Thread: Deadlifts, back or legs day?

I would say deadlifts work 90% back 10% legs. I hardly feel it at all in my legs and my back gets totally destroyed for at least 3-4 days before I fully recover from deadlifts. Keep it on your back day.
Dang can you imagine doing deadlifts and squats on the same day? I would vomit for sure. That would be one brutal workout day.

Feeling the deadlift primarily or exclusively in the back is common amongst lifters who don't properly understand the lift and/or are performing it incorrectly.

It actually took me over a year before I performed my first properly executed deadlift. It took a lot of research and, particularly, a book on bodybuilding psychology -- from which I learned much about focussing on targer muscles -- to show me what I was doing in a deadlift. Once I understood the mechanics of the lift my form corrected instantly, and the back fatigue was only an afterthought.

A weight lifting exercise is classified according to the primary muscle(s) worked in the concentric (i.e. positive) porition of the lift -- that is, the muscle(s) actually contracting. Contracting is the key word here. At no point during a deadlift do any of the back muscles contract. They are worked a great deal through isometric tension, but that doesn't mean they're the primary muscle. This is the same affect that squats and deads have on abs, or bent-over rows have on forearms, etc.

The primary lifting muscles in a deadlift are the hamstrings and glutes, which comprise the back side of your upper legs/hips. These are the muscles that are actually contracting.

Therefore, the deadlift can be classified as any of these: lower pull; ham/glute- OR hip-dominant; "legs".

Rack pulls -- though heavier on the back due to the decreased range of motion and focus on heavy loads -- are still a lower pull/ham, glute dominant lift. They're essentially half deadlifts. I see people include these in back programs and conventional deads in leg work. I really don't get it, but to each his/her own.

Ultimately, as long as you're doing them and seeing progress then who cares where you do them. I just argue this all the time because thinking of deadlifts as a back lift is not only incorrect but it will often lead to poor deadlift training, as these lifters overuse their backs during the concentric and tend to round and put a lot of stress on their spine (because with proper form using the hips to pull the weight the back shouldn't feel much stress).

Originally Posted by ectomorph141

I would say deadlifts work 90% back 10% legs. I hardly feel it at all in my legs and my back gets totally destroyed for at least 3-4 days before I fully recover from deadlifts. Keep it on your back day.
Dang can you imagine doing deadlifts and squats on the same day? I would vomit for sure. That would be one brutal workout day.

Well, considering it's a hip-dominant movement my guess would be you're performing them incorrectly.

I do squats and deads on the same day all the time. I'm currently following Gaz's conjugate strength training program, but here's a typical full-body session I would follow otherwise:

-back squats
-bb bent over rows
-db military press
-deadlifts
-pullups
-incline db chest press

While you may not be able to offer 100% on the second of the two leg exercises you can still condition yourself physically and mentally to give almost the same effort. In fact, I usually don't lift any less on my second leg lift than I would if I hit it fresh.

I consider it a lower body hip dominant movement. The upper body remains fairly static. You are really just moving at the hips.

That isn't to say that it won't train your back. All of the muscles of the back help to brace the spine and shoulders under tremendous load. In a programming perspective, it usually makes sense to put deadlifts in with the lower body though.

Functionally (in terms of movement patterns), a deadlift just doesn't make sense if done on an upper day because the hips are the prime movers.

Here is an example for someone who trains 4 days a week doing an upper/lower split.

Monday - lower
Wednesday - upper (with deadlifts, so functions as a lower as well)
Friday - lower
Saturday - upper

The above will often prove to be too much lower body training. There are exceptions, but in terms of what I usually see people do, deadlifts belong on lower.

Originally Posted by ectomorph141

I would say deadlifts work 90% back 10% legs. I hardly feel it at all in my legs and my back gets totally destroyed for at least 3-4 days before I fully recover from deadlifts. Keep it on your back day.
Dang can you imagine doing deadlifts and squats on the same day? I would vomit for sure. That would be one brutal workout day.

Originally Posted by Phineas

Feeling the deadlift primarily or exclusively in the back is common amongst lifters who don't properly understand the lift and/or are performing it incorrectly.

This may just be indicative of having poor work capacity in the back.

Forgive the advice from a noob, but I just started doing proper deadlifts and maybe my experience can offer a new perspective.

I am doing deadlifts on my lower pull days. During the workout I feel it most in my hamstrings, but I do feel a stretch of the lower back. When researching proper technique, I noticed that trainers caution most about back strain from the movement of lifting the bar up from knee level. The best advice I found was to contract the glutes while driving your feet into the floor to straighten your legs, as opposed to leaning back from the waist. Know what I mean?

The day after my lower pull day is a rest day, and I definitely felt some tightness in my lower back and in my quads. Isn't that the purpose of compound lifts like the deadlift, to target multiple areas at once? Finally, if you're structuring your workouts based on upper/lower push/pull, shouldn't it fall on the lower pull day anyway, whether it targets your lower back more or hamstrings?

