To dead or not to dead?

[Pirate]

My whole life people have been telling me to 'lift with your legs', 'dont bend your back' I was just wondering if deadlifts can injure your back.
I bend my knees slightly when im lifting and I can feel my hams getting worked too. The thing is the next day my back doesnt feel sore like other muscles. I absolutely love them so I just wanna check that they are safe and that im doing it right.

thanks guys

[never_2_big]

hey another aussie brother good to see you in here man.
yeah deads can hurt you if you arent doing them properly, you gotta keep your back straight, if you cant the weight is too heavy. To work your back instead of your hams be sure to drag the bar up your shins, the closer the bar is to your body the more your back will benefit from the esercise.

[BigTruck]

deads are awesome and essential. good words from never 2 big. you don't wanna mess around with too much weight. keep your form TIGHT.

big weight + bad form = hurt back

[xenrus]

you must feel all your body parts workin ,if you can feel only hams working then your doin the wrong technique,you should feel it starting from your toes to your neck.

[twlgt]

Hey there! Here's some other hints that can help you out in the search for a perfect form. MassManiac wrote this in a thread bout deads couple a days ago:

"To make this easier, I'm just gonna do it as a direct quote from a Strength Training Anatomy (by Delavier) book I've got:

"1. Expanding the chest and holding a deep breath fills the lungs, which supports the rib cage and prevents the chest from collapsing forward.

2. Contracting the abdominal muscles group supports the core and increases the intra-abdominal pressure, which prevents the torso from collapsing forward

3. Finally, arching the lower back by contracting the lumbar muscles positions the spinal column in extension"

[Pokoritel]

hey another aussie brother good to see you in here man.
yeah deads can hurt you if you arent doing them properly, you gotta keep your back straight, if you cant the weight is too heavy. To work your back instead of your hams be sure to drag the bar up your shins, the closer the bar is to your body the more your back will benefit from the esercise.

couldnt of said it better myself. Deads is my fav workout, but it is also a dangerous workout if you do it the wrong way.

[goody19]

form is HUGE on these. best mass exercise. increases entire body strength. but before you go heavy, make sure your form is solid.

[darkside64]

We if you want get your opinion from your local fitness trainer he would probably say that it is bad for your back. Since we know that he doesnt know shit from shinola we will ignore that. Deadlifts done with proper form is a great movement for your entire body. Here are some points that will keep you from injury.
do not round your back
do not let the bar leave your shin on the ascend
do not take the exercise to complete failure(I did that one time and it really fucked with my spine and nerves and shit. It was weird)

[Kiwi129]

God there's a lot of threads on this. Do deads, don't round your back, don't let people tell you they're "bad for you"... that's retarded. Deads utilize somewhere between like 70-80% of your body's TOTAL musculature.

[Pirate]

Thanks guys.
big help, gonna get lifting.

[wolf]

Deads are great - just don't lose your concentration - keep your form TIGHT.

[BitterNdThenSome]

to dead or not to dead... is not even a question. of course you should. and yes they can be dangerous if you ROUND your back during the pull. your back plays a huge role in the lift, but like any compound movement, it can be dangerous if you do it in an akward manner.