How Training Heavy on the Deadlift Gave Me My Life Back

There is something ancient about picking a heavy bar off the floor.

No machines. No tricks. Just you fighting gravity.

Men like Lamar Gant, Ed Coan, Konstantin Konstantinovs, and Andy Bolton built legendary deadlifts by doing the work. They picked heavy weight up off the floor. Repeatedly. For years.

My story...

I was born with congenital spinal stenosis. Stack that on a 6 foot 5 frame, about 300 pounds most days, and you have a recipe for back issues. For most of my adult life, I was the guy who “threw his back out.” Bending wrong. Sleeping wrong. Existing wrong.

Eight years ago I had lower lumbar decompression surgery. Before that, there were mornings I could barely get out of bed. Walking was work. Sitting was work. Everything was calculated around avoiding pain.

Medical advice was was always the same.

Rest.
Do less.
Protect your back.
Do not load it.

That path led nowhere.

What Changed

The shift didn’t start in the gym. It started on my couch.

I watched Westside vs. the World and saw Louie Simmons break his back, get told he might never lift the same again, and then build one of the strongest gyms in history. That stuck with me. If someone could fracture their spine and come back stronger, maybe my situation wasn’t a life sentence. Maybe I had bought into a story about fragility that wasn’t entirely true.

Once that thought took hold, I did what I always do when something grabs me. I went deep. I spent hours watching videos, reading articles, listening to podcasts. I researched everything I could find about backs, barbell training, injury, and strength. When I get into something, I don’t skim the surface. I try to understand it.

Eventually I found Starting Strength. Then the forum. Then more of Mark Rippetoe’s material. The message was straightforward. Learn the lifts. Add weight. Recover. Repeat. No crazy movements. No magic rehab protocols. Just progressive overload applied patiently. 

It felt practical. It felt measurable. And most importantly, it felt like a path forward instead of another warning label.

So on September 3, 2022, I walked into the gym and pulled 135 pounds for a set of five.

One plate.

I was careful. Respectful of the weight, but confident. That first session wasn’t impressive. It wasn’t heroic. It was just a starting point.

Then I came back the next week and added a little more.

On October 30, 2025, I pulled 600 pounds in competition.

From 135 to 600 in just over three years.

The same spine. The same anatomy. A completely different capacity.

Does My Back Still Hurt?

Yes. Quite a bit, some days. 

But there is a difference between pain and incapacity.

I can play with my kids.
I can train.
I can work long days without agony.

I have my life back. And it's never been better.

That did not come from avoiding load. It came from gradually earning the right to handle more of it.

Why Heavy Deadlifts Work

The deadlift does a few things that nothing else does as well:

1. It forces full body tension.
2. It strengthens the posterior chain in a coordinated way.
3. It teaches bracing under load.
4. It exposes weaknesses instead of hiding them.

When you pull heavy, your spinal erectors adapt. Your hips get stronger. Your bracing improves. Your nervous system learns that load is not a threat, it is a demand.

For someone like me, that shift was everything.

Instead of thinking, “My back is fragile,” the message became, “My back is getting stronger.”

That is not motivational fluff. That is adaptation.

A Necessary Disclaimer

This might not work for everyone.

I am not a doctor. I am not giving medical advice. Yada, yada.

I had surgery. I trained under load. I paid attention to form. I progressed gradually. I accepted discomfort without chasing injury.

What worked for me may not work for you.

But the idea that the spine must always be protected from meaningful load just isn't true. It's keeping people injured.

The Real Lesson

Heavy training is not just about numbers. It's about capacity.

When I could not move without pain, my world was smaller. As my deadlift grew, my world expanded.

The barbell did not fix my anatomy. It changed my tolerance. It changed my strength. It changed my confidence.

If you are dealing with chronic back issues, you may not need less stress.

You may need a carefully dosed amount of the right kind.

Start light.
Progress patiently.
Train consistently.
Get strong.

For me, that meant starting at 135 pounds in September 2022 and pulling 600 in October 2025.

It gave me more than a PR. It gave me my life back.

💪