Top 5 Reasons Your Deadlift Sucks

You’re worried about the wrong part of your back.

Your problem might not be a problem at all, says Shallow. The area of concern is the lumbar spine—between your rib cage and your pelvis. Rounding the thoracic spine or upper back area—which extends from the base of your neck to the bottom of your rib cage—is far less problematic.

“The thoracic spine is supported by your ribs,” says Shallow. “Many of the strongest deadlifters in the world round there,” he says (for proof, pull up videos of the late Russian powerlifter Konstantin Konstantinov).

The upper back isn’t immune to injury, of course, but rounding it forward on the deadlift doesn’t usually cause problems. Focus on the lower back instead. If it bows out at any point in the lift, you may be setting yourself up for injury. To fix that—read on.

Your lats are weak.

Most lifters rightly think of the deadlift as a hamstring and glute builder, which it is. Nearly as important in proper execution of the lift, though, are your lats—the triangular slabs of sinew on the sides of your upper back.

Prime movers in exercises like rows and pulldowns, the lats also serve another essential function: “They help stabilize the spine,” says Shallow. If your lats are weak, he explains, your spine is likely to round forward when you work with big weights on the deadlift.

Test your lat strength with the classic pullup: “If you can’t do one rep with your bodyweight, then your lats aren’t strong enough to deadlift,” Shallow adds. “It’s a good acid test.”

Another lat-builder Shallow recommends is the rope straight-arm pullover. Place a bench with one end near a low-pulley machine, with the rope attached to the cable. Lay on your back with the pulley behind you, hold the rope and extend your arms over the center of your chest. Keeping your arms straight, slowly lower your upper arms until your upper arms are near your ears. Pause and reverse the move, keeping your elbows close to your head throughout the move.

Your core is unstable.

The main function of the core—the muscles that surround the front, back, and sides of your waist—is to prevent unwanted motion in your spine during everyday and athletic movement.

So if your lower-back rounds when you deadlift, core weakness is a prime suspect. The muscles in your abdomen, lower back, and the sides of your trunk are very likely not up to the task of keeping your lower back extended and your trunk stable while you pull big weights off the floor.

To fix the problem, Shallow recommends three different types of core movement—one for each of the three primary planes of movement:

1. One move where you resist extension, which works the core on the sagittal (front-to-back) plane. Example: ab-wheel rollout.
2. One where you resist side-bending, which emphasizes core activation in the frontal (side-to-side) plane. Example: side plank variations.
3. Finally, one where you resist twisting, which teaches the core to stabilize in the transverse (rotational) plane. Example: single-leg deadlift.

Your technique stinks.

Put a bar on the floor, bend over, grab it, and pick it up. How hard can that be?

Pretty hard, actually. Beneath its rough exterior, the deadlift is a surprisingly subtle move, requiring careful attention to a dozen different details to get it just right. That’s one reason many lifetime powerlifters set personal records decades into their training: it takes them that long to perfect their form.

Some of the highest-payoff technique tips, says Shallow, are proper stance and correct hip action.

“Most people don’t understand what hip width means,” he says. “They think it means the outside of their leg.” The actual hip joint, Shallow says, is several inches closer to your midline. So if you struggle with losing proper form in the move, experiment with a narrower stance, which creates a straighter line of pull off the floor. While you’re at it, Shallow adds, activate your arches: “Grip the floor with your feet,” he says. Your feet will roll slightly outwards, towards your pinkie toes.

Many lifters also don’t know how to hinge properly, he adds, which causes their low back to round whenever they bend at the hips. “You can address that problem using a dowel,” says Shallow. Hold the stick vertically against your spine—tailbone to the back of your head—one hand holding it against your low back, the other holding the stick near your neck. Unlock your knees and fold forward: your tailbone, upper back, and the back of your head should remain in contact with the dowel the whole time.

If it does, you’re good to deadlift—lightly at first, making sure you maintain the same form with weight in your hands. If you lose the points of contact with the dowel, then lay off deadlifting until you can complete this drill.

You’re tired.

Finally, if everything else is dialed in—your technique is on point, your core stable, and your lats strong as steel pistons—you might simply be dealing with an old-fashioned case of “I’m freakin’ exhausted.”

Ever been forced to take several days off from the gym—only to discover that you’re stronger when you go back? That’s likely because you’re walking around a little bit sore and tired all the time. You’re so used to it you barely notice.

But that hardly-worth-mentioning ache in your quads, hamstrings, or lower back might be the very thing that’s putting the brakes on your performance in the deadlift.

“Managing fatigue is key to performance in the gym,” says Shallow. “Especially on the deadlift.” Even performing the lift just once a week is no guarantee you’ll avoid burnout, he says, especially if the rest of your training week is peppered with lower-back heavy moves like squats, bentover rows, Romanian deadlifts, and good mornings.

So if all else fails, look at your program. If your lower back doesn’t ever get a break, cut all such moves from the rotation for two weeks, then return to a program that’s lower-back heavy no more than 1-2 times per week. You’ll discover strength you never thought you had. And your back will love you for it.