Update: Someone here told me to stop locking my knees on deadlifts and it fixed my back pain.

I was pulling around 315 for reps but my lower back would ache for days after every session. A guy commented on my form check video saying I was hyperextending at the top with my knees locked out. I tried keeping a slight bend in my knees and bracing my core harder on my next workout. The soreness dropped way down and my pull felt smoother. Anyone else get a cue that completely changed how they felt after lifting?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy3911d agoMost Upvoted

Locking your knees out at the top isn't the end of the world for everyone. Some people pull heavy with straight legs and never have an issue. The real problem is usually that you're using your spine to lock out instead of your glutes. If you keep a soft knee and still don't squeeze your glutes at the top, that back ache is probably still going to show up. It's a good cue for some but not some magic fix that applies to everybody. Plenty of strong guys lock their knees out just fine on deadlifts.

oscarmurphy1d ago

That's a good catch on the knee locking, it's a common mistake people don't think about. Same thing happened to me with squatting where someone told me to stop looking up at the ceiling on the way down. Made me realize I was cranking my neck and throwing off my whole brace.