Deadlift mechanics

[Robin UK]

Dear Rip,

Great podcast today as usual, the duck joke was hilarious. Whoever the Brit who called you an arse was, I apologise on behalf of the English section of Britain (if indeed the culprit was English. It's more likely to be a Scotsman). I’ll break the curfew, find the Hater and hand them their arse because rudery and cowardice must be punished. They should have had the guts to telephone you, introduce themselves and tell you to your ear, or at least fart down the phone and hang up.

Question:

Whenever you’ve witnessed a deadlift injury occurring in your 43 years of training yourself and others, during which part of the whole movement (concentric and eccentric) do the majority of injuries occur - below the knee or above the knee and why?

Included in question are both those who exhibited form error and form correctness. I acknowledge that in the latter case, an explanation as to why the injury occurred is difficult to ascertain because sometimes “shit just happens”.

Best regards,

Robin

[Mark Rippetoe]

Back tweaks occasionally happen off the floor, and hamstring belly tears can happen on the way up, usually around the knee. But in general, a deadlift is among the safer movements in the weight room. Where did you hurt yourself?

[Robin UK]

Hi Rip,

Thanks for the reply.

I’m not hurt, I was just re-reading the mechanics of the deadlift section in the blue book for the 25+ time. I find your mechanical analyses always particularly interesting. I then re-listened to your podcast “The Deadlift - 3 Reasons” and the part where you mentioned that many world-record holders proudly walk safely away from the huge weight just lifted caught my ear again.

I was interested from a data point of view about which part of the deadlift, even if performed with correct form, was the most vulnerable to injury cause / has caused the majority of injuries. Your 42 years in the business and track record constitutes the only reliable source of good data I listen to. I was just geeking out on this muse - much time to fill during these silly times and just wanted to be aware as a preventative re. any part of the deadlift which warrants any extra attention re. injury awareness.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The deadlift loads the spine and the musculature that supports it (the "C" word) more effectively than anything else we have, as I noticed after both abdominal surgeries I've had. Got back to squatting a week earlier in both cases.

[Robin UK]

I’m not sure if I fucked up and didn’t make myself clear. Apologies if I did. I know the deadlift is one of the safest and best exercises for the human body if done correctly. I was just wondering on the very few occasions where an injury actually does occur when deadlifting, during which part of the movement do the majority of those injuries occurs - below or above the knee and on the way up or down?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Up.

[Robin UK]

Thanks Rip, really appreciate the reply. I’ll assume that it would also be the below the knee whilst on the way up / breaking the bar off the floor because of a (also assumed) higher occurrence of back tweaks than hamstring tweaks on the way up during the deadlift.