The deadlift is one of the most powerful exercises you can do, building full-body strength and muscle. But learning how to deadlift without hurting your back is crucial for safety and long-term progress. If you’ve ever felt a twinge of lower back pain after a lifting session, you know how important proper form is. At The Movement Guild, our expert physical therapists in Chicago help people move better and build strength safely, and we want to share that knowledge with you.
Many lifters in Chicago and beyond avoid deadlifts out of fear of injury, especially to the lower back. This is understandable, as improper technique can place significant strain on the spine. The key isn’t to avoid this powerful movement but to master it. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to perform a deadlift correctly, protect your back, and unlock your full strength potential.
By understanding the mechanics, engaging the right muscles, and preparing your body properly, you can make the deadlift a cornerstone of your fitness routine. We’ll cover everything from setting up the bar to common mistakes to avoid, ensuring you can lift with confidence.
Why Do Deadlifts Hurt Your Back?
Before we dive into proper form, it’s important to understand why back pain occurs during deadlifts. Most of the time, it’s not the exercise itself but how it’s performed. When you lift with poor mechanics, your lower back often compensates for weakness or poor activation in other muscles.
The most common culprit is a rounded lower back. When your spine flexes under load, it places immense pressure on your vertebral discs and surrounding ligaments instead of the strong muscles of your posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings). This can lead to strains, sprains, or more serious disc injuries. This rounding often happens because the hips are too high, the core isn’t braced, or the lifter is trying to move too much weight too soon.
Another reason for back pain is a lack of engagement from the glutes and hamstrings. The deadlift is primarily a hip-hinge movement, meaning your hips should be the main drivers. If you initiate the lift by pulling with your back instead of pushing the floor away with your legs and extending your hips, your lumbar spine takes on a role it wasn’t designed for. Our approach to physical therapy in Chicago, IL, focuses on retraining these movement patterns to build resilience and prevent injury.
How to Deadlift Without Hurting Your Back: A Step-by-Step Guide
Mastering the deadlift is a process. Follow these steps to ensure your technique is safe and effective.
1. The Setup: Your Foundation for a Safe Lift
Your setup determines the success of the entire lift. Rushing this step is a common mistake that can lead to injury.
- Foot Placement: Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Your toes should point mostly forward.
- Bar Position: The barbell should be directly over the middle of your feet. If you look down, the bar should “cut your feet in half.” This ensures the bar travels in a straight, efficient path.
- Grip: Hinge at your hips and bend your knees to grip the bar. Your hands should be just outside your shins. You can use a double-overhand grip or a mixed grip (one palm forward, one back), but start with a double-overhand grip to build foundational strength.
- Shin Position: Lower your hips until your shins lightly touch the barbell. Your hips should be lower than your shoulders but higher than your knees. Avoid squatting down too low, as this turns the deadlift into a different exercise.
2. Bracing Your Core: Create a Protective Shield
Proper core bracing is non-negotiable for protecting your spine. It creates intra-abdominal pressure, which acts like a natural weightlifting belt to stabilize your trunk.
- The “Big Air” Technique: Take a deep breath into your belly, not your chest. Imagine expanding your entire midsection 360 degrees—front, sides, and back.
- Engage Your Lats: Pull your shoulder blades down and back, as if you’re trying to put them in your back pockets. This engages your latissimus dorsi muscles (“lats”), which helps keep the bar close to your body and maintains a neutral spine. Think about “squeezing oranges” in your armpits.
3. The Pull: Pushing the Floor Away
The deadlift is more of a “push” than a “pull.”
- Initiate with Your Legs: Begin the lift by driving your feet through the floor. Think about “pushing the world away” from you. This ensures your legs and hips do the initial work, not your back.
- Maintain a Neutral Spine: As you lift, keep your chest up and your back flat. Your hips and shoulders should rise at the same time. If your hips shoot up first, your back is likely to round.
- Keep the Bar Close: The bar should travel in a straight line, almost grazing your shins and thighs on the way up. If the bar drifts away from you, it puts more strain on your lower back.
4. The Lockout: Finish with Your Hips
The lockout is the final phase where you stand up straight with the weight.
- Squeeze Your Glutes: As the bar passes your knees, drive your hips forward to meet the bar. Squeeze your glutes powerfully at the top to complete the hip extension.
- Avoid Hyperextension: Stand tall, but do not lean back or hyperextend your lower back. Your body should form a straight line at the top.
5. The Descent: Lowering with Control
How you lower the weight is just as important as how you lift it.
- Hinge First: Initiate the descent by pushing your hips back. Keep the bar close to your body.
- Bend Your Knees: Once the bar clears your knees, you can bend them more to lower the bar to the floor.
- Maintain Control: Don’t just drop the weight (unless you need to for safety). Lower it with control to maintain tension and practice good form.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Even with the best intentions, form can break down. Here are some common errors to watch for.
Mistake #1: A Rounded Back
- The Problem: Lifting with a flexed spine, which places dangerous stress on your discs.
- The Fix: Lower the weight and focus on core bracing and lat engagement. Film yourself from the side to check your form. If you’re struggling, exercises like hip hinges and planks can strengthen the muscles needed for a neutral spine.
Mistake #2: Hips Rising Too Fast
- The Problem: Your hips shoot up before your chest and shoulders, leaving your back to lift the weight.
- The Fix: Focus on the cue “push the floor away.” Ensure your chest and hips rise together. This is often a sign of weak quads or trying to lift too heavy.
Mistake #3: The Bar Drifting Away from Your Body
- The Problem: When the bar is too far forward, it increases the lever arm and places more torque on your lower back.
- The Fix: Engage your lats by thinking about “pulling the bar into your shins.” This will keep the bar on the correct path.
Need Help with Your Deadlift?
If you’re in the Chicago area and experiencing back pain or want to perfect your lifting technique, our team at The Movement Guild is here to help. We offer personalized sports rehab and personal training programs to help you move safely and achieve your goals. Our experts can analyze your movement patterns and create a plan tailored to your body.
Get Started on Your Pain-Free Lifting Journey
Learning how to deadlift without hurting your back is about mastering the fundamentals: a solid setup, a braced core, and a proper hip hinge. By focusing on technique over weight, you can build incredible strength while keeping your spine safe. Remember to start light, prioritize form, and be patient with your progress.
Ready to take your strength to the next level without pain? Request an appointment at one of our Chicago locations today. Our team is dedicated to helping you move out of pain and perform at your best.