The Deadlift: Basic Form and Function

[BigJon55]

The Deadlift Part 1: Basic Form and Function
Step into a gym, any gym.
Take into account all that there is.
What do you see?
Weights, rubber mats, machines, mirrors, probably a few underdeveloped boys incorrectly performing the bench press and most definately several over-weight people on treadmills and on the machines (they will most likely remain over weight). Really, there are any number of things that you might see in a gym; however, if you work out in a commercial gym like most of us there is one thing that I can assure you do not see. That one thing is the deadlift.

The deadlift is one of the most important exercises anyone can perform. Regardless of your current physical condition, fitness goals, gender, weight or musculature, the deadlift is inarguably one of the top most important lifts for you to be performing. Unfortunately, it is for exactly the same reasons that it is so important that noone wants to perform it. It is grueling and painful; and, in exercise the more grueling and painful a lift is the more effective it is.

Despite the effort the deadlift requires, it is a reasonably simple lift. It is far less technical in nature than the olympic lifts and the squat; however, there is no other lift in which you are able to exert yourself quite as much as the deadlift. Another factor that should be taken into consideration is the that the deadlift is exactly what it sounds like, you lift a dead weight. Unlike the squat and bench press, the deadlift has no eccentric movement prior the concentric phase of the lift. This eliminates the myotatic stretch reflex that helps you at the beginning of your assent as in most gym lifts. You simply bend down, grip the bar, straighten your back, hold your breath and pull until your nose bleeds. Simple enough.

The deadlift trains all of the major muscles of the posterior chain. These include the hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors and trapezius muscles. It should also be mentioned that, given the large amounts of weight that can be lifted in this manner, all of the muscles of the body will be utilized to some extent during the lift. Perhaps most importantly, the deadlift helps to train the mind. It will help you to understand what it truly means to strain and to be under a significant amount of physical stress. Some personal records of mine have taken 4 or 5 seconds to complete, this may not sound like very long to you but i assure you they were the longest 4 or 5 seconds through which I have ever lived. The deadlift will add functional strength to the core of the body. This is real-life power, not the type of useless strength derived from hours of tricep extensions and crunches. The current fitness fad is "core strength", well my friends, your ticket to core strength has arrived and guess what? It is not doing back-flip kettle presses on a yoga ball while hopping up and down on your left pinky toe and doing plyometrics during your body pump class, it is the deadlift.

The basic instructions to the deadliift are as follows:

1: Load a barbell that is sitting on the floor.
2: Place your feet approximately 12 inches apart and half-way under the barbell
3: Grip the bar slightly wider than your feet so that your knees can easily pass between your arms
4: Take a VERY large breathe into your belly
5: Bend your knees until your shins touch the barbell
6: Arch your back and puff your chest up
7: Pull BACK on the barbell, not up
8: As soon as the barbell raises past your knees, thrust your hips forward
9: Straighten your back and your legs until they are locked and the shoulders are back
Proper Starting Position


Congratulations! you have just performed a deadlift.

There are those who will study form for hours and hours out of books and watch videos searching for the perfect way to perform the deadlift. This might be necessary with the more complicated exercises such as the squat and the power clean but the deadlift is a natural motion for most lifters and there is only one way to get better and that is to practice, not to study.

It is very important while deadlifting that you understand and practice these key elements of the movement while you are lifting for your own safety. These elements are:

1: Your spine should be in an extended position during all phases of the lift. This will most likely require you to arch your back as much as you can if you are a beginner, as you more than likely will have a less-than-flexible spine. Have someone watch you perform the exercise and give you feedback about your back positioning if you are not sure. An effective explanation of how to do this is to imagine how a flamboyantly gay guy would pick up a penny. His head would be high, his back arched and his butt up in the air. This is how you deadlift. It is very important that until you are able to arch your back properly you do not attempt to lift anything really heavy. Your spine is designed to remain completely motionless while your limbs move it around, so if your spine flexes or extends during the lift you are not performing the exercise correctly. The only movement should come from your hips and knees.

2: The barbell should be as close to your body as possible throughout the entire lift. If the barbell comes out in front of your legs more than an inch or two you are placing unnecessary stress on the spinal erectors. Not only does this make the lift more dangerous, it also makes your mechanical advantage worse so you won't be able to lift as much weight. Good deadlifters have scars on their shins because the gnarling on the bar has ripped their skin open so many times. THAT is how close the bar should be to your legs. If you are a total Nancy and you're worried about this then wear knee-length socks to protect your delicate skin.

3: The deadlift is executed by thrusting your hips forward, NOT BY PULLING UP. You should try to flex your buttcheeks as hard as possible during the lift to ensure that you are using your glutes, not your lower back to lift the weight.

4: Your elbows should not bend at any point during the lift. NEVER, as in, DON'T DO IT! for some reason, beginners always want to try and pull the weight up with their arms at the end of the lift. If you can lift the weight up with your arms it isn't heavy enough. Also, it is not necessary to shrug your shoulders at the top of the lift. If you do either of these things not only are you performing the lift incorrectly, you are also making sure that everyone around knows that you are a beginner and have no clue what you are doing.

5: The deadlift is not an exercise to be performed for high repetitions. This is a power movement, so it should be heavy.... even if you are a girl. If you can perform more than 8 reps during your work sets then you need to add weight. I never perform a set of deadlifts with more than 5 reps (outside of my warm up sets that are performed with a really light weight).

If you follow these principles, eat well and train hard you will be on your way to new levels of strength you probably never would have imagined possible.



If you like this and want more then check out my blog! http://thepursuitofstrength.blogspot.com

[BigJon55]

Bump

[GING3R]

good article. you put alot of time into this.

repped

[Austere]

Good article. IMO, the reason that it's not useful to deadlift for more than 6 reps or so is that deadlifting puts a lot of strain on your CNS, and your form will slowly degenerate unless you're a very skilled lifter. I'd rather do 4 or 5 reps with good form.

At least that's my experience with it.

[BigJon55]

Good article. IMO, the reason that it's not useful to deadlift for more than 6 reps or so is that deadlifting puts a lot of strain on your CNS, and your form will slowly degenerate unless you're a very skilled lifter. I'd rather do 4 or 5 reps with good form.

At least that's my experience with it.

From a neurological standpoint that isn't altogether true. I know you will hear a lot of powerlifters talk about "man, i fried my CNS" but there really isn't any scientific evidence to show that it is their CNS that is fried and not some other component of the motor unit. I should know, I'm a neurophysiologist (check the credentials) and have discussed this at length with the neurologist with whom I work. Richard S. Lee, M.D., F.A.A.N., F.A.A.S.M. I will be writing about this shortly on my blog so please give it a look. thepursuitofstrength.blogspot.com

[bigBOSSguy]

video too pls.

[jsuarez]

Very informative... Thanks

[Austere]

From a neurological standpoint that isn't altogether true. I know you will hear a lot of powerlifters talk about "man, i fried my CNS" but there really isn't any scientific evidence to show that it is their CNS that is fried and not some other component of the motor unit. I should know, I'm a neurophysiologist (check the credentials) and have discussed this at length with the neurologist with whom I work. Richard S. Lee, M.D., F.A.A.N., F.A.A.S.M. I will be writing about this shortly on my blog so please give it a look. thepursuitofstrength.blogspot.com

Thanks for the advice. So I guess a lot of the CNS thing is broscience then?

[BigJon55]

Thanks for the advice. So I guess a lot of the CNS thing is broscience then?

Yes, check out the blog I just posted on this topic, powerlifting neurology 101 at thepursuitofstrength.blogspot.com