You may know the deadlift as a member of the “big three” powerlifting movements, together with the squat and bench press. Because the least complex of the competition exercises, the deadlift typically allows lifters to maneuver the heaviest weight. This hip-dominant pull from the ground is arguably the purest expression of lower body strength and total body loading capability.

Credit: UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock

But deadlifts aren’t only for powerlifters. They supply opportunities for all lifters to enhance their strength, resiliency, physique, and overall toughness. Read on for six lesser-known advantages of the deadlift. Also included is a no-nonsense deadlift demo, several common variations, helpful suggestions, and programming recommendations.

Deadlift Details

Six Advantages of the Deadlift

In case nobody told you, should you’re not training to be a competitive powerlifter, you don’t must deadlift. But, you most likely should anyway. Listed here are six advantages of deadlifting even should you’re not planning to get onto a contest platform. 

Shoulder Stability

The flexibility to generate tension around your shoulders is important for lifting and day-to-day endeavors. The deadlift is an under-appreciated method of coaching shoulder stability.

Performed properly, the deadlift requires “packed shoulders” — a state of muscular tension across the shoulders and upper back. In truth, many common deadlift cues, corresponding to “squeeze your armpits,” “crush oranges,” and “bend the bar,” are intended to bolster co-contraction of the muscles across the shoulders. These muscles include the lats, teres major, deltoids, rotator cuff, and others.

Credit: YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV / Shutterstock

Since the force of muscular co-contraction is directed toward the shoulder’s “socket,” it counteracts dislocating forces, such those imposed by holding a barbell through the deadlift. (1) Ultimately, this muscle motion is assumed to shield structures of the shoulder from excessive stress and stain by maintaining or restoring mechanical congruency of the shoulder. (1) 

Training the shoulder muscles to effectively co-contract is just not only necessary for lifting heavy weights — it might be related to higher shoulder health. For instance, increased co-contraction of the teres major and latissimus dorsi has been related to improved shoulder pain and performance amongst those with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain. (2) Attributable to its high potential for loading, the deadlift could also be amongst the very best exercises for training shoulder stability with heavy loads.

“Forced” Flexibility

Tight hamstrings are common. Fortunately, there’s a more efficient technique to increase flexibility than spending your time stretching, and it involves eccentric training at long muscle lengths. (3) The deadlift provides the hamstrings with each stimuli. 

Through the lowering (eccentric) phase of the deadlift, the hamstrings experience progressive lengthening across the hip while actively generating muscle tension. The best total tension within the hamstrings occurs toward the underside of the movement, just before the plates reach the ground. These features impose an enormous stimulus for improved hamstring flexibility. 

Credit: antoniondiaz / Shutterstock

Substitute your classic “sit-and-reach” stretch with full range of motion deadlifts to reap flexibility and strength advantages. Not to say, the deadlift is more likely to stimulate appreciable hamstring size gains. The hamstrings are an underappreciated contributor to lower body aesthetics, which brings us to the following profit. 

Nails Neglected Aesthetic Muscles

The deadlift is often regarded as a “shotgun” exercise. It hits many muscles, while isolating none. Closer evaluation reveals the deadlift robustly trains multiple muscle groups more intensely than other common exercises. (4) Fortunately for aesthetics-oriented lifters — those that train to appear like they lift — the deadlift excels at developing key areas of the physique.

With regards to leg size, the quadriceps get a lot of the attention. They’re probably the most visible thigh muscle when the legs are viewed head-on, while the hamstrings are way more impressive when the legs are viewed from the side. Anyone can develop a good set of quads with enough leg extensions, but well-developed hamstrings are truly earned. The deadlift is a terrific place to start out.

A muscle modeling study showed that deadlifts train the hamstrings with greater force and across a greater range of motion than good mornings and split squats. (4) These features are more likely to lead to superior hamstrings hypertrophy. (5)(6)

The muscles of the forearm, which primarily act on the wrist and hand, are visible in a greater diversity of settings than other “glamor muscles.” Well-developed forearm muscles project power and capability. Fortunately, the deadlift is a grip-intensive exercise. Regular high-intensity deadlift sessions are certain to thicken and sculpt your forearms to ultimately impress your fellow business-casual colleagues.

Teaches You To “Grind”

Barbell speed slows dramatically once you’re moving heavy weights and as you approach the tip of high-effort sets. That is a standard and expected phenomenon. Barbell speed slows and, if the set is sustained, failure ultimately occurs. Nevertheless, the flexibility to “grind through” very slow repetitions, at bar speeds where others would fail or quit, is seen almost exclusively in experienced lifters. (7)  Grinding is a skill, and you’ll be able to construct it with the deadlift.

