I have written about my “basic 5”—the squat, deadlift, bench press, row, and shoulder press. Yesterday, I wrote about the squat. Today, I want to focus on the deadlift—perhaps the most feared and misunderstood of free-weight exercises. Perhaps, you have seen the gym fail videos of people passing out or looking like the spine is about to explode. Don’t let these distort your perceptions of the deadlift.
So, do you ever pick anything up off the ground? If you can, you can (and should) deadlift. Don’t let the deadlift scare you. Like the squat, the deadlift is safe, if performed with proper technique. (Remember, “lift with your legs”?)
The deadlift is a great whole-body exercise, like the squat. The major differences between the exercises are muscles that are emphasized and how the muscles are loaded. There are a number of variations of the deadlift, but, essentially, the basic technique remains the same.
The deadlift emphasizes the legs and lower back, but, moreover, it emphasizes the posterior chain—all the muscles running along the backside of the body. The deadlift is less about lifting with the back (though the back—more specifically, the core—is critical for stabilization of the spine) and more about lifting with the hips. This is referred to as the “hip hinge”—the key to a proper deadlift. While the squat emphasizes knee and hip flexion/extension, the deadlift minimizes knee movement and maximizes hip extension. While keeping the spine neutral or straight, the lifter emphasizes extension of the hip, contracting the gluteals and hamstrings. A good cue is to think of driving the butt/hips forward as you raise the bar from the ground.
The deadlift begins with the barbell on the ground with the bar close to the shins. The arms are straight and the shoulders are forward, slightly in front of the bar. “Brace the spine” and extend at the hips. When the lift approaches the top position, the hips push forward under the bar. Avoid hyperextending the lower back.
Start very light and focus on technique. Like the squat, check the ego at the door. Form and technique are more important than weight. Progress slowly. If the lift causes you pain, check yourself. Before starting, always check with your physician. Back problems or arthritis might preclude one from doing deadlifts. If so, deal with these first. If flexibility is an issue start with the bar raised to a comfortable height (using boxes or the safety rack) and progress the hip hinge until the bar can be lowered to roughly mid-shin (with a standard 45-lb Olympic plate, the bar is approximately 9” off the ground—this is a reasonable target). From here weight can begin to be added.
Deadlifts are neurologically strenuous and have a great eccentric component that can lead to increased muscle damage (the good kind that leads to muscle growth, but is the culprit in delayed-onset muscle damage and requires more recovery time). A couple tips on how much and how often: the more weight (i.e., intensity) the lower the volume and keep the frequency rather low (1-2 days per week, alternating intensity between high and low-moderate). Because technique is so critical and is affected by fatigue, keep the repetitions at 3 or 5 per set. In addition, the demands of the exercise are so great, it should be a beginning exercise in the day’s session. I, personally, prefer more frequent exercise sessions limiting each workout to one or two primary exercises.
Should you use a belt? Like the squat, a belt should only be used to augment core strength, not as a substitute. I’ve said it before, work on your core strength and avoid using weight belts until you are able to lift serious weights for maximum strength.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!
Carpe momento!