How to avoid back problems while doing a deadlift; some helpful advice from Men’s Health Magazine. Deadlifting, the well-known exercise thought to improve the strength and tone of the hamstrings, glutes and lower back muscles is a popular exercise that when done improperly can cause excruciating lower back pain a day or two later. Lifting should be work but also be fun, and hurting from the workout is not what most of us wanted. While lifting improperly or with poor form is great for the chiropractic business, it is horrible for your spinal health. Men’s health recently offered some sound advice on proper form so you can avoid back pain created by an improper lift. One suggestion they did not offer was to wear inserts in your shoes if you have low arches, flat feet or are built asymmetrically since perfect form with poor body ergonomics can also increase the risk of injury due to a distorted pelvis. You can learn more about proper body mechanics by reading Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain, available through Amazon.com. Check out the article here 6 Mistakes You Make When Deadlifting That Are Screwing Up Your Back And how to approach it so you can lift pain-free BY CHRISTA SGOBBA OCTOBER 31, 2017 It’s one of the most common reasons you want to skip deadlifting day: excruciating lower back pain that rears its ugly head a day or two after your lift—or sometimes, even while you’re still working out. Back pain when deadlifting is super common, but it’s not normal, says trainer Tony Gentilcore, C.S.C.S., owner of CORE in Boston, Mass. In fact, it’s usually an indication you’re doing something wrong with your lift. “It’s fine to feel a little fatigue or tiredness in your back the day after deadlifting,” Gentilcore says. “But if you wake up the next day and it’s affecting your day to day activity like it’s hard to bend over and it’s hard to twist, or you are apprehensive to sit up and down or to roll over in bed, that would tell me that your technique needs a little work.” A deadlift is a full-body movement, but if you’re doing it right, you should definitely feel it more on your backside—think hamstrings, glutes, the erector muscles along your spine, and your back muscles. So yes, a deadlift will work your back (which is why some people incorporate it on back day instead of leg day), but if you feel pain there, that’s not a good sign. Read more