Should tall people deadlift? Is it bad for backs?
Everyday, a person will bend over to pick up a wide variety of ordinary things: a dropped phone, soap in the shower, a child, their backpack, groceries, a stick to toss to their dog. Furthermore, the typical person will experience twisting and extension and flexion of their back in seemingly mundane ways: the dog pulling on the leash, getting up out of bed, putting a box onto a tall shelf, holding a child or backpack. Each of these utilizes the back muscles, even in the smallest of ways.
The deadlift is one of the best movements to ensure the safety of our back, and best equip us to handle the ordinary, daily physical demands and requirements that come with being human.
Ultimately, the deadlift is meant to teach us how to pick something off the ground safely, and return it to the ground safely. Safely in this sense means, it is safe for the human lifting it, but also, it is safe for the object that is being lifted or lowered.
Tall people aren’t excluded from this. It is perfectly safe, and it is incredibly beneficial, for tall people (and all people of various body types) to deadlift.
Deadlifts have many benefits:
- Increased leg, especially hamstring, strength
- Increased strength in the the back, shoulders and forearms
- Increased stability in the midline
- Release of anabolic hormones and central nervous system activation
- Body awareness that can improve posture
- Strengthen and improve the safe movement pattern of the lower pack
- Boost calorie-burning metabolism
- Get the heart pumping
“But deadlifts hurt my back”
No, deadlifts do not hurt your back. The way you do deadlifts hurt your back. Doing deadlifts correctly will not hurt the back. Which is why having an in-person coach is vital to ensure that you are doing the movement correctly, help assist with loading the proper weight for our movement mechanics and provide tactile corrections to get you in the right positions.
If you want to function well in the world and reduce the risk of back-pain, do deadlifts-regardless of your height!
