Deadlifts are for...?

Sinar · 10-01-2006, 01:29 PM

Ok, i feel weird asking this, but i always thought deadlifts workout your back mostly. I know i've read articles where they called it the 'squat for your back'. Well, i was looking on here and they said that it is for your quads. Now, i know that it also works your quads, but i thought, as mentioned above, it was mainly for your back.

Like i said, i feel weird asking this cause i've been working out for a while now but i just want to see if new findings came up or what. thanks

-chris2- · 10-01-2006, 01:35 PM

They work your entire lower body: calves, hams, quads and mainly lower back. Also they help your forearms grow. Overall, they're a wonderful compound exercise that every workout program should include.

Sinar · 10-01-2006, 01:39 PM

the thing that mainly has me confused is, should i do it on a back day, and sqauts on leg day, or just one or the other? I've been doing both, one of back, one on legs.
Doing both won't overtrain right?

Khryz · 10-01-2006, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -chris2-

They work your entire lower body: calves, hams, quads and mainly lower back. Also they help your forearms grow. Overall, they're a wonderful compound exercise that every workout program should include.

They work more than that.

Frank_The_Tank · 10-01-2006, 01:42 PM

Squat on legday with romanian or straight leg deads

Conventional or Sumo deads on back day

Freestyle72 · 10-01-2006, 01:44 PM

do both...squats and deadlifts...deadlifts barely hit ur quads...they do a great job on those hams tho

SemiShred · 10-01-2006, 01:49 PM

lower back, squats and hamstrings ... but mostly lower back

IronBender800 · 10-01-2006, 03:06 PM

Deadlifts are mostly a back exercise. The hamstrings, lower back, and glutes do most of the work.

SolidSnake84 · 10-01-2006, 03:29 PM

deads hit a little something called the posterior chain. primary muscles hit are lower back + spinal erectors, and also hams and glutes...

also benefitting will be your legs in general, including calves, not so much quads...and your forearms and grip, and also your biceps to a degree. on top of this your traps are also stimulated. it's really a great exercise that hits a ton of muscles, and due to the heavy weight you can use, it can initiate a lot of growth.

Sinar · 10-01-2006, 03:41 PM

rgr, thanks all for the reply.
I did them today since it was backday, doing conventional deadlifts. Only problem is i've yet to perfect the form. Either that or my form is alright and it's suppose to make your lower back really rigid and sore but, i'll place my money on the form not being good yet. I'm not gonna worry about raising weight again until i get the form just pefect, no sence in blowing out any discs

John Prophet · 10-01-2006, 04:16 PM

if you are going to do deadlifts, you have to sort of set up the routine around them and the squats

why?

because they hit all of the same muscles more or less and they both hit the low back hard

so you wouldnt want to do squats on one day, then deads the next.....you want them spread out some

dunk · 10-01-2006, 04:20 PM

along with what was said above, I either dead and squat on the same day, or have them spread out as far as possible. something like 3 days inbetween

**scott_donald** · 10-01-2006, 04:33 PM

well they are obviously a total body excercise since u are basically picking something up... but the main aim is the posterior chain...

EMISGOD · 10-01-2006, 04:38 PM

I always put mine on Leg Day.

fb902350 · 10-01-2006, 05:16 PM

Deads do mainly back and some legs. Straight/Stiff Legged Deads for legs with a bit of back.

HCS · 10-01-2006, 07:49 PM

First analize the joint that is moving, the hips.

Now observe where the load is coming from, in front of the body being pulled down by gravity.

Since the hips are extending to lift the weight, which muscles are responsible for hip ext? The glutes and the hamstrings, those are your main muscles during deadlifts.

The lower back performs an isometric contraction to prevent the weight from flexing your spine. We know with more range of motion there is more muscle stimulation so to answer your question the glutes and hamstrings are your prime muscles being utilized.

Carmen0857 · 10-01-2006, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HCS

First analize the joint that is moving, the hips.

Now observe where the load is coming from, in front of the body being pulled down by gravity.

Since the hips are extending to lift the weight, which muscles are responsible for hip ext? The glutes and the hamstrings, those are your main muscles during deadlifts.

The lower back performs an isometric contraction to prevent the weight from flexing your spine. We know with more range of motion there is more muscle stimulation so to answer your question the glutes and hamstrings are your prime muscles being utilized.

