slipping.

I use straps over 110kg (dislike mixed grip) and belt over 120kg. I'm 77kgs. 5'11. Max I've worked up to this year is 170kg.

That's normal bar, stuff I have to lift is never around me, always in front.

 

[chuggafugga]

How old are you?

35

 

[Escape-from-PPRuNe]

You should definitely have a hip-hinge movement like a deadlift in any strength programme, but it doesn't have to be the conventional barbell one. Depending on how long/short your arms/legs/trunk are, the angles will be different. There are a lot of variations on the basic lift and grip, try different ones until you find one that suits.

Remember that your back should be as flat as possible rather than rounded, and the bar should travel as close to your legs as possible and as close to vertical as possible, so the variation you use needs to permit you to do that. This is what the guy yelling "technique" will have been on about. As someone has said, the hex bar or trap bar is a good choice.

That said, going up by increments of 40kg during a workout is a terrible idea - you won't be lifting heavy enough for strength gains at the bottom, while you'll be going into the maximum effort cold at the top. Programs like the 5/3/1 family or Stronglifts or whatever usually increment by 5-10kg between sets and use your 3 rep max as a reference.

 

[Caecilius]

Deadlift isn't really a high-rep exercise. It puts a huge strain on the body and you run a real risk of injury if you do loads of reps.

Try working up to 1 heavy set of 5, and probably only once or twice a week. Start with 90kgs and do 5. If you can manage that, try doing 100 the next week, and so on. Eventually you'll find you need to take a couple of weeks to get past a sticking point. Ideally this should also be combined with other lower body stuff like squats and hip thrusts to help generate strength.

For a warm up, I normally do a number of increasing sets from a low weight up to my working weight. I'll start doing one set of five with no bar, then a set with just the bar, then a set with a light weight on each side, then I go up in 30/40kg increments depending on what my max weight is for that day. That's a warm up to a weight I know I can handle though, not a strength exercise in itself. I'm only really training for that heavy set alone.

Do you really want to do deadlifts though? They aren't a great upper body exercise - it's more of a posterior chain strengthener really. If you want to get stronger then the Stronglifts 5 x 5 programme mentioned above is excellent.


Three closing points on technique:
1. Do them in front of a mirror if you can, then you'll be able to see where you're going wrong. Even better if you can find an angled mirror that will show you if you're rounding your back.
2. Look online for articles about how to do it. I recommend this one: How to Deadlift with Proper Form: The Definitive Guide | StrongLifts
3. Don't bounce off the floor. A deadlift set shouldn't be continuous movement. Do one rep, then reset for a second with the bar on the floor before you do your next one.

 

[Kalu19]

Record yourself doing the movement at each weight.

If your back is rounding then you're going too heavy and are beginning to lift with your back rather than your legs.

All of your momentum should be coming from driving through your heels, rather than ripping the bar from the floor which in turn leads to back-rounding.

 

[AsterixTG]

3. Don't bounce off the floor. A deadlift set shouldn't be continuous movement. Do one rep, then reset for a second with the bar on the floor before you do your next one.

Yes, please for the love of God, take note of this.

 

[AsterixTG]

35

Take it easy man - DLs can break you if not done correctly & recovery can be more important than the actual lifting as you get older.

 

[dingerr]

Deadlift isn't really a high-rep exercise.

That’s true, Eddie Hall can only do one.

 

[Caecilius]

That’s true, Eddie Hall can only do one.

Imagine being strong enough not only to lift 500, but also to hold it at the top and look around for a bit at all the weaklings in the room with you.

 

[BugsyIV]

Why Deadlift? Unless you compete in Deadlift don't bother.
Advice from one of the strongest guys around.

 

[Harry Skinters]

I did 160 kg 2x1 rep the other week
I tried it again the next week and couldn't get it off the ground.
So I tried twice more because I'm a twat.
Back still hurts now.

 

[Harry Skinters]

@AsterixTG I found some Dorian yates programme on YouTube
Chest and biceps
Back
Day off
Shoulders and triceps
Legs
Day off and repeat.
Been walking around with imaginary carpets under my arms, thinking of buying a bandana and loud silky tracky bottoms.
Been calling everyone Buddy as well.

Cant work to absolute failure without training partner but close enough.