A few months ago, Mark came into my office.
Years ago, Mark loved lifting — especially deadlifts. But after tweaking his back during a heavy pull, he was told by his doctor that he should probably “avoid deadlifts”.
No more barbell. No more heavy lifting.
Since then, every time he even thinks about lifting something heavy, there’s fear: What if I hurt my back again? What if my doctor was right? Is my back just “too fragile” for this type of lifting?
Here’s what I told Mark:
Your back is not fragile.
In fact, when trained properly, exercises like the deadlift can be one of the most effective tools we have to not only reduce back pain, but actually make your back stronger and more resilient long-term.
There’s great research to support this too. A 2015 study (Aasa et al.) looked at two groups of people with low back pain:
One group performed high-load lifting exercises (including deadlifts). The other group focused on low-load motor control “physical therapy style” exercises that improved movement patterns and core control.
Both groups improved — but here’s the key takeaway:
- The motor control group improved their movement and function faster.
- The high-load group still saw improvements in pain, strength, and endurance — showing that lifting (when done correctly) is not harmful — it’s beneficial.
The real answer isn’t “never deadlift again.”
The answer is: let’s teach your body how to move well first, then gradually build back the strength and confidence you’ve lost.
That’s exactly what we did with Mark.
Today, not only is he deadlifting again — he’s lifting with better form, stronger than ever, and without the fear that used to hold him back.
You don’t need to avoid deadlifts. You just need the right approach. If you’ve ever been told to avoid lifting, or if you’re scared to lift again after back pain — let’s change that.