Primary muscles are hams and glutes, I look at deads as a fullbody lift though.

Goofxta · 10-01-2006, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khryz

They work more than that.

Well enlighten us then.

Alternamaton · 10-02-2006, 02:33 PM

How the hell are you supposed to work deadlifts into an upper/lower split without overtraining your legs or your back?

md3sign · 10-02-2006, 03:06 PM

I think a lot of what deadlifts work (and to what degree) depends on the person. No one is going to argue that your lower back gets hit the hardest. But beyond that point, I think most of it will depend on the person. When I deadlift I tend to use my back more than most people (upper back rounding) so my legs don't do as much work. As long as your lower back and arms are straight, the rest is hard to screw up and it really depends on the individual.

For me, deads have greatly increased my lower back thickness, gave me huge traps (I think I slightly shrug it inadvertently as I near the lockout to make up for my upper back rounding), and increased my forearms a lot.

Ultimately it's a compound movement that will hit almost everything with varying degree.

il_chacal_78 · 10-31-2006, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinar

Ok, i feel weird asking this, but i always thought deadlifts workout your back mostly. I know i've read articles where they called it the 'squat for your back'. Well, i was looking on here and they said that it is for your quads. Now, i know that it also works your quads, but i thought, as mentioned above, it was mainly for your back.

Like i said, i feel weird asking this cause i've been working out for a while now but i just want to see if new findings came up or what. thanks

Deadlifts as as close to a total body workout in a single exercise as you can get. They target pretty much all of your leg, hip, and back muscles, and gripping the heavy weights works your forearms.

il_chacal_78 · 10-31-2006, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinar

the thing that mainly has me confused is, should i do it on a back day, and sqauts on leg day, or just one or the other? I've been doing both, one of back, one on legs.
Doing both won't overtrain right?

Do Romanian deadlifts after squats to work the hamstrings, and do conventional deadlifts on back day.

cssprophet · 10-31-2006, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alternamaton

How the hell are you supposed to work deadlifts into an upper/lower split without overtraining your legs or your back?

Alternate them. First lower workout you squat, next you dead, then squat, then dead, etc., etc.
Or you could learn to do them in the same workout. It is possible.

Guardian · 10-31-2006, 11:11 AM

Yea

When I do my heaviest set of deadlifts I can almost feel my entire body being worked even chest and deltoids (though minorly obviously).

If I had to pick between squats and deads it would def be deads.

The biggest areas deads work are forearms, back, and the hams.

retro_roots · 10-31-2006, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by il_chacal_78

Do Romanian deadlifts after squats to work the hamstrings, and do conventional deadlifts on back day.

This is my new theroy.

daYDreAmErX · 10-31-2006, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cssprophet

Alternate them. First lower workout you squat, next you dead, then squat, then dead, etc., etc.
Or you could learn to do them in the same workout. It is possible.

Indeed. You can do lower #1 heavy dead/light squat lower #2 light dead/heavy squat

ExtremistPullup · 10-31-2006, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khryz

They work more than that.

Traps

kethnaab · 10-31-2006, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by il_chacal_78

Do Romanian deadlifts after squats to work the hamstrings, and do conventional deadlifts on back day.

once you are pulling pretty heavy weights, you may not be able to maintain that much heavy pulling each week.

Tomos · 10-31-2006, 02:50 PM

From exrx.net

Target:
Erector Spinae
Gluteus Maximus
Synergists:

Quadriceps
Adductor Magnus
Soleus
Dynamic Stabilizers:

Hamstrings
Gastrocnemius
Stabilizers:

Erector Spinae
Trapezius, Middle
Trapezius, Upper
Levator Scapulae
Rhomboids
Antagonist Stabilizers:

Rectus Abdominis
Obliques

There ya have that's what they hit.

il_chacal_78 · 11-01-2006, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kethnaab

once you are pulling pretty heavy weights, you may not be able to maintain that much heavy pulling each week.

Very true. My approach to dealing with this problem has been to apply a sort of conjugate periodization to the leg workout. In each session I do one of the exercises as maximal effort with heavy weights and going to failure, and the other as dynamic effort with a much lighter weight, more reps, more speed, and more focus on perfect form. I alternate the effort from one session to another.