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Whats an exercise you can do that has the same benefits to a deadlift? I hurt my back deadlifting a few years ago, it has not been the same since"

One of the biggest changes to popular fitness culture the last 20 years has been the inclusion of deadlifts as a mandatory exercise that MUST be done. Specifically HEAVY deadlifts, deadlifting for less than 5 reps.

If you research training literature from the 1950s-1990s, the deadlift is simply another exercise to perform, without exalted status. Usually you see "stiff leg deadlifts" or "straight leg deadlifts" (which both refer to the same version of the exercise), and the suggested reps are in the 10+ range, and it is done for multiple sets. maybe 2 sets, or even 3,4 or 5 sets.

Some bodybuilders rarely used deadlifts at all, while others customized the movement to doing a rack deadlift or block pull (elevating the bar off the floor to get into a better pulling position).

Dorian Yates was known to deadlift relatively heavy, but he always did the lift at the end of his back workout. This reduced the weight he would use, and kept him from every fully maxing out. He never pulled more than 500lbs in a workout, typically did stiff leg deadlifts, and always for reps, he never did less than 6 reps a set, and always for one working set only.

500lbs is a lot of weight on stiff legs, no question, but considering his offseason bodyweight was around 300lbs, this was less than 2x BW.

When asked why he didnt deadlift heavier (he had the strength to clearly), Yates was straightforward

"its too high risk"

Yates had experienced a severe hip injury early in his career from heavy squatting (before he was ever Mr. Olympia), that required surgery to repair the damage.

Consequently, he managed to make it through his career with his hips and spine intact. He had other injures to his upper body (like practically everyone that does super heavy chest and shoulder press, his rotator cuffs are mostly obliterated)

But his knees, his hips, and his spine, those are fully functional. He enjoys a high quality of life to this day as a result, cycling, doing yoga, and being active in his now 60s.

Train heavy, but at a certain point, the risk of lifting more will outweigh the benefits (no pun intended)

And I sidetracked myself,

To Answer the question

:

45 Degree Hyperextensions are the best substitute for deadlifting.

The 45 degree hyper I have made many videos on, and it has unique advantages over the deadlift

1. It loads the exact same muscles, hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors,

2. Because of the very long moment arm, you get equivalent loading on these muscles with FAR less weight.

Holding a 100lb DB on hyperextensions has about the same force requirement as a 400lb deadlift.

You simply dont need that much weight to make them challenging

(To Note, Deadlifts are a compound lever movement. But thats another discussion to be had)

3. Your bodyweight can be sufficient to start with, and even the strongest individuals will find that 1/4-1/2 of bodyweight is sufficient for strength and muscle adaptation. And to challenge yourself even more, you can do a one leg version as well

4. Unlike a deadlift where you spine is under immense compression and shear force from the start of the rep, hyperextensions deload at the bottom, decreasing the stress on the lumbar. At the same time, the hamstrings and glutes are in a loaded stretch position. You are training hypertrophy, strength, and flexibility all at once.

5. Its a SAFE exercise. If the weight becomes too heavy, you can drop it. If your muscles burn out, you can push yourself back up with your hands.

No exercise is risk free. Maybe you get dizzy from going down and up, but overall the odds of catastrophic injury are miniscule.

Any questions? Feel Free to Reply

And get the Back Training Guide while you are at it

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