Deadlifts and squats when you have a history of back pain

Deadlifts and squats have a reputation, not entirely undeserved, as exercises that can hurt your back. This reputation, though, tends to focus on what happens when these lifts are performed with poor technique or excessive load relative to someone’s current ability, rather than reflecting something inherently dangerous about the movements themselves when performed correctly and well.

Why these exercises have such a strong reputation for back injury

Understanding this distinction from the outset reframes the whole conversation productively, away from whether these lifts are dangerous in the abstract and toward how to perform them well.

It’s worth noting too that heavier loads amplify the consequences of any technical fault, which is part of why the same technique error might be inconsequential at a light warm-up weight but genuinely risky at a near-maximal load — another reason gradual, deliberate progression rather than rushing toward heavier weights tends to serve long-term back health better than prioritising rapid strength gains above consistent technique.

Both deadlifts and squats involve the spine bearing significant load, particularly the lower back, while the body moves through a substantial range of motion at the hips and knees. When performed with poor technique — most commonly, allowing the lower back to round significantly under load, rather than maintaining a more neutral spinal position throughout — this combination of load and compromised position can genuinely increase stress on the spine’s discs and other structures in a way that contributes to injury, particularly with heavier loads or repeated exposure to this faulty pattern over time.

This is where the reputation largely comes from, and it’s a reasonable concern for poorly performed lifts specifically, rather than evidence that these movement patterns are inherently harmful when performed with good technique and appropriate loading for the individual.

The therapeutic side rarely mentioned in the popular narrative

Research on rehabilitation approaches for chronic back pain increasingly supports progressive loading and strengthening, including movements resembling these fundamental lifts, as more effective for long-term outcomes than prolonged rest or avoidance of loading altogether — a meaningful shift in how back pain rehabilitation is generally approached compared with older models that emphasised protecting the back from load rather than progressively building its capacity to tolerate load safely.

What often gets lost in casual conversation about these exercises being “bad for your back” is that deadlifts and squats, performed properly, are widely used therapeutically within evidence-based rehabilitation and strength programmes specifically because they build genuinely valuable strength in the muscles and movement patterns that support and protect the spine during everyday activities like lifting objects, standing up from a chair, or picking something up from the floor — movements that closely resemble the mechanics of these exercises.

Avoiding these fundamental movement patterns entirely, out of fear rather than addressing technique and appropriate progression, can actually leave someone less prepared for the everyday lifting and bending tasks that life inevitably requires, rather than more protected against them.

What good technique actually looks like

Recording your understanding of these cues in your own words, rather than only relying on memorised verbal instructions from a coach, can also help you internalise and apply them more consistently once you’re lifting without someone actively cueing you in real time.

Video recording your own lifts from the side, and comparing what you see to instructional resources or reviewing the footage with a coach, is a practical, accessible way to get some objective feedback on your own technique between formal coaching sessions, since it’s genuinely difficult to accurately sense your own spinal position from the inside while concentrating on lifting a challenging weight.

While a full technical breakdown is best learned with hands-on coaching rather than from an article, a few consistently emphasised principles apply to both lifts. Maintaining a neutral spine — the natural, gentle curves of the back rather than significant rounding or excessive arching — throughout the entire movement, not just at the starting position, is probably the single most consistently emphasised technical principle across both exercises.

For deadlifts, this typically involves hinging primarily at the hips rather than the lower back, keeping the weight close to the body throughout the lift, and engaging the core to help maintain spinal position under load. For squats, this typically involves controlled descent to an appropriate depth for your individual mobility, keeping the chest reasonably upright, and avoiding the lower back rounding particularly at the bottom of the movement, a pattern sometimes called “butt wink” in strength training circles.

Approaching these exercises with a back pain history

It’s also worth acknowledging that not every variation of these exercises suits every individual equally, regardless of back pain history, since factors like limb length, hip structure and general mobility genuinely influence which specific variation feels most comfortable and allows the best technique for any given person — part of why a coach observing your individual movement is more valuable than assuming one standard version of either lift is the correct starting point for everyone.

Having a history of back pain doesn’t automatically mean these exercises are off-limits, but it does reasonably warrant a more careful, gradual approach than someone with no such history might take. This generally means starting with lighter loads than you might otherwise be tempted to use, prioritising consistent, well-controlled technique before progressively adding weight, and paying close attention to how your back responds both during and in the days following each session, adjusting your approach based on this feedback rather than following a fixed, predetermined progression regardless of symptoms.

Simpler variations of both lifts — for example, a trap bar deadlift, which tends to place the load slightly differently than a conventional barbell deadlift, or a goblet squat, which is often easier to learn with good form than a barbell back squat — can be reasonable starting points for someone rebuilding confidence and competency in these movement patterns after a period of back pain.

