1. Why it's the Complete Full Body Workout
Want sculpted glutes? (I mean, who doesn’t?). Compound movements (i.e. uses two or more joints in the body) such as deadlifts incorporate more muscle groups in the body than nearly all other weight lifting exercises, so they are great at building definition in the lower body.
The deadlift works all of the prime mover and most of the synergistic muscles in the abdomen and lower body - with emphasis on the erector spinae, lower back and upper back, along with muscles of the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteus maximus. Phew!
Gives You Great Glutes
Research has found that the gluteals are massively activated during double and single leg deadlifts. This also translates to sporting performance with compound exercises shown to have a great impact on jump and sprinting performance with improvements from 5-15%.
Gives You Six Pack Abs
Core strength also plays a pivotal role in sports performance, with greater stability allowing for greater force production and transference from the lower to upper extremities (legs to arms).
Promotes a Muscle Building Furnace
2. The Correct Start Position
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Feet are placed between hip and shoulder width apart with toes pointed slightly outwards.
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Elbows should be fully extended and feet flat on the floor with the bar over the first lace of the shoe (approx 3cm from shins).
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Hips should be higher than knees and lower than shoulders.
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Natural curvature of the spine should be evident with the chest up and out and scapulae retracted.
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Traps should be relaxed and stretched and the head up looking forward or up and shoulders over or slightly in front of the bar.
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Take the weight of the bar whilst taking a deep inhalation to brace and help stabilise the spine.
3. How to Perform the Concentric Upward Movement
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A forceful extension of the hip and knees (pushing through the heels).
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The movement should hinge around the hip and not the lumbar spine.
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Hips should not rise before the shoulder and this is often referred to as a bum shuffle (don't do it as it increases the strain on the lumbar spine).
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It is also important to leave the arms locked out, so all the force acting on the bar is through the legs.
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The bar should be kept close to the body throughout the movement.
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At the top of the lift, push your hips forward and come to a standing position.
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Finish with a completely upright posture to complete the concentric phase of the lift.
4. How To Perform the Eccentric Downward Movement
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From this point the bar should either be lowered in a controlled manner back to the start position or dropped back down to the platform ready to commence the next repetition.
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Do this by pushing your hips back and squatting back to your original position, the back should remain flat throughout this eccentric lowering of the bar.
5. The Most Common Faults with the Deadlift