When approaching muscular failure or using one-repetition maximum loads, the deadlift is among the many slowest barbell exercises. (8)(9) As a comparatively low-complexity lift, the deadlift is ideally suited to training yourself to push through grinding reps while maintaining viable form.

Unlike exercises that place the lifter under the bar, just like the squat or overhead press, the deadlift doesn’t require a spotter. In case you occur to lose form or push too far, you’ll be able to simply set the bar back on the bottom. 

Don’t consider these hard deadlifts as “training for toughness” but reasonably as targeted skill training at the sting of your physical capability — Keep bracing, keep tension, keep composure, and keep pulling. The skill of “grinding” pays dividends during your next one-repetition maximum attempt and through any high-effort training sessions.

Bone Density

Like muscle, bone responds to mechanical stimulation — It gets stronger in response to loading. (10) Progressive bouts of loading promote the activity of osteoblasts, the “bone constructing” cells, leading to a net increase in bone mineral density.

The deadlift places compressive loads through much of the spine and lower body. Because it may well be incrementally loaded with steadily heavier weights, it’s ideally suited to construct bone mineral density.

Credit: Anatoliy Karlyuk / Shutterstock

Increased bone mineral density is more likely to occur alongside muscular adaptations (i.e. strength and hypertrophy), so healthy lifters don’t need a special protocol to reap this profit. Just remember, bone requires progressive loading and adequate recovery. Gradual increases in deadlift weight and/or volume is required to advertise ongoing adaptation. Cycling between moderate and heavy loads (e.g. 67-95% of one-repetition maximum) and deadlifting on non-consecutive days are also really helpful. (10)  

Betters Your Back

In some circles, deadlifts carry the erroneous fame of being “bad to your back.” I struggled to recruit a sample of school students for a deadlift exercise study for that reason. Research from rehabilitation literature should prompt re-examination of the preconceived notions some hold in regards to the deadlift. 

Evidence suggests that deadlifts could also be useful for people affected by low back pain. (11)(12) Deadlifts performed comparably to more traditional low back rehabilitation exercises (i.e. low load core exercises) for improving pain and performance. (11) Furthermore, individuals with higher baseline hip and trunk strength may experience greater advantages from deadlifts in comparison with those with lower baseline strength. (13)

Ask your doctor if deadlifting is true for you. All back injuries are unique — In case you are currently injured, it is best to check with a certified sports medicine provider to find out whether your specific injury is more likely to profit from deadlifts. For healthy lifters, this information should forged the deadlift in a recent light. If deadlifts are shown to assist to deal with low back pain, they could be good for our backs. 

Easy methods to Deadlift

To perform the traditional deadlift, you would like a barbell and a few plates. Incidental items, corresponding to lifting straps, chalk, and a belt, are optional and should be used based on personal preferences and goals. Acceptable form, nevertheless, is non-negotiable.

• Place your feet under the bar at hip-width. The bar must be over the midfoot or arch of the foot. 
• Push your hips back allowing only a small amount of knee bend. Grasp the bar at shoulder-width using a double-overhand or over-under (“mixed”) grip. 
• Keep your elbows straight and your midsection braced as you lift your chest to drag the “slack” out of the bar. Create tension in your shoulders by squeezing your arms into your sides. 
• Keep the bar near your body and drive your heels into the bottom to rise up. 
• When you achieve a totally upright position, reverse the movement to lower the bar to the ground. Push your hips back, allowing only slight knee bend. Once more, keep the bar near your body. 

Deadlift Variations

The traditional deadlift, despite all its advantages, is just not mandatory. If the traditional deadlift now not serves your goals, or if it looks like you’re pulling a square peg out of a round hole, it’s time to contemplate certainly one of these common deadlift variations.

Romanian Deadlift

Training to construct greater, stronger, or more resilient hamstrings? If that’s the case, go along with the Romanian deadlift (RDL). This variation is characterised by less knee bend. The RDL tends to maintain the hamstrings at longer muscle lengths — a feature related to flexibility gains, as previously discussed, and certain superior muscle growth. (2)(14)

Briefly, the repetition begins from the highest with the barbell held at shoulder-width in front of your thighs. Fix your knees in a slight bend and perform the repetition by moving exclusively from the hips. Flex forward, lowering the bar toward the bottom until you achieve a powerful sensation of stretch within the hamstrings, or cannot go any lower without overtly rounding your back. Return to standing. 

