Your back is not as fragile as you may think. It quite literally, holds you up, and is a huge player in your trunk strength – helping you do activities of daily living, all the way up to high performance sports.
When people feel lower back pain it is typically because it is not used to taking on so much load (so essentially, it’s weak). Your lower back takes a lot of load so typical overuse, weakness or wear and tear can happen in the lumbar spine and pelvic region.
When we have low back pain we are nervous about movement and adding load to the joints, so we rest it and basically hope for the best. But, in reality we should be loading (aka strengthening!) your back safely.
So here are 6 reasons why Deadlifts are good for your back.
They are arguably the most “functional” exercise out there!
The term ‘functional’ is quite overused (because in reality, every exercise in functional). But a deadlift, is quite literally, PICKING SOMETHING UP OFF THE GROUND! Think of the 900000 times in life you have had to pick up anything remotely heavy off the ground. You are deadliftifting. Might as well strengthen it!
It strengthens your Glutes
Having strong gluteal muscles is so important for everyday living. Whether you are exercising or just simply picking something off of the floor. Having strong glutes will help with low back pain and any hip pain as well. Not to mention they help you jump higher, run faster, and just be awesome.
Strengthening your back helps PREVENT arthritic pain
Deadlifts are a great exercise to load up. Research has shown that load bearing activities (like a deadlift) help prevent severe arthritis and actually decreases pain associated with arthritis. It helps boost bone strength, helps with continuous blood flow to the area and can help with general imbalances you may already have.
Deadlifts are a safe exercise
We know… when you see powerlifters lifting over 400 lbs, it does not look fun or safe. But, with proper technique and loading prescriptions of the deadlift we can either progress or regress it to fit individual needs. And you do NOT need to be lifting 400 lbs in order for it to be effective!
Deadlifts have a wide range of variations
We have sumo, single-leg, Romanian, stiff-legged, deficit, and hex bar deadlift. Deadlifts have so many different variations allowing it to be such a versatile exercise no matter your stature or strength training experience. We make sure to find a variation that is comfortable for YOU.
Deadlifts are a full-body exercise
Even with the different variations, we still need your core, legs, and back to achieve a good deadlift. This compound exercise helps challenge our full body strength while being functional as well.
As you can see, deadlifts are just a great exercise all around! If you would like to learn more about strength training and technique or if deadlifts are a good exercise for you, book in!
*Disclaimer – this is not medical advice! There are ALWAYS exceptions for acute low back pain that may need different treatment. It is best to seek out advice and an assessment from your physiotherapist to determine the best course of action for you
