It seems that this exercise goes against the wisdom of “lift with your legs.” Why is that?
In: Biology
Imagine you’re bent over grabbing the bar. The movement isn’t pulling up the bar as your head comes up, it’s your butt coming in and essentially humping the bar as it comes up. The hip hinge is what focuses the forces into your legs and butt
Progressive load to any muscle can help it get stronger, loading a bone increased density, and newer research demonstrates that loading a spine can help the spinal discs become stronger and less prone to injury/hernia.
With poor form it’s a quick way to destroy your back. With proper form it’s a great way to make it as strong as iron.
I herniated my lower back deadlifting. I also rehabbed it deadlifting.
If you’re doing it correctly it’s supported by surrounding muscles and will strengthen and balance those muscle groups that may otherwise develop out of balance due to poor posture, repetitive motion, etc.
Because your erector spinae is strong group of muscles and a proper deadlift uses leverage to lift the most weight.
Had my first bout of arthritis-related sciatica at 62. Crippling pain. I started working out, I just used 15 (and then 20) pound dumbbells and youtube videos (with warmup/stretching advice from my Yoga teacher Mrs). A year in now, and I’ve never been so pain free with my back. And my wife says “grrrrrr” when I get out of the shower.
Back and core strength is the SHIT as you get older. I’m tearing out the 1930’s tile mud walls and floor in our bathroom, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done (it’s grim, dirty work, a square foot of that wall weighs about 40 lbs), but no pain or injuries. It’s been a huge investment in my quality of life. And I’m talking maybe 60-90 minutes a week of exercise.
Poor form can absolutely mess up someone’s back even at a light weight. You are still, in fact lifting with your legs in a deadlift (glutes and hams say hello).
But if you’re asking why people can generally deadlift very large amounts compared to say curling dumbells? It’s because it’s a compound and power lift which harnesses multiple large muscle groups to drive the lift as opposed to just a single muscle or muscle group. Proper form is crucial too, where you hinge at your hips and not bend your back to drive the lift.
I never had back problems either before or after getting into deadlifting, but I believe it saved my back by teaching me how to lift safely when moving furniture, boxes etc in real life.
In addition to other comments mentioning bracing and the entire posterior chain helping in the lift, many times people forget that the (low) back has muscles that can grow and get stronger. You don’t start off deadlifting 600+lbs. As you get stronger, your back also gets stronger and is able to handle more load.
Deadlifting, done properly, *is* lifting with your legs. Primarily your butt and your hamstrings.
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