SLDL

colby2152

New Member
In my AM WO's, I do SLDL's followed up by Leg Press... Squats in the PM. My lower back is in pain afterwards, and I am pretty sure I have the right form.. slightly bent knees, slightly stick butt out when lowering the weight. I use a Smith machine for SLDL's. I don't lower the weight all the way down as I use the lowest rack on the Smith.

Am I doing them wrong? If not, what other lower back exercises can I do?

-Colby
 
So does your lower back hurt after SLDLs in the morning or not until after squatting later on? Perhaps both? Also, what kind of pain? Is it the kind of pain that drops off about 10 mins after the offending exercise?

I find I get a sort of cramping pain for about 5 minutes or so after heavy deadlifts towards the end of the cycle (when I'm in the 5s). I squat before deadlifts and never get a problem from the squats. It's the deadlifts that do it. I don't use a Smith m/c for deads or SLDLs as I don't like the feel, even though there must be very little front-to-back motion with a free bar.

I do SLDLs for my hammies and my lower back. I used to stand on a bench and lower until the bar touched my feet. However, as the weight got heavier it gave me more lower back pain and also hip joint pain which was horrible. This cycle I have found that standing on the floor, which allows for a wider stance, keeping my legs just shy of fully locked out and lowering until the plates touch the floor is plenty deep enough. My lower back has been better and my hip joints have been fine.

So, it doesn't seem like you are doing anything wrong. It may just be too much volume for your lower back. I guess you could try alternating SLDLs with some weighted hyper-extensions and see how that works out. Or just do your SLDLs every other w/o and give your lower back a bit less to do. You will still be squatting after all.

Cheers,
Lol
 
It goes on for about a day. I feel it again when I wake up the next morning, but it is gone today. Deadlifts are just a brutal exercise I guess. I am not trying to build up my lower back, but it's such a good compound and core exercise that I must include it in my regiment.

-Colby
 
I'd suggest not going much below mid-shin for SLDLs, especially as you progress into the 5s. IMO (and others'), you don't really need such wide ROM to get the full effect of the SLDL in the hammies, and you do put your lower back at risk of injury. Plus, you're more likely to slip on form (rounding shoulders, especially).
I switched to doing mid-shin depth about 18 months ago, after fighting with lumbar pain and even shoulder pain in the heavies. Since then, I have neither, and truth to tell, my hammies are definitely benefitting from this approach.
I'm with you, Colby- SLDLs are too good to trash from a routine- better, I think, than just about any other compound that hits the hammies.
 
Jake, I will take your advice and go up another notch on the Smith machine. I also read more about the exercise at EXRX, and I should be warming up a lot more for them.
 
It was too much pain to bare, so I officially quit doing them this morning. I will be substituting with hyperextensions for the rest of this cycle. Maybe I am doing the form wrong, but I have tried doing the exercise various ways (bent, stiff/straight, full ROM, half ROM, etc) and I still have pain. I may not even try doing deadlifts again till the summer as my gym back home has a deadlift assist machine.

It's a sad story not to do the exercise, but I hypers will do I suppose.

-Colby
 
Sorry to hear that Colby, but it does sound like a cycle or two with hypers would help you. Best of luck!
 
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