Trap Bar Deadlift  

The trap bar deadlift is performed with a novel barbell — a trap bar or “hex bar.” While the traditional deadlift is performed with the burden held barely in front of the body, the trap bar deadlift allows the lifter to face between weight plates.

To perform the trap bar deadlift, the lifter grasps the handles, that are situated alongside the body and oriented front-to-back. These handles may sit higher than the burden plates, which ultimately reduces the general range of motion. (9)

The body position and handle design of the trap bar deadlift typically allows lifters to handle more weight and show higher peak power outputs. (9)(15) These features could also be desirable in case your goal is developing maximum strength or sport performance.

Furthermore, the trap bar deadlift tends to put more demand on the quadriceps than the traditional deadlift. (15) Due to this fact, the trap bar deadlift could also be an excellent “one stop” exercise for lifters who don’t have the time or inclination to hit additional quadriceps exercises, corresponding to leg extensions or squats, together with deadlifts on “leg day.” 

Sumo Deadlift

In comparison with the traditional deadlift, the sumo deadlift is performed with a wider stance and more hip external rotation. Fairly than gripping the barbell outside of the knees, as in the traditional deadlift, grip is well-within the knees for sumo. These features change the relative contribution of lower body joints to the lift and should reduce demand on the low back. 

The sumo deadlift requires greater knee extensor (quadriceps) contribution than the traditional deadlift, while requiring similar hip extension contribution. (16) Also, note the sumo deadlift requires substantial hip mobility and strength in multiple planes. Due to this fact, it has been suggested for lifters who possess substantial hip mobility and adductor strength. (17)

Nevertheless, lifters who want to develop these attributes may additionally profit from the sumo deadlift, provided they scale the lift to their current abilities. This could be achieved by elevating the barbell on small blocks and/or reducing the burden and increase steadily. 

Deadlift Form Suggestions

The deadlift appears easy: Pick the bar up and lower it to the ground. But developing consistent and acceptable deadlift technique requires practice. Keep these easy suggestions in mind to flatten your deadlift learning curve and promote optimal performance. 

Methodically Reset Before Each Repetition

Often, a lifter demonstrates clean technique on the primary repetition of a set after which, form deteriorates during subsequent repetitions. To forestall this, take a moment to reset  before each repetition. 

The means of setting your grip, generating tension in your shoulder muscles, wedging in, bracing, and lifting the “slack” out of the bar must be dutifully repeated before the primary repetition and before each additional repetition. 

Don’t Fear the Mixed Grip

A “mixed grip” describes holding the barbell with an overhand grip with one hand and an underhand grip with the opposite. Although this grip typically allows lifters to handle more weight, some coaches dissuade mixed grip deadlifting for fear of biceps injury. Despite the possible risk, mixed grip deadlifts are extremely common in powerlifting competitions and in training. 

While very rare, biceps brachii tendon injuries can occur during lifting. The common mechanism is during eccentric phase of resisted elbow flexion. (18) Nevertheless, distal biceps tendon tears have occurred through the deadlift, which suggests deadlifting as one other distinct injury mechanism. (19)

Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock

Researchers scoured YouTube for distal biceps injuries through the deadlift and a team of sports medicine physicians analyzed the videos. The team found twenty-five unique videos of probable distal biceps ruptures, and twenty-four of those occurred on the underhand side of a mixed grip deadlift. (19)

Because the saying goes, you “could” drown in a bowl of soup. You “could” also tear your biceps during a deadlift. Does the presence of risk mean we should always avoid mixed grip deadlifts, and chunky chicken noodle, for the remainder of our lives? 

Nearly all actions in lifting (and life) require risk/reward evaluation. Resistance training is incredibly unlikely to be injurious to healthy lifters. (18) Currently, little epidemiological evidence directly informs the danger of biceps injuries during deadlifts. But considering a dedicated research team was only in a position to find two dozen unique videos of mixed grip deadlift biceps injuries on YouTube, in an era where nearly all lifters film their lifts, suggests a really low rate of injury. 

If you would like to move big weights, you may use a double overhand grip on the bar with lifting straps to avoid the mixed grip altogether, but you would possibly miss out on some forearm- and grip-building advantages. No matter your grip alternative, using appropriate weight, steadily progressing, and ensuring controlled lifting technique are likely to cut back risk. And, let’s face it, these are things you ought to be doing anyway. 

