What is a deadlift?

The deadlift is probably one of the best exercises you can do and, as you probably gathered, is one of my favorites.  The deadlift is an extremely good full body exercise - great for muscular development and strength levels, particularly in the back of the body (hamstrings, glutes, lower back and upper back).  Depending on how able bodied the individual I am working with is, I will almost always get my clients deadlifting. This includes everyone from 14 year old ice hockey players through to 68 year old OAP's.

In basic terms, the deadlift starts by having a loaded barbell on the floor and lifting it up into a standing position.

Harry shows you how to perform the deadlift...

Many people, due to their lifestyles, have weakened or tightened muscles in the back of the body, called the posterior chain. Having a strong posterior chain is fundamental in having a strong, healthy body. I see many people come into the gym, having been sitting down all day, to perform more exercises focussed only on strengthening the front of their body. This would include bench presses, crunches, bicep curls, sitting down cardio machine things (!!)....etc etc, im sure you get the picture!

A lot of regular gym goers, particularly guys, will neglect to work the posterior chain (perhaps because you can't see it in the mirror?), resulting in poor, 'hunched' posture. Many women want to have a nice rear and so will train the glutes, but unfortunately not always with the right exercises (think seated abductor machines). I will follow this up with a full article on glute training but it is important to understand that the deadlift really works the posterior chain and this includes the glutes.

Deadlifting can keep you lean all year round!

And so deadlifting is great for both genders. For males, it can be a macho and impressive lift, IF done correctly with good form and technique. It will help improve your strength throughout the whole body and help pull your shoulders back and stop you looking like the hunch back of Notre Dame because of all the bench pressing you have done.

Super strong guy deadlifting...

For women, the deadlift will help you build and sculpt the legs and behind you want; along with helping you develop a strong and healthy body. I have all my female clients deadlifting, one of which is a 47 year old mum of two who can deadlift 80kg for 5 reps. 

This lady is pretty strong and has a pretty tidy body too!

Deadlifting is great for burning fat too. Going heavy will stimulate the central nervous system (CNS), which requires quite a bit of time to recover. The CNS will need energy to help the recovery process and this will be pulled from stored energy in the body (fat) over the days following the workout.  It will also stimulate and break down muscle fibers, which also needs energy to help recover and this process will also pull stored body fat. 

Overall, we are talking about what I would describe as a 'win, win' exercise - an exercise which I would recommend to just about everyone. It ranks right up there with deep squats! It will help build a strong, powerful body for sport, aid in improving posture and improve the look of your body by helping shape muscles and burn covering body fat. So get deadlifting!

By Harry

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