Have you ever done deadlifts and the next day you feel like your low back took the brunt of the workout? We all know the deadlift is supposed to be the ultimate back exercise, but your low back shouldn't be paying the price.
Don’t get me wrong, your lower back is working, but it’s not supposed to be the driver. If your lower back is always hurting post deadlfits, then you my friend have a hip mobility problem that’s preventing you from pulling from the floor safely.
HOW HIP MOBILITY EFFECTS YOUR LOWER BACK
If your hip can't flex (knee toward chest), without your lumbar spine moving, you're lower back is going to step in and try to help. Specifically when you're deadlifting, the closer your torso can get to your quads without your back rounding, the better. Not to mention, when you go to explode off of the floor, those happy hips will slingshot you right up to the sky!
A LOW BACK FRIENDLY DEADLIFT ALTERNATIVE
The purpose of today’s coaching is to share a great alternative you can do that will require less hip mobility by having you pull off of blocks instead of the floor. I’ll show you why this helps and how to determine the height you should be lifting off of in the video above.
The goal is to keep you deadlifting without jacking up your back, while you work on your hip mobility. Keep the rest of your body strong with this alternative so when your low back pain is gone, you’ll be ready to crush your deadlifts from the floor again.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
You’ll need your standard deadlift setup with a barbell and plates
To elevate the bar off of the ground, you can use plates…watch the video above for my explanation on determining the height that will work for your body.
PVC pipe or something similar that prevents your back from rounding.
HOW TO PROGRAM THIS IN YOUR ROUTINE
I would recommend programming this exactly how you would do your normal deadlifts regardless of if you’re going for a lower or higher rep scheme - it doesn’t matter.
Watch the coaching video above and let me know how it went or if you have any questions.
GET TO THE ROOT OF YOUR HIP MOBILITY ISSUE
On a side note, the above alternative gives you a way to keep deadlifting so you can continue to make gains but if you want to get to the root of the problem so you can deadlift off of the floor without low back pain, I’d definitely recommend checking out the free mobility tools I’ve put together in the link below.
ABOUT COACH MATT PIPPIN
Matt is a Strength and Mobility Coach with over 15 years experience in his field and has coached over a thousand professional, collegiate and everyday athletes with the goal to help them move, feel and perform at their highest level. He's incredibly passionate about bringing simple and effective online mobility training programs to everyone who wants to take control of their self care and make lasting change. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Certifications:
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Level 3: Fascial Stretch Specialist
Level 1: Institute of Motion Health Coach
Certified FRC Mobility Specialist (FRCms)
Level 1 Kinstretch Instructor
Weck Method Qualified