Programming the Deadlift

Getting probably the most out of your training requires attention to programming. Work toward your primary training goal while reaping bonus advantages of the deadlift with these programming parameters:

• For Strength: Prioritize heavy working sets of two to 6 repetitions at 85% or greater of one-repetition maximum. 
• For Muscle Gain: Prioritize high-effort sets taken inside three or 4 repetitions of failure. Although a wide selection of repetitions and loads are effective for hypertrophy, moderate loads and set volumes are practical. (20) Prioritize sets of six to 14 reps using between 65-85% of one-repetition maximum. 
• For Core and Lower Body Muscular Endurance: Albeit physically taxing, use 65% of one-repetition maximum or less, and aim for 15 or more repetitions per set.

Take into account the deadlift is a systemically-demanding lift. Generally, it must be your primary lift of the session and accomplished toward the start of your workout. To prepare and optimize your training, consider a workout split with intermittent deloads. 

Deadlifts Done Purposefully

The deadlift is a classic barbell exercise with applications beyond the game of powerlifting. From flexibility to physique development, the ancillary advantages of this classic lift support the role of the deadlift in nearly every lifter’s routine. 

References

1. Veeger, H. E. J., & Van Der Helm, F. C. T. (2007). Shoulder function: the right compromise between mobility and stability. Journal of Biomechanics, 40(10), 2119-2129.
2. Overbeek, C. L., et al. (2018). Increased co-contraction of arm adductors is related to a positive course in subacromial pain syndrome. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 27(11), 1925-1931.
3. O’Sullivan, K., McAuliffe, S., & DeBurca, N. (2012). The results of eccentric training on lower limb flexibility: a scientific review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(12), 838-845.
4. Schellenberg, F., Taylor, W. R., & Lorenzetti, S. (2017). Towards evidence based strength training: a comparison of muscle forces during deadlifts, good mornings and split squats. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 9(1), 1-10.
5. Schoenfeld, B. J., & Grgic, J. (2020). Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A scientific review. SAGE Open Medicine, 8, 2050312120901559.
6. Wackerhage, H., et al. (2019). Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology. 126, 30-43.
7. Zourdos, M. C., et al. (2016). Novel resistance training–specific rating of perceived exertion scale measuring repetitions in reserve. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 30(1), 267-275.
8. Lake, J., et al. (2017). Comparison of various minimal velocity thresholds to ascertain deadlift one repetition maximum. Sports, 5(3), 70.
9. Lockie, R. G., et al. (2018). The 1 repetition maximum mechanics of a high-handle hexagonal bar deadlift compared with a traditional deadlift as measured by a linear position transducer. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 32(1), 150-161.
10. Almstedt, H. C., et al. (2011). Changes in bone mineral density in response to 24 weeks of resistance training in college-age men and girls. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 25(4), 1098-1103.
11. Aasa, B., et al. (2015). Individualized low-load motor control exercises and education versus a high-load lifting exercise and education to enhance activity, pain intensity, and physical performance in patients with low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 45(2), 77-85.
12. Welch, N., et al. (2015). The results of a free-weight-based resistance training intervention on pain, squat biomechanics and MRI-defined lumbar fat infiltration and functional cross-sectional area in those with chronic low back. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 1(1), e000050.
13. Berglund, L., et al. (2015). Which patients with low back pain profit from deadlift training?. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(7), 1803-1811.
14. Maeo, S., et al. (2021). Greater hamstrings muscle hypertrophy but similar damage protection after training at long versus short muscle lengths. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 53(4), 825. 
15. Swinton, P. A., et al. (2011). A biomechanical evaluation of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 25(7), 2000-2009.
16. Belcher, D. (2017). The sumo deadlift. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 39(4), 97-104.
17. Hales, M. (2010). Improving the deadlift: Understanding biomechanical constraints and physiological adaptations to resistance exercise. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 32(4), 44-51.
18. Golshani, K., et al. (2018). Upper extremity weightlifting injuries: Diagnosis and management. Journal of Orthopaedics, 15(1), 24-27.
19. Kapicioglu, M., et al. (2021). The role of deadlifts in distal biceps brachii tendon ruptures: Another mechanism described with YouTube videos. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 9(3), 2325967121991811.
20. Schoenfeld, B., et al. (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximise muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: Position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 1(1), 1-30.

Featured Image: Roman Chazov / Shutterstock