Yesterday was my 2nd day of the break-in program. I woke up today and my lower back was extremely sore! Is this soreness from the deadlifts or close-grip pull downs?
I feel so out of shape. I've been lifting for years and have not been this sore. I have not worked out for 3 weeks due to a surgery, so I'm hoping some of this soreness is because of inactivity for 3 weeks.
Normally, with a light soreness, you could workout through it, but I wouldn't do any other lifting that put your back in jeopardy. No DLs or squats until you get through this.
Even with lifting forever, a change in set/reps can induce soreness. Even a move from DL styles can do it. Change is change.
Hopefully, by next workout you'll be good. If not work the lifts you can safely do with your back and take a breather on the rest.
Normally, with a light soreness, you could workout through it, but I wouldn't do any other lifting that put your back in jeopardy. No DLs or squats until you get through this.
Even with lifting forever, a change in set/reps can induce soreness. Even a move from DL styles can do it. Change is change.
Hopefully, by next workout you'll be good. If not work the lifts you can safely do with your back and take a breather on the rest.
Thanks for the input. I am going to take Sunday and Monday off... hopefully by Tuesday I will be ready to go!!
I've never done deadlifts before, so I am definitely using different muscles.
I think deadlifts take some getting used to. During Break-in, FLII and HTI I always ended up with a sore lower back. Finally in STI I started to really feel them in my glutes and hamstrings (and that continued in FLIII so it's not the change in rep ranges). Focus on squeezing these muscles when you lift and keep paying attention to your form. After a while I realized I was starting with my butt to low and changing that helped a lot.
Thanks for all the responses. I was a little concerned that I was doing the deadlifts improperly. I have never done them before until Friday. At time, I felt fine... then I woke up yesterday and was very sore. I am doing much better today.
I really like the break-in program so far. I feel like I get a great workout w/ doing so little exercises and sets. I look forward to seeing how far I can take my body w/ this prgram.
If you're concerned that you may be doing them properly, then it's important to have your form checked out by a trainer. Does your gym have staff that might be able to watch you perform DLs the next time?
If you're concerned that you may be doing them properly, then it's important to have your form checked out by a trainer. Does your gym have staff that might be able to watch you perform DLs the next time?
Yes, my gym has trainers. I will ask one of them to take a look. Thanks for the advice.
I am feeling much better today. Most of my soreness is gone.
By the way.... NROL says to not workout more than 2 days in a row... what about missing 2 days in a row or working out every other day?
Here is what my schedule will look like for the next two weeks:
*** I've recently started a part-time job. I don't like to work and go to the gym on the same day... because I want to spend my free time w/ my kids on the days I work. I don't want to stick them in the childcare after being gone from them all day.... it makes me feel guilty. By the way... my part-time job is only for the next four weeks... I'm a teacher... summers off!
I hope you're feeling better today. I'm right there with you just starting BI and have had similar soreness (though I can't blame mine on surgery -- just a big gut!).
I have a related form question (I work out at home, so no trainer to consult) -- on the descent, I tend to keep the bar in contact with my thighs, but past the knees is where I'm uncertain -- is it best to try and keep the bar in contact with the shins on the way down (as on the way up), or to go with what feels more natural to me and set the bar down while keeping it a few inches in front of my shins on the way down?
I'm glad this forum is here -- best wishes for success to all!
Thanks for all the responses. I was a little concerned that I was doing the deadlifts improperly. I have never done them before until Friday. At time, I felt fine... then I woke up yesterday and was very sore. I am doing much better today.
If you want to read more about proper deadlift form, this thread contains some good information and links:
Lisa,
I know you wrote that you liked the form of the woman doing the deadlift on Pacific Tigersk but I am curious about one aspect of her form: Her neck does not appear to me to be "neutral". I don't think "neutral" is the correct term, but the idea I recall you once wrote about is that the lifter should not have his neck be forward or back, just maintain the position as when one is standing. The Pacific Tiger lifter is looking straight ahead while she reaches down to grab the bar. Perhaps this is no big deal.
Her neck does not appear to me to be "neutral". I don't think "neutral" is the correct term, but the idea I recall you once wrote about is that the lifter should not have his neck be forward or back, just maintain the position as when one is standing. The Pacific Tiger lifter is looking straight ahead while she reaches down to grab the bar. Perhaps this is no big deal.
The body tends to follow the eyes. If you look down, the back has a tendancy to hunch.
