The Deadlift – The Ultimate Strength Exercise?

So far, my approach to working out has been mostly focused on bodyweight circuits and sandbag training.

There is no denying the effectiveness of these approaches for fitness, fat loss, and general strength development.

But what about the benefits of lifting HEAVY weights for minimal reps?

[Here in coastal California, the sky gets looks pretty amazing after a storm passes through. This was taken after a recent storm in Santa Monica. photo by gtall1]

Bodyweight Exercises are Great, BUT…

Bodyweight exercises can, of course be used to develop maximal strength – it’s hard to argue with the strength of someone who can  do dead-hang one arm pullups or true one arm pushups. And as far as physique development, just look at any male olympic gymnast and you will see how ripped bodyweight exercises can get you.

But there’s one thing missing: lifting heavy things

It’s hard to get more ‘functional’ than practicing lifting heavy objects. This is something that we do every day, whether it’s picking up our child, lifting a bag of groceries, or moving furniture.

Training the deadlift helps make the body more injury proof during these activities, but there are many OTHER reasons to regularly practice this movement…

Why Lift Heavy?

Strength athletes, trainers, as well as ordinary people swear by the benefits that come from lifting HEAVY weights – gaining lean body mass, hormone activation, improved bone density, increased brain/muscle connection and activation,  and just general strength improvement.

Interestingly, because of these benefits, one of the first thing professional trainers recommend to people looking to get big arms is to start training the deadlift!

I have been happily training with a 100 pound homemade sandbag for the past few months, and although it is great for grooving the lifting motion and developing strength, it does not create the same neuromuscular/hormonal response that lifting a much heavier weight would. A standard olympic weight set would allow me to lift MUCH more weight.

I would be happy training with just my sandbag, but I recently came up on some new equipment…

Score!

A friend of mine was moving and didn’t have any room for his old, rusty olympic weight set, so I got it for free!

[My set looks similar to this, except the weights are completely rusted, looking more like red Georgia mud than the shiny 'space age' silver you see here]

The deadlift was the first exercise that I thought about attacking with this new equipment.

The Deadlift – Bad For Your Back?

The deadlift gets a bad rap as an exercise that is bad for your back. But most people WHO ACTUALLY DEADLIFT will tell you that, when done properly, the deadlift is one of the BEST ways to make sure your back stays strong and healthy, not to mention the other benefits listed above.

I have hurt my back in the past, and didn’t want to do it again. Ideally, I would pay for an expert to coach me on technique. But since I’m broke,  I went out and scoured the internet for some good deadlift tutorials.

So far, I have been hitting the deadlift a couple times per week, for the past few weeks, and my back has never felt better. My strength has increased – I feel strong enough to flip over a car! (probably an exaggeration, but you get the point…)

Learn From the Masters:

So here are a few videos from a couple world-renowned experts.

Here, legendary strength coach Mark Rippetoe demonstrates the proper deadlift setup for lifting a bar:

And just so you have another chance to absorb this stuff, here is another deadlift setup video with Mark Rippetoe:

Here is an excellent video with renowned physical therapist/trainer Gray Cook, explaining deadlift benefits and explaining some ‘functional’ deadlifting approaches using heavy kettlebells:

Cook’s background is physical therapy, and his explanation of technique is slightly different from Rippetoe, advocating a more “pure” hip motion that comes from keeping the shins vertical.

Rippetoe is a legendary powerlifting coach, and his setup (where the shins move forward from vertical slightly to meet the bar) is more geared towards getting the body into position to lift seriously heavy weights.

Deadlift Form Key Points

Here are some of the main points to keep you safe while you deadlift:

• Set up with a narrow, ‘vertical jump’ stance, with your shins around 1″ away from the bar
• Look straight ahead – keep you chest up
• Keep back arched – DON’T LET YOUR LOWER BACK ROUND FORWARD
• Grip the bar as hard as you can
• Don’t pull with your arms, let your arms simply hang like straps
• The bar should contact your shins and thighs on the way up
• Push through your heels

If you can’t keep your back arched in the low position,

START WITH THE WEIGHT HIGHER UP

If you can’t keep your lower back flat/slightly arched when the weight is on the ground, (because of lack of flexibility, etc.), don’t compromise your back health, bring the weight up to you.

You can place some blocks below the weight, or if you have access to a squat rack, just set the pins at whatever height allows you to maintain a safe posture.

Pro trainers will often start their trainees off by deadlifting with the bar an inch or two above the knee. This allows perfect deadlift positioning without compromising the back’s stability. As months go by and strength and flexibility increase, the start position is gradually dropped, until the trainee is deadlifting from the floor.

As Gray Cook puts it, “range of motion is not as important as a flat back”

World Record Deadlift

If I feel like I could ‘flip a car’ with my measly 300 pound deadlift, imagine how this guy feels after he deadlifts 1009 pounds!

Have a great week,

-Ian

Other resources:

• If your back injuries are preventing you from training the deadlift, check out my post on lower back pain exercises for some tips on recovery and prevention.
• Rippetoe’s Book, “Starting Strength” is considered to be the gold standard in detailed powerlifting coaching instruction. It is available at many libraries.
• Here is an excellent deadlifting pdf by Gray Cook
• See how to maximize your athletic performance and reduce injury with Gray Cook’s  Core Strength – Secrets of the Backside.