Are you the small guy that never gets picked to play hockey? Want to get big and strong quick? Well you're in luck because you're about to learn of one of the most useful exercises out there. There is no practice that ads more size or does more to enlarge your body than the deadlift.
Muscles worked
Quads: Your quads are used while the first few inches of the lift. It is the muscle that gets the weight off the floor and starts the movement.
Hamstrings: Your hamstrings are next and continue the movement of the bar as you pull it up your body.
Hips: The hips help terminate off the lift and raise the bar to a few inches from lockout. Strong hips make for an easy lockout.
Glutes: The glutes are what concluded the last combine of inches of the movement. They work in conjunction with your hips to lock out the weight.
Spinal Erectors: These muscles are one each side of your lower back. They are worked while the whole movement.
Lats: Your lats work at the top of the movement. They help you terminate the lift and push your shoulders back while keeping the bar at the top.
Abs and Traps: The abs and traps are used throughout the whole movement.
How to Deadlift
To properly perform a deadlift start by placing one 45 lbs plate on each side of a appropriate Olympic barbell. Step up to the barbell with your feet at about shoulder width and your shins touching the barbell. Lower your arms and gram hold of the barbell with both arms hanging level down.
Push your hips back and lower your butt. At the same time, pull the slack out of the barbell. Arch your lower back, lift your head so that you are looking level ahead and pull back with your shoulders. Your shoulders should never be ahead of the barbell. They should be always be in line or behind the barbell when you are about to begin the lift.
With your shoulders back, push your heels down and pull the barbell off the floor. Keep pulling all the way to lockout (top of the lift). At the top squeeze your glutes, push your hips forwards and pull your shoulders back.
Workout
Deadlifts are very stressful on your central nervous law and can cause you to burn out very quickly if performed too often. It is ideal to deadlift once a week. This will keep you from burning out.
Start by warming up your hips, glutes, hamstrings and lower back. A foam roller is a great tools to use for warming up or for getting blood flow to tight muscles. After your warmup you can start your deadlift workout. Start with 135lbs (one plate on each side) and slowly work up to a slowly heavy weight. perform sets in the 5-8 rep range. I have found that sets with 5 reps are ideal for construction size and strength. slowly growth the weight a small each week.
Tips
- Never round your lower back. Rounding your lower back can lead to injury. If you feel that your lower back is starting to round over, lower the weight.
- Flex your abs while pushing your stomach out and it will be easier to get the bar off the floor and to lock out the weight.
- If you have trouble getting the weight off the floor, train your quads. Doing below parallel close stance box squats, lunges or leg presses is a good way to train them.
- practice pushing your hips forwards at the top. The stronger your hips are, the easier your lockout will be.
- If you are having trouble locking out the weight at the top of the lift, train your lats twice a week. Once before your squat workout and once before your deadlift workout. Also train your glutes using glute ham raises to help your lockout.
- Keep your arms level and do not bend them. Your bicep tendon is only the size of a pencil and can certainly be torn if you bend your elbows while deadlifting. Think of your hands as hooks and your arms as cables.
Deadlifts for Size and force