Personally when I started dealifts I felt it mainely in the back. Once i corrected my form then I felt it in the hams/glutes. My problem, and often the problem with lifts that require great to perfect form, is going to heavy. Pulling with your back during a deadlift will allow to lift much greater weight, but it's dangerous. If I felt my back was getting such an intense workout from the lift in comparison to my legs, I would try lowering the weight, check/fix my form, and see how it feels then. It could be that your back is a weak link that needs to be addressed, but it's more than likely your form.

So far most people seem to believe leg day, know what your saying though ectomorph. Its the intial lift when i feel the pull in my back but then im fine, certainly dont feel it in my back after my knees, just that initial pick up which i always put down to me having long legs and therefore bit more arkward for me. I train with somebody though and im always on at them to check my form which they seem happy with.

If your a pretty advanced lifter you could go still legged on back day and romanian on leg day. depends on how your weekly schedule looks like but thats just a suggestion

I do squats on Monday's & Deads on Friday's. I consider both to be part of my leg workouts. JMO

I agree, DeadLifts should be done on your leg day. Go to youtube and find some video on proper DeadLift form and practice with lighter weight until you get it right or you will hurt your back.

Originally Posted by ectomorph141

I would say deadlifts work 90% back 10% legs. I hardly feel it at all in my legs and my back gets totally destroyed for at least 3-4 days before I fully recover from deadlifts. Keep it on your back day.
Dang can you imagine doing deadlifts and squats on the same day? I would vomit for sure. That would be one brutal workout day.

Perhaps one day you can hang with the big boys.


They go on a LEG/LOWER day.

Just to clarify, this isn't a matter of opinion.

Regardless of what workout you do them in, DEADLIFTS ARE A LEG EXERCISE. The primary movers of the object are the hamstrings and quads. They work the back secondarily through isometric tension but they don't CONTRACT the back. Exercises which contract back muscles are rows, pullups, chinups, pulldowns, pullovers (some argue this is a pec lift, but it's really a matter of focus if you want it for lats and serratus anterior), etc.

Put them where you want, but just recognize that deadlifts are a leg lift.

Deadlifts are a primary exercise for legs and secondary for lower back

Originally Posted by Phineas

Just to clarify, this isn't a matter of opinion.

Regardless of what workout you do them in, DEADLIFTS ARE A LEG EXERCISE. The primary movers of the object are the hamstrings and quads. They work the back secondarily through isometric tension but they don't CONTRACT the back. Exercises which contract back muscles are rows, pullups, chinups, pulldowns, pullovers (some argue this is a pec lift, but it's really a matter of focus if you want it for lats and serratus anterior), etc.

Put them where you want, but just recognize that deadlifts are a leg lift.

Originally Posted by Phineas

Just to clarify, this isn't a matter of opinion.

Regardless of what workout you do them in, DEADLIFTS ARE A LEG EXERCISE. The primary movers of the object are the hamstrings and quads. They work the back secondarily through isometric tension but they don't CONTRACT the back. Exercises which contract back muscles are rows, pullups, chinups, pulldowns, pullovers (some argue this is a pec lift, but it's really a matter of focus if you want it for lats and serratus anterior), etc.

Put them where you want, but just recognize that deadlifts are a leg lift.

I generally agree with you, but -

To clarify your clarification, the quads don't serve as a primary mover. It is to my understanding that the hamstrings and glutes are the primary movers in hip extension. The quads are not being loaded to the degree the muscles of the posterior chain are. The quadriceps help the movement to a degree because of the small amount of knee extension involved. It is all about the glutes and hamstrings when it comes to a big deadlift.


Also, the muscles in the back do in fact contract during the deadlift; they contract isometrically. However, they don't contract while the muscle lengthens or shortens (eccentrically and concentrically, respectively).

Originally Posted by fufu

I generally agree with you, but -

To clarify your clarification, the quads don't serve as a primary mover. It is to my understanding that the hamstrings and glutes are the primary movers in hip extension. The quads are not being loaded to the degree the muscles of the posterior chain are. The quadriceps help the movement to a degree because of the small amount of knee extension involved. It is all about the glutes and hamstrings when it comes to a big deadlift.


Also, the muscles in the back do in fact contract during the deadlift; they contract isometrically. However, they don't contract while the muscle lengthens or shortens (eccentrically and concentrically, respectively).

That was a typo. My bad. Meant to say glutes. If you check my earlier posts you'll see. Thanks for point that out.

Also, by contraction I mean it in the conventional sense of the word, that being when a muscle shortens and elongates.

Originally Posted by Phineas

Feeling the deadlift primarily or exclusively in the back is common amongst lifters who don't properly understand the lift and/or are performing it incorrectly.

It actually took me over a year before I performed my first properly executed deadlift. It took a lot of research and, particularly, a book on bodybuilding psychology -- from which I learned much about focussing on targer muscles -- to show me what I was doing in a deadlift. Once I understood the mechanics of the lift my form corrected instantly, and the back fatigue was only an afterthought.

