You just finished a heavy set. You strip the plates, grab your water, and then it hits you—that dull, radiating ache or, worse, a sharp "zip" across your spine. Honestly, having your lower back hurts after deadlift is basically a rite of passage for lifters, but that doesn't make it okay. It sucks. It’s frustrating. It makes you want to skip leg day for a month.
But here is the thing: your back shouldn't feel like it’s made of glass every time you pull from the floor.
The deadlift is arguably the king of all exercises. It builds a posterior chain like nothing else. However, when things go sideways, they go sideways fast. People often blame the movement itself, calling it a "back-breaker," but the exercise isn't the villain. The villain is usually a messy cocktail of ego, poor hip mobility, and a misunderstanding of what a "neutral spine" actually looks like under load.
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The Difference Between "Good" Sore and "Get to a Doctor" Pain
We need to be real about what you're feeling. If your lower back hurts after deadlift, is it just DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)? Or did you actually mess something up?
If the ache is bilateral—meaning it’s on both sides of your spine in the meaty parts of the erector spinae—and it feels more like a deep tiredness, you’re probably just sore. That’s normal. You used those muscles to stabilize 300-plus pounds. They’re going to be cranky.
But if the pain is "electric," if it shoots down your leg (sciatica), or if you feel a localized "stabbing" sensation directly on the vertebrae, that’s a red flag. Dr. Stuart McGill, a world-renowned spine biomechanics expert, often talks about "micro-movements" in the spine. If your back rounds and then snaps back into place while under tension, you're essentially "flossing" your nerves with your spinal discs. That’s how herniations happen.
If you can't put on your socks the next morning without wincing, you've moved past simple soreness.
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Why Your Lower Back Hurts After Deadlift: The Mechanical Culprits
Most people think they have a strong back until they try to deadlift properly. Then they realize their back is doing all the work because their hips are essentially frozen shut.
The "Stripper Pull" Phenomenon
You’ve seen it. Maybe you’ve done it. The hips shoot up first, the legs straighten out, and suddenly the lift becomes a stiff-legged deadlift with a rounded spine. This happens because your quads aren't contributing to the initial break from the floor. When your hips rise too fast, the lever arm—the distance between the bar and your lower back—increases drastically. Physics doesn't care about your PR; it just applies more torque to your L4 and L5 vertebrae.
The Myth of the Flat Back
Everyone screams "keep your back flat!" But "flat" is a bit of a misnomer. Your spine has natural curves. The goal is rigidity, not a straight line like a ruler. If you try to over-arch your back (hyper-extension), you're crushing the posterior elements of your spinal discs. If you round it too much (flexion), you're pushing the disc material backward. You want a "braced" neutral. Think about someone is about to punch you in the stomach. That tension? That’s what saves your back.
The Lat Connection
This is the one nobody talks about. Your lats are the biggest muscles in your upper body, and they attach directly to the thoracolumbar fascia in your lower back. If your lats are loose, the bar drifts away from your shins. As soon as that bar moves an inch forward, the load on your lower back triples. You have to "pull the slack out of the bar" and squeeze your armpits like you’re trying to crush oranges. This creates a natural weight belt made of your own muscle.
Internal Pressure and the "Pop"
Let’s talk about the Valsalva maneuver. If you’re just breathing in and out like you’re on a treadmill while deadlifting heavy, you’re asking for trouble. You need intra-abdominal pressure (IAP).
Imagine a soda can. If it’s full and sealed, you can stand on it. It won’t crush. If you open it and pour out the liquid, it collapses instantly under your heel. Your torso is the can. If you don't take a massive belly breath and hold it against a tight core, your "can" collapses, and that's usually when your lower back hurts after deadlift.
When To See a Professional
Sometimes, no amount of form "tweaking" will fix the issue because the damage is already done. If you experience any of the following, stop reading blogs and go see a physical therapist or an orthopedic specialist:
- Numbness or tingling in the feet or toes.
- Loss of bladder or bowel control (this is a medical emergency called Cauda Equina Syndrome).
- Pain that prevents sleep.
- A "locking" sensation where you literally cannot straighten up for several minutes.
Dr. Aaron Horschig of Squat University often points out that many "back issues" are actually hip issues. If your hips can't internalize rotation, your lower back will compensate by moving when it should be staying still. A good PT will look at your ankles and hips before they even touch your back.
Tactical Fixes for Your Next Session
You don't have to quit deadlifting. You just have to stop doing them poorly.
- Shorten the range of motion. If you don't have the mobility to reach the floor without rounding your back, stop pulling from the floor. Use blocks or a power rack to do "rack pulls" from mid-shin height. There is no law saying you must start from the ground if your anatomy doesn't allow it yet.
- Switch to the Trap Bar. The hex bar (trap bar) puts the weight in line with your center of gravity rather than in front of you. It’s much more "back-friendly" and allows for a more upright torso. It’s not "cheating"—it’s smart training.
- Check your stance. Most people deadlift too wide. If your grip is pushing your knees inward, you're losing power and stability. Narrow your stance, point your toes out slightly, and "screw" your feet into the floor.
- Record yourself. Your "feel" is a liar. You might think your back is straight, but the video will show a different story. Watch for the moment the bar leaves the ground. If your spine shape changes at all during that first inch of movement, you need to lower the weight.
The Role of Accessory Work
If your lower back hurts after deadlift, it might be because your glutes are sleeping on the job. The glutes are the primary movers in a hinge. If they aren't firing, the lower back (which is supposed to be a stabilizer) tries to become a prime mover. It's not built for that.
Add in heavy kettlebell swings, Bulgarian split squats, and Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) with a focus on the stretch. These movements teach you how to load the hamstrings and glutes without involving the lumbar spine.
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Also, stop neglecting your core. And no, crunches don't count. You need anti-rotation and anti-extension work. Planks, Bird-Dogs, and McGill Big 3 exercises are boring as hell, but they build the "internal corset" that keeps your spine from buckling under 400 pounds.
The Long Game
Consistency beats intensity every single time. If you keep pushing through back pain because you want to hit a specific number on the bar, you’re going to end up forced out of the gym for months—or years.
Take a week off. Reset. Work on your hip hinges with a PVC pipe. Get your bracing dialled in. The deadlift is a tool for strength, not a tool for self-destruction. Honestly, once you learn to respect the tension required for a heavy pull, you'll find that your back actually feels better after training, not worse. Strength is protective, but only if you build it on a foundation of solid mechanics.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
- Evaluate the Pain: If it’s sharp, localized, or radiating, book an appointment with a sports-focused Physical Therapist. If it’s a dull ache, proceed with caution.
- Decompress: Spend 2 minutes hanging from a pull-up bar. Don't pull up, just hang. Let gravity open up those disc spaces.
- The 48-Hour Rule: If the pain hasn't significantly diminished within 48 hours of your workout, you didn't just "get a good pump"—you strained something.
- Video Your Next Warm-up: Don't wait for your top set to check your form. Record your very first warm-up set with the empty bar. If the form is sloppy there, it’ll be dangerous at 90%.
- Fix Your Bracing: Practice the "360-degree breath" before your next lift. Breathe into your sides and your back, not just your chest.