Fitness

How to do deadlifts


Posted by Simon on 28 November 2007 14:20:37

Deadlifts are a great exercise for packing on muscle on both your upper and lower body. But get it wrong and you'll be crippling your lower back. Read on to make sure you get it right.

Done properly, some argue that the deadlift is the best exercise for building muscle mass all over your body and for strengthening all major muscle groups.

Deadlifts are also great for strengthening the entire back and your body's core muscles making it fantastic for preventing lower back problems.

Muscles targeted by the deadlift

As mentioned earlier, the dealift targets all the major muscle groups and can therefore improve muscle size and strength in the following areas:

  • latissimus dorsi (upper back)
  • trapezius (upper back and neck area)
  • erector spinae (the muscles which support your spine)
  • gluteals (buttocks)
  • hamstrings (back of the thighs)
  • quadriceps (front of the thighs)
  • psoas (hip flexors)
  • core muscles (your abs and obliques)

Because you need to grip the bar tightly, your forearm muscles are also brought into play.

Benefits of deadlifting

The whole body is worked 
As all the major muscle groups are worked when you perform a deadlift, you'll see muscle size increases all over. It is thought that bringing serveral muscle groups into play at once can even boost your body's levels of anabolic hormones naturally.

As your muscles have to work together to complete the lift, the exercise will also help improve your body's coordination.

Because deadlifts utilise your whole body, you can also use it with light weights as a warm-up at the start of your workout.

Builds useful strength
Lifting objects up from the ground is something that many of us do in our every day lives, so strengthening the muscles required for these activites helps us do this more easily. Furthermore, learning the correct way to deadlift in the gym means we are more likely to lift everyday objects correctly too, lowering the risk of lower back injury. As core strength is built, the lower back is further protected from strains.

How to do the deadlift

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and the barbell in front of you. Grip the bar with your arms on the outside your legs so that your inner forearms are touching your outer thighs and your shins are as close to the bar as possible.

You can either grip the bar with an overhand grip or underhand - whichever is most comfortable for you. When deadlifting a heavy weight, a combination grip is often used (one hand grips overhanded and the other underhanded). This is useful to prevent the bar from rolling out of your grip.

Keep your back in a neutral position (maintaining its natural curves, not hunched over or overly arched), with your head looking straight forward. Your legs should be flexed as if in the squat position. Pull in your lower abs to stabilse your core. Push your chest forward and hold your shoulders back keeping them over the bar and making sure they are not rounded.

Gripping the bar tightly, lift the weight up by pushing with the feet. The legs should be providing the main driving force. Make sure you keep your shoulders back and your spine in the neutral position for the duration of the lift. Keep looking straight ahead and ensure the bar remains in contact with the body all the way up.

The finishing point of the lift is standing up with the bar held in front of the body touching the front of the upper thighs.

Reverse the process to lower the bar to the floor in a controlled manner. You should breathe out when you lift the weight and breathe in when lowering. This will help to keep your blood pressure under check as holding your breath through the movement can lead to a dangerous increase in blood pressure.

Caution

As with any exercise it is really important to observe the correct form and technique. Lifting to heavy a weight in an uncontrolled manner is asking for injury. If you have existing lower back problems or any heart or blood pressure issues you should consult your doctor before trying the deadlift.

Variations on the deadlift

The deadlift described above with the feet shoulder width apart and gripping the bar outside of the legs is the standard deadlifting technique.

Sumo deadlift
The sumo deadlift is designed to reduce the stress on the lumbar vertebrae (lower back). Stand with your feet further apart than shoulder width and grip the bar with the arms inside the legs instead of to the outside. Perform the lift as above.

Stiff legged deadlift
The stiff legged deadlift is a great exercise for development of the hamstrings (muscles at the back of the thighs). Start with the bar on a rack so it is raised off the floor just above knee height. Holding the bar with a shoulder width grip, lift the bar off the rack and step backward enough so you can lower the weight. Keeping the legs only slightly bent (straight but not locked out), lower the bar by flexing at the hips.

How far you can lower the bar will depend on your flexibility and strength. You may not be able to fully lower the bar to the floor. After lowering, bring the bar back up smoothly to the starting position. Breathe in as you lower the bar and out as you raise it.

 

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