From Mike Robertson's "10 tips for Flawless Squattin'":
Quote:
6) Focus on a Spot
Find a spot on the wall slightly above eye level and focus on it throughout your set. If you’re facing a mirror, it’s going to really tempt you to look down. Whether it’s to checkout how "swole" your legs are getting or to admire your flawless technique, the fact is that your body tends to follow your eyes. By looking down at the ground you increase the chance of your head and chest coming down, thereby caving over and ruining the set. If you can’t fight temptation, squat facing away from the mirror and keep your eyes up to ensure success.
I notice that on both the concentric and eccentric, she keeps the bar close to her shins and her quads. In lifting, I find it easy to keep the bar close on the concentric, but find that the more "natural" eccentric move is to let the bar descend further out from my shins.
Is it better form to work - and I mean put in extra effort - to keep the bar close to the shins on the eccentric, too?
I hope I'm not being too nitpicky, but as a 50-pound overweight, 38 year old new lifter, I'm trying to be extra-careful not to foul up my back, particularly at the outset.
Thanks again for all the great advice on this forum!!
Lisa,
I know you wrote that you liked the form of the woman doing the deadlift on Pacific Tigersk but I am curious about one aspect of her form: Her neck does not appear to me to be "neutral". I don't think "neutral" is the correct term, but the idea I recall you once wrote about is that the lifter should not have his neck be forward or back, just maintain the position as when one is standing. The Pacific Tiger lifter is looking straight ahead while she reaches down to grab the bar. Perhaps this is no big deal.
Lynn,
Good question! You're right. We're looking for neutral spine, with the head neutral, not way up or down. She is looking way up with a whole lot of neck extension. We used to teach that actually, believing that it helped the trainee to not round their lower back. But with all cues we have to remember the goal we're trying to achieve. We want neutral spine (meaning that we maintain the natural curvature of the spine). So for a client who tends to round the lower back maybe head up would be a good cue, but we're not trying to achieve what the girl in the video is doing. I like that video because her lower back position and bar path are very good.
Cynic,
In his recent article Perfecting the Romanian Deadlift (ok, it's about RDLs and not conventional deadlifts, but I think the discussion applies to both forms of deadlift), Mike Robertson discusses head and neck position:
Quote:
Head and Neck
Proper alignment of the head and neck is critical while lifting, but especially in posterior chain dominant lifts such as the RDL. The chin should be tucked slightly, and the neck in a neutral alignment with the rest of the torso.
A few months ago I would've stated that the head and neck should be looking up, but I'm quickly changing my mind on this point. Excessive neck extension and/or looking up kicks on the extensor reflex, forcing you into an excessive lordosis. Not only can this increase stress on the low back, but it increases anterior pelvic tilt and makes it more difficult to maximally recruit the hamstrings and gluteals.
I like that Mike is always learning and we should all continue to learn and improve too. Mike has changed his opinion about head position recently, but he cautions later in the article that the chest still has to be held high. I would add that when he says that the "chin should be tucked slightly," that we shouldn't overdo that chin tuck. Remember, the goal is neutral spine all the way up the spine, lumbar and neck included.
I notice that on both the concentric and eccentric, she keeps the bar close to her shins and her quads. In lifting, I find it easy to keep the bar close on the concentric, but find that the more "natural" eccentric move is to let the bar descend further out from my shins.
Is it better form to work - and I mean put in extra effort - to keep the bar close to the shins on the eccentric, too?
I hope I'm not being too nitpicky, but as a 50-pound overweight, 38 year old new lifter, I'm trying to be extra-careful not to foul up my back, particularly at the outset.
Thanks again for all the great advice on this forum!!
--LJ
Another good question! Like karky said, the further the bar path from your shins, the greater the load on your low back. But my answer is more of an "it depends" kind of answer.
A competitive powerlifter is only concerned with the concentric portion of the lift and actually drops the weight back onto the floor. Some trainees, especially for workouts with low reps ranges, do something similar and use a descent that's more like breaking the fall of the bar to the floor than actual controlled lowering. Their bar path on the way down probably moves out from their shins.
If, however, you're using a controlled eccentric tempo (like the 311 and 301 tempos you see in NROL), then keeping the bar close to the shins on the descent is going to be important and worth the "extra effort" you mention. You want to keep the load in the glutes and hamstrings and not allow it to shift toward your low back.
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