Hacker News Reader

Comment by dsego | Hacker News Reader

I would never recommend deadlifts. Those are really dangerous and easy to do wrong. My friend shattered his spine doing deadlifts and needed surgery and months of recovery and he still can't bend down or sit in certain positions.

View on HN

To be somewhat insensitive; it sounds like he was doing it wrong.

I'm recently on a kick to take my fitness more seriously; for me that means a three month stint with a personal trainer, bringing in a dietician soon, and planning on rounding out with a running coach.

As a note, all of this isn't that expensive - its just coming out of most peoples holiday and expensive treat budgets.

Doing it like this means you consult with real experts, who will tell you what you're doing wrong that you didn't think to ask about.

>Those are really dangerous and easy to do wrong.

>it sounds like he was doing it wrong.

Exactly. If you're not focusing on form and don't have experience or guidance, almost any free weight lift can be dangerous. There are ways to mitigate the risk of deadlifts just like any other lift. Use a hexbar so the weight isn't entirely in front of you. Start learning incredibly light and focus on form. Wear a belt to help keep your core engaged. These plus so many other tips will mitigate the risks of one of the most effective full body lifts.

This is wrong. Deadlifts can be as safe as any other exercise if done properly. Find a coach, practice, maintain form and take your time.

I don’t think this goes directly against the parent comment. They aren’t inherently dangerous, but they’re really easy to do wrong and cause a lot of damage.

The parent comment said "I would never recommend deadlifts."

Based on what I've seen in the gym there should absolutely be a disclaimer for deadlifts.

The health risks of not doing deadlifts far outweigh the risk of doing them. It's the only thing that has resolved my back pain and improved my posture.

Disclaimer: hire a trainer to learn the correct form

this is probably one of the most absurd comments I've ever read on HN

Why? Deadlift is absolutely magic for back pain. You don't even need to lift 'heavy', just regularly.

How so? When done properly they are great for lower body and back strength.

It's not an absurd statement. Deadlifts improve so much musculature in your body which resolves/prevents injury. I had a 3+ year long knee injury from running and the only remedy was heavy squats. I was considering surgery and experimental stem cell injections since nothing was working. Thankfully I tried strength training before the alternatives.

It's important that people understand proper deadlift form though. It's a bit more complicated than just picking the barbell up off the ground.

I think it might appear that way to anyone who doesn't lift, but OP is not too far from the truth.

I'd say the same for barbell squats. You don't want to be 45 and not be able to get off the toilet without holding onto something...

Being weak and overweight is way more dangerous than deadlifts. Muscle mass helps build and maintain bone mass (depending on your age) which avoids broken bones, and osteoporosis later in life. Strong people get injured less and recover faster from injuries.

Yes, there are some ways deadlifts can go horribly wrong, but these are pretty avoidable.

That’s a false dichotomy.

> Being weak and overweight is way more dangerous than deadlifts

Good thing there are many things you can do which are not deadlifts and which prevent being weak and overweight.

He shattered his spine? Was he 80 years old and his spine calcified?

I do not know the exact injury. Something broke and it required surgery to fix it.

Pretty good chance he tried to lift with his back instead if legs. It's the most common deadlift mistake I see.

Sorry about your friend :(

I would totally recommend deadlifts because like anything if you don't learn how to do something properly you're going to do it wrong which could easily lead to disastrous results. Your friend is the exception, most people do deadlifts regularly no problem. If you've never done them before ask a trainer or someone who knows what they're doing for help, watch videos for form, take form videos of yourself, learn the movement, know when it's time to lower the weight or stop altogether and start slow with low weight. There are so many variations beyond the basic deadlift movement that if one doesn't feel right you have other options.

>My friend shattered his spine doing deadlifts

Sorry to hear that. I'm curious what the context was though.

At what weight did this occur? Was he a seasoned lifter? Novice?

He was a regular in the gym for at least a few years, trying to loose weight. I don't know the weight he was lifting, but I suspect he moved to heavier weights before developing the proper technique.

The solution is to use a hex bar, which centres the weight under the hips and removes the health concerns related to poor technique. There is simply no exercise substitute for picking up really heavy things and everyone, particularly women, should do it regularly.

1. Trap bar deadlifts are not actually deadlifts. The defining characteristic of a deadlift is that the load is in front of your center of balance. Trap bar deadlifts are actually squats, because the load is centered on your center of balance. It's a fine exercise, I'm just trying to point out that it's far different from a standard deadlift than the naive impression many people form based on their appearance. I think many people try to swap in a trap bar because the starting position doesn't require as much hamstring mobility, but they are not interchangeable. 2. You can absolutely injure yourself doing trap bar deadlifts or any other type of squat with poor technique.

Not a squat and not interchangeable, that is true. They are their own thing and provide comparable benefits for non-powerlifters. Re safety, you are being pedantic. They are much safer than deadlifts.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com