question about deadlifts and squats

[stunner5000pt]

A dude i was talking to said that he doesn't want to deadlift becuase if you screw up your lower back you can't walk, move, and it'll never quite heal properly. THere's is more that he said but that was the basic gist of it.

Is there any element of truth in what he said.

Also can you actually get an injury (on any exercise) even if you were using proper form and a weight that you can comfortably do? (not talking about one rep maxes)

A large number of people say that they ruin their knees from hockey. How does one ruin their knees from hockey??

[~fuelforfire~]

if you do them right you wont mess up anything, id say this guy doesnt know what hes talking about and is too much of a pussy to do deadlifts, what was the question about squats?

[barbndr]

You can have a severe injury from coughing or picking up a piece of paper off the floor. I had a patient once who had a brain aneurysm when he had an orgasm. Talk about a bad day. Often times its not what you are doing that causes the injury but what you have done in the past (cumulative trauma, arthritis, weekend warrior etc..). Any high impact weight bearing activity done over time has the potential to cause problems. That's why you hear about pro athletes bodies falling apart. If you went in everyday and tried to max out on deadlifts you will get injured at somepoint. But, using a weight you can handle for reps with good form, your risk is small. Resistance training has much more benefits to your overall health than risks, however people who compete at the top of their respective sports will often have problems later in lif due to cumulative damage.

[Papi93]

A dude i was talking to said that he doesn't want to deadlift becuase if you screw up your lower back you can't walk, move, and it'll never quite heal properly. THere's is more that he said but that was the basic gist of it.

Is there any element of truth in what he said.

Also can you actually get an injury (on any exercise) even if you were using proper form and a weight that you can comfortably do? (not talking about one rep maxes)

A large number of people say that they ruin their knees from hockey. How does one ruin their knees from hockey??

If done with proper technique, deadlifting is one of the best overall exercises there is. The form can be tricky. Just make sure you make neutral spinal alignment and you will be fine. Have a workout buddy monitor your form.
He doesn't know how to deadlift properly so he fears what he doesn't understand. There is the possibility of injury with every exercise if you do not concentrate on proper technique. Keep your concentration and don't let you ego get involved and you will be fine.

[GunTotingHipGangster]

what papi said^

keep your chin up, and move your hips before you bend your legs - just like in squats

use slow, controlled movements rather than jerking the weight around

deadlifts are tricky to get the proper form becuase you can't watch yourself do it. i had a post in the lifting techniques thread not too long ago about deadlift form, if you are still looking for advice check it out