Prevent Lower Back Injuries While Doing Deadlifts: Expert Advice

Deadlifts Are King, But Not If They Break You

The deadlift is one of the most effective lifts you can do for strength and total-body development. But if your lower back is always the first thing to give out, you've got a problem that needs fixing. Most back injuries during deadlifts happen because of poor form, sloppy preparation, or trying to lift more than you can actually control. That's not a badge of honor—it's a shortcut to the chiropractor. The fix isn't complicated, but it does take discipline. You need to treat every deadlift like a high-skill movement, not just a brute force effort. That means locking in your setup, using proper bracing, and actually respecting your limits. If you get those basics right, deadlifts will make your back stronger instead of trashing it. Ignore them, and you'll keep spinning your wheels—or worse, getting hurt.

Dial In Your Setup

The number one thing lifters get wrong with the deadlift is how they approach the bar. If your hips are too high, you're pulling with your back. Too low, and you're squatting the bar off the floor. You need to find the position where your shins are vertical, your spine is neutral, and your chest is pointed slightly forward with tension already in your hamstrings and lats. When you pull, think of pushing the floor away instead of yanking the bar up. That mental cue alone can help shift the load where it belongs—on your legs and glutes instead of your spine. Make sure the bar stays close to your body from start to finish, ideally brushing your shins and thighs the whole way. If it drifts forward, your lower back gets overloaded instantly. Before you even grip the bar, get tight, get tense, and get into position like it matters—because it does.

Brace Like a Pro

Your core isn't just there for aesthetics—it's your spine's bodyguard. If you're lifting heavy without learning how to brace properly, you're begging for a tweak or worse. The goal is to create intra-abdominal pressure, like filling a balloon inside your torso and then locking it in place. Start by taking a deep breath into your belly, not your chest. Then flex your abs and obliques as if someone was about to punch you in the gut. This brace needs to hold through the entire rep, not deflate as soon as the bar moves. If your midsection caves in or your spine rounds, you've already lost the battle. Practice this even with bodyweight movements so it becomes automatic when the weight gets serious. Once you learn how to brace like a powerlifter, you'll lift heavier and stay safer at the same time.

Stop Letting Your Ego Choose the Weight

Let's be real—most deadlift injuries don't come from freak accidents. They come from chasing numbers your body isn't ready for. You see someone pull big on Instagram, and suddenly you think today's the day to max out. But if your spine turns into a fishing rod mid-rep, that weight doesn't count. Form > weight. If your technique falls apart at 140 kilos, drop back to 130 and own every rep. Build volume with clean execution, not grinders that leave you limping. There's nothing weak about using smart progressions. In fact, the strongest lifters in the world spend more time refining submaximal work than they do chasing new one-rep maxes. Play the long game. Your back will thank you.

Strengthen Your Weak Links

Deadlifts are powerful, but they can't do everything alone. If your glutes, hamstrings, and obliques aren't pulling their weight, your lower back ends up doing more than it should. That's a recipe for strain, tightness, or even injury. You need to treat your accessory work as part of the main plan, not just filler. Movements like Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, reverse hypers, and loaded carries build the muscles that keep your spine stable under load. When these areas are strong and coordinated, your deadlift becomes safer and more explosive. Skip them, and you're relying on your spine to do all the work—which it's not designed for. Put in the time to build your foundation, and you'll notice the difference in both power and resilience.

Get Feedback and Use Tech

What you feel during a lift often doesn't match what's actually happening. That's why video feedback is one of the most underrated tools for injury prevention and performance. Set your phone up from the side or front angle and review your lifts objectively. Are your hips shooting up too fast? Is your back rounding? Is the bar drifting away from your legs? These are all signs that something needs to change. Better yet, use apps like Gymscore that give you real-time feedback on form, bar speed, and technique flaws. The point isn't to overanalyze every set—it's to catch patterns before they turn into problems. Don't guess. Know. Train like you're serious, and your training will start taking you seriously.

Don't Just Lift—Lift for the Long Haul

If you're in this game for more than just short-term numbers, you need to lift with intention. Every deadlift should reinforce good habits, not bad ones. Pain in your lower back isn't a sign of toughness—it's your body waving a red flag. There's no glory in being the strongest person in the room if you can't tie your shoes the next day. Focus on the details. Refine your technique. Be consistent with your accessories and recovery. Deadlifts can build a resilient back that lasts decades, or they can beat you up before you hit your potential. The outcome depends on how you train. Choose the smart route. You've got the knowledge—now put it to work.