Why working with a coach or physiotherapist matters particularly here

Because technique is so central to safely performing these exercises, and because it’s genuinely difficult to accurately assess your own form without external feedback, working with a qualified coach or a physiotherapist experienced in strength training is particularly valuable for anyone with a back pain history attempting or returning to deadlifts and squats. This kind of guidance allows real-time correction of technical issues before they become ingrained habits, and can help design an appropriate, individualised progression based on your specific condition, current strength, and recovery stage, rather than following a generic programme not tailored to your particular history.

It’s also worth normalising the experience of needing to modify or temporarily step back from these exercises at various points, even for experienced lifters. Strength training is a long-term pursuit, and the occasional need to deload, adjust technique, or take a deliberate break in response to how your back is responding is a normal part of sustainable training over years, not a sign of failure or a reason to abandon these valuable movement patterns altogether. Athletes and coaches at every level, including elite strength competitors, regularly adjust their training in response to how their bodies are responding, and applying this same flexible, responsive mindset to your own training, particularly with a back pain history, tends to produce better long-term outcomes than rigid adherence to a fixed programme regardless of how you’re actually feeling.

Signs that suggest you should pause and reassess

While some general muscle fatigue and mild soreness following these exercises, particularly when starting out or increasing load, is a normal part of strength training, certain signs suggest a need to pause and reassess your approach. Sharp pain during the lift itself, rather than the general effort and fatigue of hard exercise, pain that persists or worsens rather than settling within a day or two, and particularly any pain radiating into a leg or accompanied by numbness or weakness, all warrant stopping and seeking assessment rather than continuing to push through or simply reducing weight and hoping the issue resolves on its own.

Common technique mistakes worth knowing about

A handful of specific technique errors come up repeatedly and are worth understanding even before working with a coach directly. In the deadlift, starting the pull with the hips too low, closer to a squat position, or allowing the bar to drift away from the body during the lift, both tend to increase strain on the lower back by changing the leverage of the movement unfavourably. Rounding the upper back specifically, sometimes distinct from lower back rounding, is another commonly flagged issue that can affect how force is transmitted through the spine during the pull.

In the squat, descending too quickly without control, allowing the knees to cave inward, or the previously mentioned lower back rounding at the bottom of a deep squat are among the most frequently identified technical issues. None of these faults are unique to people with a back pain history — they’re common technique issues across all lifters — but they carry somewhat higher stakes for someone whose spine may already have reduced tolerance for suboptimal loading patterns.

Building up load progressively: what this looks like in practice

Keeping a simple training log noting weight, sets, and how your back felt during and after each session can help you and any coach you’re working with make informed, evidence-based decisions about when to progress rather than relying purely on how a single session felt in the moment.

A sensible progression for someone with a back pain history returning to these exercises might start with bodyweight-only practice of the movement pattern, focusing entirely on technique and range of motion without any external load at all. Once this feels controlled and comfortable, light external load — a light barbell, dumbbells, or a similarly modest resistance — can be introduced, again with the priority on maintaining good technique rather than how much weight is being moved. Weight is then increased gradually over subsequent weeks, generally in small increments, with technique and symptom response continuing to guide the pace of progression rather than a fixed timeline or comparison to previous personal records before the back problem occurred.

This progressive approach, while it can feel frustratingly slow compared with returning immediately to previous training weights, meaningfully reduces the risk of re-injury and allows confidence in the movement to rebuild alongside the physical strength and technique themselves.

The psychological component of returning to these lifts

Working with a coach or therapist who takes this psychological dimension seriously, rather than dismissing it as unrelated to the physical process of rehabilitation, tends to support a more complete and confident return to these exercises.

For many people who’ve experienced back pain, particularly if it occurred during or shortly after a deadlift or squat, there’s a genuine psychological component to returning to these exercises — an understandable wariness or fear that can itself affect how the movement is performed, sometimes leading to tension or altered technique driven by apprehension rather than physical limitation. Recognising this psychological dimension, and addressing it through gradual exposure, clear communication with a coach or therapist about your concerns, and celebrating small progressive successes along the way, is a genuine and valid part of a complete return to these exercises, not a separate issue from the physical rehabilitation itself.

Making a sensible decision about including these exercises

If you’re uncertain whether deadlifts and squats are appropriate for your specific back condition, or if you’ve experienced concerning symptoms attempting them, a proper consultation or a session with a physiotherapist experienced in strength training can help assess your individual situation and guide whether and how to safely incorporate these valuable, though technically demanding, exercises into your routine going forward.