deadlifts, back cracking

[IHateMyJob2004]

I only have this happen on deads, not squats.

It's simple really. During the pull, my back cracks. Kinda like knuckles cracking. Not painful.

This happened with 135 pounds even. I even added a belt and concentrate on form. Still cracks.

Is it just age getting to me? I'm now 38. I did stop lifting for a while and am back into it with much lighter weights.

I see no reason to stop progressing. Thoughts?

 

[Koing]

Does the cracking *hurt* you in any way?

Do you warm up properly? I'd recommended doing some good mornings and possibly spending more time doing the bar.

You can do some empty rounded back good mornings as well to just get your spine a bit more mobile. Be gentle with your stretching and ease yourself in to it.

Koing

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

The cracking does not hurt at all.

My routine is
1) 5 minutes of elptical
2) a few no bar quats till my needs feel good
3) squats
4) military press
5) deads

So I'm pretty warmed up at this point.

I used to do good mornings on occasion as step 6+. Steps 1-5 are my core exercises and sometimes I do a bit extra to target weak muscles that are holding me back on lifts or my running. Running usually pushes my to hammy, calf or stomach strength targeting as my pace improves.

I used to stretch after lifting and running. I haven't done that in a while. Perhaps I should start doing so again. I can already tell that stretching would help with my deads. My flexibility is not what it used to be.

 

[smackababy]

I do deads at the end of my workout, and I still throw in some extra warmups before hand.

I am not a fan of good mornings, but that is mostly because they are pretty easy to have bad form and mess up your back with.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Oh, the full deadlift routine goes something like this:

135 - 1 or 2 sets of 5 (do an extra if form is off or body doesn't feel loose)
185 - 1 set of 5
205 - 5 sets of 5

When I was doing 265 it was something like:
135 - 1 or 2 sets of 5
185 - 1 set of 5
225 - 1 set of 5
245 - 1 set of 5
265 - 5 sets of 5

 

[RagingBITCH]

Is it a one time crack, like popping your back? IE, spinal twist in your chair with your feet planted? Or is it a constant crack with every rep? If former, nothing to worry about. I can crack pretty much every joint in my body. Back pops are the best feeling in the world.

If it's every rep, well, AT isn't going to solve that - go see a doc.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Dang nabit.

Ya, each rep. Some noise occurs.

 

[smackababy]

Is the cracking causing you any discomfort? If not, it might not actually be an issue. From what I've read, cracking joints isn't even entirely understood (as to what causes it). If you get any kind of discomfort from it, I'd see a doctor.

There also doesn't appear to be any linkage in continuous crack of a joint and complications down the road (arthritis and knuckle cracking is unfounded).

 

[SP33Demon]

Probably just getting old. If it's not affecting your form and no discomfort, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Ya, form not effected but psychologically it is annoying to hear that crack each rep.

 

[gothamhunter]

My knees pop each time I squat, even air squats.

No discomfort, no pain, hasn't hindered my squat in any way; they just pop.

It's annoying, and at times used to worries me, but since it doesn't actually hurt or anything I've learned to let it go.

 

[alkemyst]

If just Crepitus than nothing to worry about. If you are experiencing pain or numbness with it, then see a doctor. Actually, you should see a doctor just to make sure...you only get one back.

 

[smackababy]

If just Crepitus than nothing to worry about. If you are experiencing pain or numbness with it, then see a doctor. Actually, you should see a doctor just to make sure...you only get one back.

That isn't true! With advances in medicine and technology, I fully expect to be able to replace all my limbs and skeletal system with robotic parts before I die!

 

[solsa]

I would stop doing an exercise immediately if it caused any cracks. I stopped doing overhead presses all together because I thought I heard a sound in my back after the exercise like bones rubbing on each other. I am a coward when it comes to lifting.
deadlift is an exercise I've always avoided because I am worried abour my back getting under a lot of exertion. It hits the back real hard. All I can say is perhaps you should only try it with.

 

[gotsmack]

I don't know if this helps, but I get the painless cracking noise when I do body weight squats sometimes. I found out that I only get these when I haven't warmed up my knees, so I do some light exercises to warm them up like jogging in place for 10 minutes.

Try to do some exercises that moves your back like dynamic stretches to get it used to the movement before doing dead lifts and see if that helps.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I don't know if this helps, but I get the painless cracking noise when I do body weight squats sometimes. I found out that I only get these when I haven't warmed up my knees, so I do some light exercises to warm them up like jogging in place for 10 minutes.

Try to do some exercises that moves your back like dynamic stretches to get it used to the movement before doing dead lifts and see if that helps.

That's funny. I do the same warm up for the same reason. I even do no bar squats as my first set of reps ;-)

I think I'm lifting tonight after a 1 week hiatus. I'll have to see how it goes.

Of course it will be Primary Care Physician who then points me to a specialist.

 

[classy]

I don't mean to laugh, but that can't be a good sign. But truth is you probably just need better warm up to get those old bones going.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Did deads last night. Working set was 5 pounds more than last week.

Warm up sets had the last rep make a noise which was less pronounced.

The working sets were 5x5 and I probably had a crack 2 or 3 times. And it was not nearly as loud. So, the cracking is much less frequent and much quieter.

Strange.