Why Deadlift?

[sokrispy]

the rush I get after heavy deads is second to none.

they're not essential, but if you choose not to do them, you're seriously missing out on the best part of weight training.

[anonymous]

Floor pulls or rack work with too much weight will torch your CNS very quickly.

I look at deads as more of a guage of where my CNS stands than an exercise in their own right. But the average bb.com'er could certainly get away, and even thrive on deads done weekly as an exercise.

Rack pulls from below the knee with no more than your 1RM full deadlift are great for the back, especially if you do them for 6-8 reps. But if you stick 100's of pounds more than you can actually lift and try to grunt out a 2 inch rack pull, then expect nothing good to come of it.

[CaptainGorgeous]

As I focus more and more on bodybuilding, I am beginning to deadlift with much less frequency. I still enjoy the exercise though.

[Juggernaut33]

Deads are a staple of my routine. They'll add a lot of mass to one's frame.

[killatiger]

Deads are a staple of my routine. They'll add a lot of mass to one's frame.

I agree, the reserve a place in everyones routine. Whether conditioning for a sport, bodybuilding, or power lifting. You will not lose muscle that is for damn sure.

[DogEatDog3]

for bodybuilding purposes and assuming you do them on back days, do you do deads at the beginning or end of your workout?

[Pay_Me]

for bodybuilding purposes and assuming you do them on back days, do you do deads at the beginning or end of your workout?

Usually you want to do them at beginning as they are very taxing on body(CNS and Muscles)

[Tam25]

End cos once i am finished i am spent

[scribeor]

I have been working out for 2 years now.

I started deadlifting about 6months ago.

Yes its a good excercise but it gets WAYYYYYYYY too much hype on these threads. It is non-essential like just about ever other excersise

[j. ViLLA]

the rush I get after heavy deads is second to none.

I'm the complete opposite. Deads drain the energy out of me after each set. I'm thinking of dropping to doing sets of 5 from now on with deads to keep my energy up.

[madgoat33]

My current gym only has 1 spot for dead's and its attached to the 1 squat rack and theres always some tool monopolizing it to put 185 on the bar and go 1/4 of the way down on squats. I would wait for it, but then I'd be standing around for like 15 min and i'd rather just move on. Therefore I only get to deadlift ~2ce a month. Yesterday there was a guy that was using the squat rack for 1 hour and 45 mins to do 1 clean and jerk then take a 2-3 min break before doing anything else.

[LayItDown]

My current gym only has 1 spot for dead's and its attached to the 1 squat rack and theres always some tool monopolizing it to put 185 on the bar and go 1/4 of the way down on squats. I would wait for it, but then I'd be standing around for like 15 min and i'd rather just move on. Therefore I only get to deadlift ~2ce a month. Yesterday there was a guy that was using the squat rack for 1 hour and 45 mins to do 1 clean and jerk then take a 2-3 min break before doing anything else.

time for a new gym buddy!

[FWCMuZiK]

he did more than deadlift

[spot_skater]

It's great for overall development in your back.

[madgoat33]

time for a new gym buddy!

But my gym now is only 25 a month, for college students during the summer. As soon as sept 30 is over i'm switching, granted itll be to a Cardinal Fitness, it'll still be better than where I am now.

[btn1111]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this: the deadlift, is one of the most functional lifts you can do. Once I learned how to deadlift properly, lifting super heavy boxes, trunks, even huge swimming docks (at camp) has been easier and I'm not scared of ruining my back by lifting something improperly.

[thebazookajoe]

You can DL twice a week. I do the conventional DL and the RDL. The RDL, in particular, is one of the best exercises out there. They are by far the preferred exercise of the USC football team and it's strength and conditioning coach. If you are an athlete or just regularly compete in sports involving explosiveness, the RDL is an absolute must becuase it will ensure your hammies and glutes grow in synchronicity.

[EKDatDKE]

I have been deadlifting every 5-6 days. Never as heavy as I can go, I am new to it although I played football in college (we weren't very good.) Is it a bad thing to make it part of my back routine once a week? I love doing them, but I saw someone here said not to do it too much as it is bad for the body? Any opinions? Also does this go the same for squats?

[ThickAsABrick]

the rush I get after heavy deads is second to none.

wait until you have secks for the first time

[brad71983]

they're not essential, but if you choose not to do them, you're seriously missing out on the best part of weight training.

I stopped doing them because it made my obliques grow too much, made my front look extremely wide when i flexed my abs. I simply replaced deads with other movements and i havent seen a drop in anything really physique wise, besides my midsection.

Just like anything else, deads should be evaluated, and what you are actually trying to accomplish is your main thought. You going for strength? or for size? The answers to those questions can greatly affect the answer to whether or not deads are a critical movement.

[kevolution]

I started doing deads like 6 months ago, and I haven't looked back since. It's an awesome exercise and helps overall strength!

[WilsonFisk]

once you get the form down they arent so bad... when I first started doing them I hated them. Now I feel I have gotten in a 'groove' and can pull quite easily..


...beware in college gyms..no one squats no one EVER deadlifts. So throw 400+ on a bar and everyone thinks your on steroids haha

[ballinfrogs]

I dont believe that the deadlift improved my physique by itself, but after getting my gains up on my feadlift, I was able to increase my other lifts such as bench and rows, thus, my phsique improved from those...

[camaleom]

i dont understan why people dont want to do:

1. Bench Press
2. Dips
3. Pull up
4. Squat
5. Dead lift

That is almost everything u need in order to have a nice body, also dont forget some biceps curls LOL

[Juggernaut33]

I do my deads at the beginning of my back workout when I have the most strength. It's one of the best massbuilders you can do, so to having your most strength for them is imperative.

[ironwill2008]

No, you don't have to deadlift, but if you're like most people on this site, your goal is to build as much muscle and strength , as quickly as possible. Deadlifts allow you to handle more weight than any other exercise, causing your body to adapt to the maximum level of stress. Doing a routine consisting of squats, deads, and presses will be the straightest line from where you are now to where you want to be, but, of course, it's your choice. Good luck.

[dazzlepecs]

deadlift is a pussy exercise, its not gruelling and uncomfortable like squats for example... SLDL are all you need IMO for bodybuilding posterior-chain purposes

[Nick1971]

i dont understan why people dont want to do:

1. Bench Press
2. Dips
3. Pull up
4. Squat
5. Dead ligt

That is almost everything u need in order to have a nice body, also dont forget some biceps curls LOL

I was like that in my early 20's - I just focused on arms and shoulders, and gave passing glances to most other bodyparts. I certainly didn't do those exercises above. I was lucky to do some pushups or free squats (squats without weights) if I found the time.

Mostly it's people focusing on isolation work, and what is visible outside of a t-shirt, as near as I can tell.

[Beachman]

Ok, so I hear all the praise for deadlift, but is it really necessary to incorporate into a workout plan? On bb.com it says that it targets quads then hammies and glutes, the same as squat does...Basically, if im hitting the major muscle groups in my workouts with squats, lunges, leg press, etc. is it important to also have deadlift, and if so why?

Why deadlift?

Because it's there.


Oh, and it's an excellent leg, core and trap workout.

[anonymous]

deadlift is a pussy exercise, its not gruelling and uncomfortable like squats for example... SLDL are all you need IMO for bodybuilding posterior-chain purposes

That would depend on how much weight is on the bar, and how hard you pull.

The deadlift is good for the genetically challenged as it's the only powerlift that determination and perseverence can overcome middling genetics. Not everyone can squat or press big weights, but if you apply yourself anyone can have a reasonable pull.