[briHass]

For deadlifts, you might want to look into a hex bar (aka trap bar.) It moves the position of your hands to directly in line with your shoulders, which greatly reduces the shearing force placed on your spine.

As a tall guy, it feels much more natural and 'safe' for me. I've also switched to doing more warmup sets for my deadlift with increasing weight ranges. If any of those lighter weights feel 'off' that day, I abort the heavy sets. I also avoid testing my 1RM frequently...I'm content to add 5 pounds every time I can get through 3x5 at my heavy sets weight. I'm in my mid 30s, so safety is the name of the game for me.

[dpark]

The hex bar also pretty much turns a deadlift into a squat and eliminates a lot of the benefit. My back feels a lot better when I deadlift regularly, specifically because it's doing a lot of the work.