Why did I hurt myself on this deadlift?

[JB1981]

Rip,

I have posted before. I have a 3 year old disc injury L5/S1. My low back is weak. WEAK. It's always been weak and ever since I have injured myself I have had nothing but problems with the deadlift. I went really light today focusing on good form. Am I jerking the weight off the floor? Am I not using my legs enough? I think my set up position is good.

Right now my back is tightening up like a bitch. I was going to do 135x5x3. My first working set felt good. In fact, my back started to feel better after that set. I don't think I hurt myself bad with this lift but WHY DID I HURT MYSELF AT ALL. Shit just happens? I'd really appreciate if you could take a look? Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBUCJCEjVwM

[Mark Rippetoe]

There is nothing wrong with the pull -- not that 135 could hurt you pulled wrong anyway. But you have a very bad habit of lumbar overextension at the top, shoving your good spinal position into a bad anterior pelvic tilt. The secret to spinal health: Keep the damn thing RIGID while it's loaded, even if it's in the wrong position anatomically. You can tolerate a bad mechanical position under a submaximal load IF the intervertebral relationships remain absolutely constant, but when you move the discs and facet joints around under load, bad things happen.

I think I've already told you to stop doing situps and back extensions for this reason. Not everybody can tolerate wiggling their spines around.

[yorick]

Will something like RDLs help him get the feel for the top back position, in such a way that it would transfer to a regular deadlift?

[JB1981]

So by bad anterior pelvic tilt you mean I am shoving my dick too hard into the bar, causing lumbar extension? So focus on keeping the low back tighter at the top of the pull and stop moving my pelvis so hard?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Will something like RDLs help him get the feel for the top back position, in such a way that it would transfer to a regular deadlift?

No, since his problem occurs after the pull is finished. He can change the habit of overextending best in the context of the movement he's doing wrong.

So by bad anterior pelvic tilt you mean I am shoving my dick too hard into the bar, causing lumbar extension? So focus on keeping the low back tighter at the top of the pull and stop moving my pelvis so hard?

Exactimundo.

[spiderman]

So by bad anterior pelvic tilt you mean I am shoving my dick too hard into the bar, causing lumbar extension?

Weird coincidence but I just watched a video on Youtube about this and apparently this is called "midnight movement".

[Rusi]

Ok. But how can this guy get away by pulling like this. He is old now and still in great shape. No serious back problems I guess. Pulls like this.

I guess those who are not deadlift machines will be suffering from disc hernias and back sprains. Or maybe his spine got used to pulling this way over the years. I can also pull with such a rounded back without pain and I did BUT I stopped because I don't want to risk anything.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Weird coincidence but I just watched a video on Youtube about this and apparently this is called "midnight movement".

This douchebag is demonstrating a posterior pelvic tilt, the opposite of the OP's problem. I have removed the link because we do not disseminate shit like this on our website.

Ok. But how can this guy get away by pulling like this. He is old now and still in great shape. No serious back problems I guess. Pulls like this.

I guess those who are not deadlift machines will be suffering from disc hernias and back sprains. Or maybe his spine got used to pulling this way over the years. I can also pull with such a rounded back without pain and I did BUT I stopped because I don't want to risk anything.

He gets away with it because he is Vince Anello. And because the spine of a 30 year-old powerlifter is actually not as fragile as you have been led to believe. But you are right: never risk anything. It's just too risky.

[JB1981]

I don't know how it got it into my head to finish the lift this way. Tough lesson learned. This may be hard to believe, considering the weight was so light, but i am in bad shape right now. I took 3 ibuprofen and can hardly squat down. Just sitting here at the keyboard is painful as hell. I guess this is what you would call a facet joint injury? I feel almost as bad as i did when i first hurt the back. I need to go to the seminar badly. When you gonna be in Brooklyn again?

[Mark Rippetoe]

April.