If you’re serious about lifting weights, learning how to do a deadlift is important. Maintaining the proper deadlift form can make all the difference between a solid strength training session and one after which your back is left aching.
While that may sound intimidating, it doesn’t have to be! We’ve broken down everything you need to know below, including the definition of a deadlift, what muscles a deadlift works, deadlift variations to know, as well as perhaps the most important parts—how to get into proper deadlift position, and how to guard against some of the most common deadlift mistakes out there.
Once you get comfortable and familiar with the exercise, it’s going to be one you’ll want to slot into all of your lower-body workouts. And the best part of that is, there are so many variations out there, and so many different ways to do them—with a whole bunch of different kinds of equipment—you don’t have to feel constrained to just one kind! If you’re looking for more on what deadlifts are good for, read on for your complete deadlift primer.
What is a deadlift?
A deadlift is a weight-lifting compound exercise that works your lower body and your upper body. When we say “compound exercises,” we mean a move that works across multiple joints and encompasses larger muscle groups—think a deadlift, squat, or row versus a glute kickback, leg extension, or biceps curl. These compound moves are great for building strength, and also for making your workouts super efficient, since they work the most muscle groups in the least amount of time.
The movement pattern of a deadlift is pretty much right there in its name: You’re lifting up dead weight from the ground. And yes, while this is a common exercise you see in strength training programs, it’s also a very common movement you do in everyday life. When you bend down to pick up a toddler off the floor or a case of water underneath your grocery cart, you’re performing that deadlift movement (which is also called a hip hinge).
READ RELATED: What is Active Recovery? 11 of the Best Activities to Do on Your Rest Days
Deadlifts are most commonly done with barbells, but if you’re new to the exercise, you should practice your form first with little or no weight to make sure you learn the movement correctly. If you have access to one, you can also use a light body bar, like these, to get a sense of what it will be like lifting a bar without adding too much weight. Then once you learn correct deadlift form, you can try the exercise with dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or even resistance bands.
What muscles do deadlifts work?
One of the greatest benefits of deadlifts is that they work a whole lot of muscles: While you may think of deadlifts primarily as a lower-body exercise, they also work your upper body and core too.
Deadlifts are great for your lower body because they really target your hamstrings and glutes in your posterior chain, or the muscles in the back of your body. As for your upper body, your back muscles—like your latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius—really need to fire when you’re deadlifting properly too. (This is why some people may program deadlifts for back day, while others may include the move in their lower-body workout days. So yes, the deadlift can have its place in an upper-body workout!) Deadlifts also really work your core muscles as well, including your rectus abdominis in the front of your abdomen, the obliques along the side, and the erector spinae in the back.
What are the benefits of deadlifts?
Deadlifts are pretty much a full-body exercise, as we mentioned above, but there are other benefits of deadlifts you may want to know too. They’re one of three powerlifting exercises (alongside squats and chest presses), meaning they’re perfect if you’re interested in lifting heavy. Translation: There’s no reason to go light on this move once you’ve mastered your technique. Deadlifts can help get you strong as hell, if that’s a goal of yours.
Source: https://www.self.com
