Deadlifts are hands down one of my favourite exercises to do if I want to feel strong and powerful. I can’t say my deadlift is really that strong but hiking up a mass of weight from a dead stop on the ground really does something to get me amped for my workout that is following.
The deadlift is universally loved throughout the fitness industry (except for by those people who thinks it’s bad for their backs, lol wut) – it’s great for building strength, size, athleticism, and for burning those calories. HOWEVER – if you want to reap the benefits of this lift, you have to be executing it PROPERLY and with good form.
A strong, well executed deadlift first needs a strong hip hinge movement – which is essentially what a deadlift is, a standing hip hinge. Movements like the hip thrust and the cable pull thru are examples of a hip hinge exercise. This type of movement loads the posterior chain which is the group of muscles along the back side of the body – the deadlift calls upon these muscles to get the bar up and off the ground, so you can see how strengthening your hip hinge would be beneficial!
Body position
Feet shoulder width apart, toes pointing forward.
Hands should fall naturally just to the outside of your legs when you bend down to grab the bar.
Spine should be neutral (head and neck included). Don’t over-arch or over-curve your spine – this helps avoid injury.
Initiating the movement
You will likely have heard the cue “take the slack out of the bar” when it comes to pulling a deadlift off the ground.
Taking the slack out of the bar is the initiation to the pull – you’re readying your body to haul the weight off the ground, without yanking it and hurting yourself. Basically, you want to grasp the bar, tighten your body by bracing your core and engaging your lats – you will find that now the bar is braced against the top of the hole in the weight instead of resting on the bottom. Now pull.
Completing the movement
As you pull the bar up, you want to aim to keep your back at the same angle (against the floor) for at least the first half of the movement. Your butt should not come up before your head, and your head shouldn’t pull up before your butt, they should move at the same time.
Your head and neck should be in line with your spine, and there should be no rounding in your lower back. If you’re rounding your back or straining your neck, it’s too heavy. Decrease the weight.
I find that a good way to stay in form, is to ensure that the bar travels up your legs (as in touches your legs for the whole movement). This cue prevents the bar hanging too far forward, which will put a lot of strain on the spine – low back especially – and could lead to serious injury.
At the top of the deadlift, don’t over extend your back (as in don’t push your hips forward too much). Again, this could injure your lower back. If you’re in a commercial gym setting, allowing the bar to drop quickly usually isn’t an option, so make sure you lower the bar back down with the same, good form that you picked it up in. Let the bar settle on the ground before re-setting your body to pick it up again. Do. Not. Bounce. The. Bar. PLEASE! It’s called a DEADlift for a reason… because the bar should be a DEAD weight when initiating the movement. DEADlift. Thanku.
Hand grip
There are three different ways of gripping the bar when it comes to deadlifting: overhand, mixed grip, and hook grip, all of which have a time and a place when it comes to getting that bar off the ground.
The overhand grip is the most conventional way. This is when both hands are gripping the bar so that your palms are facing towards your legs. This grip is great for beginners, and those who are not outlifting their grip strength yet. By that I mean, the weight is still light enough that your grip can still keep a hold of the bar without it rolling out of your hands.
When you do get to the point where your hands seem to be failing you, this is when the mixed grip comes in. Now I will start out by saying that there are some experts that say that over using this grip can cause muscle imbalances throughout the back and arms – I have been using this grip for at least 4 or 5 years and have yet to feel as though I am imbalanced or causing myself harm. I think that the best way to avoid these potential issues is to make sure your back workouts are well rounded, and a lot of unilateral exercises are used in order to allow both sides to be more equal.
A mixed grip is when one palm is grabbing the bar with the palm facing towards your leg, and the other hand grabbing the bar so that your palm is facing away from your leg. This grip is great as it means that the bar is stopped from rolling one way or another because your hands are pushing in opposite directions!
The last grip is the hook grip. Now, I can’t say this is a grip I have ever used because the mixed grip is yet to fail me. However, I will go ahead and explain it for you in case you are interested! Basically, it’s the same hand positioning as the conventional hook grip, however you wrap your thumb tight around the bar and trap it underneath your fingers so that it’s locked there. This type of grip is typically used by powerlifters and Olympic weight lifters – it’s super uncomfortable and takes a while to get used too, and if you don’t plan on competing at all, then I’d say it probably isn’t necessary.
Type of shoes
I recently did a blog post on what types of shoes you should wear to workout in, so I would suggest you read that so what I suggest makes a little more sense!
You should deadlift in chucks, or flat soled shoes with very little cushioning. These will help you get the best out of your lift, and won’t break the bank either!
How often/when during the workout/sets&reps
Like many exercises, the deadlift shouldn’t be over done – as in, if you’re not a powerlifter there really is no need to deadlift more than 2 times a week. The deadlift, when lifting close to your max weight, is a very taxing exercise on the central nervous system (CNS), so fatigue can happen quickly. You will open yourself up to some potentially serious injuries if you are not careful. A good rule to follow is to not train the same exercise/body part more than once in 48-72 hours. This allows enough time for recovery, but not too much so that you start to lose the benefits of the training.
Until next time
xx