You want to add the deadlift to your workout routine, but you can't seem to get it just right. You’re not alone. The deadlift is a complex movement and tough to master if you don’t have the proper instruction or you are new to lifting. That’s why we are here.
Should You Add a Deadlift To Your Workout?
The short answer is yes, as long as you have the green light to workout and you don't have any complications that would prevent you from hinging over and lifting up a heavier weight. When you perform a deadlift, you are using several major muscle groups in one big effort to lift a barbell, dumbbells or even kettlebells off of the floor, all while targeting your glutes and legs. This full-body movement also is great for core stability and strengthening your arms, shoulders and back. Deadlifts are a fantastic foundational, functional strength movement as long as you perform them correctly and safely.
How to Deadlift
The deadlift is a great way to build strong legs and booty. You lift the weight from the ground to thigh-level using primarily your leg and hip muscles, but with the assistance of most of the large muscle groups of your body. You can use a bar and plates; fixed barbell, dumbbells or kettlebell - that's what's so great about it.
Now let's lift; for a conventional deadlift, take narrow stance, this movement challenges you to lift a dead weight off the floor with good form, strength, and mobility, mirroring movements in you daily life; building strength in this movement can help reduce risk of injury. Next, stand with your mid-foot under the barbell. Bend over and grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip. Hinge at your hips and lower down, with a slight bend in your knees, until you're far enough down to grab the bar (overhand is one way). Staying as close to your legs as possible, stabilize the abdominal muscles and keep your back flat; lift the bar by pushing upward with the legs from the knees. Breathe out on exertion; arms stay extended under tension while gripping the bar as the legs push up. Pull the shoulders back as much as possible without bending backward, engage your glutes and repeat! You've got this!
How Often to Deadlift and When?
It's important to include this exercise as one of the primary movements in the beginning of your workout routine, after you have warmed up of course! Why? Because you need all of your strength, energy and core stabilization to perform it safely and correctly. If you save a large compound movement to the end, you would have worn out most of your muscles and energy to safely deadlift. You need to be at your best!
For example, if you are doing a full-body workout, here is what your routine might look like: Leg press, deadlifts, shoulder presses, chest flys, walking lunges, back flys, side lunges, bicep curls, triceps dips and planks. You begin with large muscles groups and compound movements before trickling down and isolating those smaller muscle groups and core at the end. You need all of those muscles to help you properly perform your deadlift!
If you are a beginner, around one to three times a week is ideal to deadlift while adding in some variations (switching your grip, using a variety of resistance such as barbells, kettlebells, etc.) with a longer recovery time between exercises. If you an advanced athlete who has already been hitting the gym up to six days a week and incorporating deadlifts into your routine, you may be ready for a higher frequency such as five or six times a week.
How Deadlifts Change Your Body
Whether you perform a sumo deadlift, a Romanian deadlift, a single leg deadlift or any other deadlift variation - they increase muscle mass, promote weight loss, improves muscular strength, burns more calories and helps to correct muscle imbalances, just to name a few ways this complex movement changes your body.
You are picking up heavier weights plus using multiple muscle groups at once which is why this movement is so create for muscle building and a bigger calorie burn (even after your workout! Did you know that after a good strength session, your body continues to burn calories while restoring you muscles? The bigger muscles you work the more calories you burn!) You will notice your grip strength improve along with your endurance and overall athletic performance.
At the end of the day, you want to be sure you are performing movements correctly and safely in order to prevent injury and get the most out of your workout. If you are still unsure on how to master the deadlift and you see the benefits to adding the movement to your workout, ask one of our trainers who will guide you step by step.