Deadlifts..For Back? Or for Legs?

[PWGriffin]

There seems to be a lot of people who believe that deadlifts and their many variants are for the...lower back. I am going to disspell this belief right now with a very basic explanation.

Show of hands...the lower back, or more specifically, the spinal erectors, or erector spinae undergo what type of muscular contraction during a deadlift? Anyone? ISOMETRIC. This means there is tension but there is no elongating or shortening of muscle fibers.

During what other compound, free weight movements do the spinal erectors contract isometrically? Anyone? All of them. Unless you are letting your back round and then flex your spine....you lower back should remain neutral at all times...for reasons of safety. When I first started training, a client of mine complained of lower back pain, when we had done no "lower back" work...a friend of mine then taught me..."everything is back work" heh.

Moving on now. What movement takes place in a deadlift? Hip Extension. What muscles are primarily responsible for hip extension? The gluteals and hamstrings (with some help from the erectors, this hip extending trio is sometimes referred to as the Posterior Chain) What muscles undergo the actual eccentric and concentric contraction during a deadlift? The Gluteals and Hamstrings again.

You may ask, "well why do I FEEL it in my lower back so much more?" Well, lots of reasons, all of which are bad lmao. There could be some kind of supercompensation taking place. Poor form. Maybe you have a weak core and it's playing catch up. (do the machines much?) I don't know, I would have to meet you and train you for a bit personally. I will tell you that I do Romanian deadlifts with close to 300lbs for reps without so much as a pump in my lower back now. Perhaps you will have to build up to that point as I have. Who the fuck knows.

I hope you all found this informative and entertaining!!!

[_Wolf_]

i did...good post bro!

[sLiPkNoT Fan]

Once again a great post by PWGriffin.

Deadlifts are an exercise everyone needs to learn to do. An exercise is only dangerous with poor form, too much weight or a combination of both. I just started doing deadlifts again after over a year break due to my knee surgery. I love the feeling of a heavy deadlift as the whole body is involved in some way or another.

After a session of deadlifts, I usually stay away from lower body and shoulder/trap work the next day or two. Chest and arms are what I usually exercise after deadlift day. I also skip bent-rows if I do deadlifts as my lower back starts to fatigue and I do not want to risk injury/ excessive soreness.

[_Wolf_]

why r u in the red?

[digitor]

Good post, the erector spinae do not cross the hip and therefore only contract isometrically during hip extension. Like you said, unless spinal alignment is changed, as in a stupid exercise called seated cable rows (which some flex and extend their spine on, some don't), then its all iso.

[PWGriffin]

Originally Posted by Sentinel

why r u in the red?

because I am completely useless!!

[PWGriffin]

Originally Posted by digitor

Good post, the erector spinae do not cross the hip and therefore only contract isometrically during hip extension. Like you said, unless spinal alignment is changed, as in a stupid exercise called seated cable rows (which some flex and extend their spine on, some don't), then its all iso.

Thx for the assist.

Not a big fan of cable seated rows in general or the retarded "sling em up" version??

[digitor]

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

Thx for the assist.

Not a big fan of cable seated rows in general or the retarded "sling em up" version??

No I'm not, why replace free weight with a machine on such a crucial type of exercise as rowing? That's my opinion anyway. It's like doing cable bench presses, which is a cack idea

[Squat200]

EXRX is a great site for showing all kinds of weight training excercises and confirms what PWGriffin has said. You know your stuff m8.
Here it shows the deadlift and which muscles it works, and it's listed under hips, not back.
Barbell Deadlift
My understanding of anatomy can't be too good becasue if you look at the video of the deadlift it does look like it works the lower back when he straightens up, but like i say I don't really know the location of the muscles around this area of the body, or what the muscles around the hips do. I wrongly assumed from looking at the video that the deadlift was a lower back excercise, now I know better and I am going to include the deadlift in my routine for my hams and glutes in 2007, once my lower back has the all clear from the Doc because even though its not a lower back excercise if my form is less than perfect I might be in trouble.
As for cable rows, no doubt you guys are right but you you explain this to me. You see I always thought they were just as good as, say bent-over rows because its a pulling not pushing movement so pulling a cable towards you should be the same as pulling a barbell towards you in terms of stabilizers. What is the crucial difference?
Thanks.

[PWGriffin]

Originally Posted by digitor

No I'm not, why replace free weight with a machine on such a crucial type of exercise as rowing? That's my opinion anyway. It's like doing cable bench presses, which is a cack idea

I don't mind cable work, as it can move in all three planes. I use exercise specific machines....never. I rarely use cables though either. Perhaps if I was on some super high volume routine and needed some filler exercises.

Anybody else's chest get in the way on DB rows??

[digitor]

Originally Posted by Squat200

EXRX is a great site for showing all kinds of weight training excercises and confirms what PWGriffin has said. You know your stuff m8.
Here it shows the deadlift and which muscles it works, and it's listed under hips, not back.
Barbell Deadlift
My understanding of anatomy can't be too good becasue if you look at the video of the deadlift it does look like it works the lower back when he straightens up, but like i say I don't really know the location of the muscles around this area of the body, or what the muscles around the hips do. I wrongly assumed from looking at the video that the deadlift was a lower back excercise, now I know better and I am going to include the deadlift in my routine for my hams and glutes in 2007, once my lower back has the all clear from the Doc because even though its not a lower back excercise if my form is less than perfect I might be in trouble.
As for cable rows, no doubt you guys are right but you you explain this to me. You see I always thought they were just as good as, say bent-over rows because its a pulling not pushing movement so pulling a cable towards you should be the same as pulling a barbell towards you in terms of stabilizers. What is the crucial difference?
Thanks.

You can't train the erector spinae directly, unless you want to flex your spine and put all the strain on your ligaments holding your vertebrae together. The only way to train them is with isometric exercises like deadlifts, hyperextensions and so on. The problem with cable rows is that it allows you to articulate the spine back and forth, placing strain on the ligaments. So yes, cable rows allows a dynamic flexion and extension of the erector spinae, but its no good for the structures of the back.

As for bent over rows vs. cable rows, I'm sure you know about free weights vs. machine type exercises. Cable rows IMO should be reserved for those with lumbar problems or experienced bodybuilders who can already barbell row huge numbers and need an exercise that provides different stimulation/stretches etc.

[ForemanRules]

Good post, deads hit many muscles and when I do them my quads, glutes and hamstrings really get sore.

[BiggerThnU]

Nice post.

[Malley]

I used to dead on back day all the time, but by the time my leg day came around I realized my lower back along with my hammies were much to tired to squat. So on leg day they went.

Oh good post P.