A weight lifting exercise is classified according to the primary muscle(s) worked in the concentric (i.e. positive) porition of the lift -- that is, the muscle(s) actually contracting. Contracting is the key word here. At no point during a deadlift do any of the back muscles contract. They are worked a great deal through isometric tension, but that doesn't mean they're the primary muscle. This is the same affect that squats and deads have on abs, or bent-over rows have on forearms, etc.

The primary lifting muscles in a deadlift are the hamstrings and glutes, which comprise the back side of your upper legs/hips. These are the muscles that are actually contracting.
Therefore, the deadlift can be classified as any of these: lower pull; ham/glute- OR hip-dominant; "legs".

Rack pulls -- though heavier on the back due to the decreased range of motion and focus on heavy loads -- are still a lower pull/ham, glute dominant lift. They're essentially half deadlifts. I see people include these in back programs and conventional deads in leg work. I really don't get it, but to each his/her own.

Ultimately, as long as you're doing them and seeing progress then who cares where you do them. I just argue this all the time because thinking of deadlifts as a back lift is not only incorrect but it will often lead to poor deadlift training, as these lifters overuse their backs during the concentric and tend to round and put a lot of stress on their spine (because with proper form using the hips to pull the weight the back shouldn't feel much stress).

Originally Posted by fufu

I generally agree with you, but -

To clarify your clarification, the quads don't serve as a primary mover. It is to my understanding that the hamstrings and glutes are the primary movers in hip extension. The quads are not being loaded to the degree the muscles of the posterior chain are. The quadriceps help the movement to a degree because of the small amount of knee extension involved. It is all about the glutes and hamstrings when it comes to a big deadlift.


Also, the muscles in the back do in fact contract during the deadlift; they contract isometrically. However, they don't contract while the muscle lengthens or shortens (eccentrically and concentrically, respectively).

Ahhh, there we go! I feel better. My original post. Typo-free.

I just can't let something think I don't know the mechanics behind the deadlift. I think I've become notorious for pushing that information on newbs, lol.

okay ive been told, deadlifts on a leg day it is then, at least ill have more energy to do my chin ups now. Unless that is, chin ups are a leg excersise and i didnt know arghhhhhhhh, only joking thanks for the input everyone.

Phineas, surely you feel the deadlift in your back a bit? Its not like it hurts me for days after or anything, not at all, do feel it hitting my legs but not like romanian deads do and the feeling i get in my back only lasts that day.

Originally Posted by davegmb

Phineas, surely you feel the deadlift in your back a bit? Its not like it hurts me for days after or anything, not at all, do feel it hitting my legs but not like romanian deads do and the feeling i get in my back only lasts that day.

Sure I feel it in my back. But, I feel it a hell of a lot more in my hamstrings.

Not that muscle soreness is indication of workout quality, but the day after intense deads my hams and glutes are sore, not so much my back.

Originally Posted by Phineas

Sure I feel it in my back. But, I feel it a hell of a lot more in my hamstrings.

Not that muscle soreness is indication of workout quality, but the day after intense deads my hams and glutes are sore, not so much my back.

Yeah to clarify, the next day i do feel the burn in my hams and not my back, but on the day itself i feel it more in my lower back unlike rdl's thats why i always feel it would have fitted better on my back day. However, you live and learn dont you and i was clearly wrong on this one so ill give in to the masses.

Soreness doesnt mean shit. In fact, I would say its nothing more than a sign of a weak link perhaps.

For example, if my calves are sore after doing squats, it may not make sense, but considering that the calves now have to support X amount of weight on top of what it normally supports, they could get sore just for keeping a stable base.

So if theyre sore in my example, would you say it goes on calf day?

Originally Posted by AKIRA

Soreness doesnt mean shit. In fact, I would say its nothing more than a sign of a weak link perhaps.

This is exactly what I wanted to add. You're lower back is weaker than basically everything else involved and therefore will get sore first.

Get some GHRs, reverse hypers, and good mornings in --- many individuals' hips and lower backs are very deconditioned.

I agree with others - the reason you feel soreness in your lower back is likely that your lower back is a weak link relative to your hamstrings/glutes.

It also depends a lot on your morphology and the way you deadlift. Different body types create different angles. Not all of us were meant to deadlift the same.

Originally Posted by gtbmed

I agree with others - the reason you feel soreness in your lower back is likely that your lower back is a weak link relative to your hamstrings/glutes.

It also depends a lot on your morphology and the way you deadlift. Different body types create different angles. Not all of us were meant to deadlift the same.

I might as well add to this.

Soreness can be very random, and therefore shouldn't be used as a gauge of muscular effort.

Tonight my session included:

(1.) Sumo Deadlifts
(2.) DB Military Press
(3.) Unilateral DB Romanian Deadlifts
(4.) Dead Press
*then some minor accessory work

At the end of the session my quads were actually the most sore. Of course they're involved in deadlifts and also act as a support beam in military press but they were never the primary muscle in my session. The hardest they would have been worked was in the Sumo Deads, and they're involved even less on those than conventional deads.

Don't be guided by soreness/DOMS and/or the pump. It's fun as hell to experience, but it doesn't really have any practical training value.

Just googled Dead Press to no avail. What is that?