You know, I was reading through the
www.exrx.net site and there was a discussion about the straight leg deadlift, and a guy wrote to the guy running the site that the guy (yes, I know, a lot of "guys") in the gif animation bends quite a bit at the spine during the lift.
And the guy running the site was like "if the bar is really close to the body there's not such a big danger, even if the back rounds".
Let me search for that.
These techniques are used in the execution of the straight leg deadlift. Notice the weight is lowered to the top of the feet and not just beyond the feet. Illustrations in articles suggesting destructive forces on the spine are quite different than the straight leg deadlift. According to the ExRx description and animation the weight is kept very close to the body. Positioning the resistance away from the body subjects forces on spine structures much greater than the straight leg deadlift described.
I personally have not seen a higher incidence of injury to my clients on the straight leg deadlift as compared to other exercises. I certainly agree it would be a risk to perform the straight leg deadlift for individuals with certain low back disorders, or those who do not conform to the 4 adaptation criteria outlined on this site. Although many individuals from industrialized countries suffer from lower back pain, if I were to remove the straight leg deadlift and other exercises based upon certain people's idiosyncrasies, there would be few exercise to left to demonstrate.
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