By Athlete 
Why Do Back Injuries Often Occur When Practicing Deadlift?
Deadlift is one of the most comprehensive physical exercises, helping to develop the strength of the back muscles, glutes, thighs and core. However, if performed incorrectly, Deadlift can cause back injury, especially the lower back. The main causes of back injuries when practicing Deadlift include poor posture, lifting weights that are too heavy, or lack of control during the exercise. Therefore, following correct technique is extremely important to protect your back and prevent injury.
How to Prevent Back Injuries When Practicing Deadlift
Below are ways to help you prevent back injuries when practicing Deadlift, ensuring safe and effective training:
Warm Up Thoroughly Before Practicing
Warming up thoroughly before practicing Deadlift is an important factor to warm up muscles and reduce the risk of injury. Warming up helps increase blood circulation to major muscle groups, making them more flexible and ready for exercise.
- Warm-up exercises: Rotate your hips, stretch your lower back, and do glute-activating exercises like Glute Bridges.
Maintain a Straight Back Posture
When performing a Deadlift, always keep your back straight from head to hips. Keeping your back straight helps reduce pressure on the spine and prevent lower back injuries. Do not let your back arch when lifting weights, as this can cause muscle strain and disc injury.
- Correct posture: Keep your head straight, eyes looking ahead, shoulders pulled back and back straight.
Use Your Core Muscles to Stabilize Your Body
Core muscles play an important role in maintaining stability and protecting the back when performing Deadlift. Activate your core muscles by inhaling deeply and tightening your abdomen before lifting weights. This helps stabilize the spine and reduce the risk of back injury.
- Breathe correctly: Inhale deeply before lifting the weight and hold your breath throughout the push-up to maintain steady pressure in the abdominal area.
Don’t Lift Too Heavy Weights
Lifting weights that are too heavy when you are not familiar with the technique or your body is not ready is one of the main causes of back injury. Start with light weights and gradually increase as you master the technique and your body adapts to the level of exercise.
- Principle of weight gain: Gradually increase the weight little by little and do not exceed your body’s ability.
Hold the Barbell Close to Your Body
When performing a Deadlift, keep the bar close to your body, near your legs and thighs. This helps maintain the center of gravity close to the body, reducing pressure on the lower back and enhancing stability throughout the lift.
- Distance: When lifting weights, the barbell should move along the legs and close to the body.
Benefits of Performing Deadlift Correct Technique
Performing the Deadlift correctly not only helps prevent injuries but also brings many benefits to health and body strength, including:
- Develop back and butt muscles: Deadlift is a comprehensive exercise that helps develop major muscle groups such as the lower back, glutes and hamstrings.
- Strengthen core muscles: Activating and using core muscles improves body stability and protects the back from injury.
- Improve lifting ability: Deadlift helps increase overall strength, thereby improving the ability to perform lifting activities in daily life.
- Enhance bone and joint health: Performing the Deadlift with correct technique and appropriate weight helps increase bone density and joint health.
Prevent injury
The deadlift is a great exercise for developing full-body strength and muscle, but poor technique can lead to serious back injuries. To prevent injury, always warm up thoroughly, keep your back straight, use your core for stability, don’t lift too heavy a weight, and keep the bar close to your body. By following these principles, you will be able to train the Deadlift safely and effectively, helping to increase your strength and improve your overall health.