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Why Deadlift?

Deadlifting is a fundamental skill. Bending over and picking things up is a skill that we all use at one time or another. If done properly, increasing the amount of weight you can deadlift could improve your:

• Bending and straightening;
• Posture;
• Carrying and grip;
• Running and sprinting.

Becoming strong in such a whole-body movement is a great way to capitalise on a wide range of benefits of strength training.

Deadlifting fits into the “hip-dominant” category of our fundamental movement patterns.

What Muscles Does the Deadlift Work?

People like to say that the deadlift works every muscle in the body. This may be technically true, but a large part of the emphasis lies with the posterior chain. This includes:

• The hamstrings;
• Glutes;
• Lower back;
• Upper back.

The deadlift can also challenge your grip.

Even if claims of the deadlift working everything are slightly exaggerated, it’s still a fantastic bang-for-buck exercise. Similar to squats, the fact that your skeleton is being loaded with a challenging weight can also carry benefits to other tissues of the body.

This does not guarantee you will see muscle growth in these areas of the body, as this depends on a number of other factors.

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What is the Difference Between a Squat and a Deadlift?

There are some people whose deadlifts and squats look somewhat similar, especially if they do a sumo or kettlebell deadlift where it’s easy to sit too low (more on that later). However, they are distinctly different movements. I’ve talked before about the continuum of hip-dominant and knee-dominant exercise; squats and deadlifts are usually at separate ends of this continuum, although it can depend on the variation of the movement that you’re doing.

The implications of this is that you’re emphasising different muscles and skills. However, it’s useful to include both deadlifts and squats in your programmes.

Am I Ready To Deadlift?

Probably. It’s another exercise that people like to hype up as a hardcore challenge for gym-pros only, but the deadlift can be modified to lift from any height, with any weight. The type of equipment used can also alter the demands of the exercise, for example deadlifting with a kettlebell vs a barbell.

That being said, before you deadlift it is useful to have a good awareness of your back position to ensure the best lift possible.

Does My Back Need to Be Perfectly Straight When I Deadlift?

The topic of lifting with a “neutral spine” is a complex, hotly debated subject. Here are some points to consider:

• Many impressive deadlifts have been done with a rounded spine. In powerlifting, there is an argument that having a slightly rounded back will put your hips and legs in a stronger position.
• There is a large effort within the physiotherapy community to reassure people that your spine is not fragile, and will not explode if it rounds.
• It has been found that most people still round their back slightly even if the spine appears to be perfectly straight, meaning it’s impossible to eradicate spine flexion completely (I will try to find the source for this!).
• It is possible to have a perfectly neutral spine when the bar is on the floor, only for it to fold upon lifting if you try to pull to fast or if you’re still mastering bracing.

In the deadlift position, a neutral spine means that you have a straight line from your tailbone to your head. Despite the points made above, I still think it’s important to strive for this, for the following reasons:

• Folding over without rounding your back is a skill that teaches body awareness and can help train your hamstring mobility. Just because you could get away with relaxing your back position, doesn’t mean you always should.
• The deadlift has the potential to be your heaviest exercise, and therefore the heaviest amount of weight you load your back with. This means it has the greatest potential to overload the muscles around the back, potentially causing strain. Yes, you can load your back in a rounded position, but there are safer exercises to do this with, such as the Jefferson curl (see below).
• I’m a big believer in mastering the basics. Pulling with a rounded back is slightly more advanced, in that you need to know how much back rounding is needed to get you in a strong position, as well as how much you can tolerate. Get great at pulling with a neutral spine first, then move on to rounded later if you feel the need.

Should I Wear Lifting Shoes?

No. While a squat requires increased ankle mobility to maintain position, wearing a heeled shoe for deadlifting would move us further away from the bar we’re trying to lift. It would also make it harder to “fall back” with the bar, which is a cue that helps a lot of people with deadlifting.

Deadlifting is best performed barefoot of with some kind of flat shoe. The only exception would be if you’re practicing your pulls to improve Olympic Weightlifting, but this is a different topic.

What Kind of Deadlift Should I Do?

Romanian Deadlift – without a doubt my favourite deadlift variation, because it is 100% hip focussed. When lifting from the floor in the other deadlift types, the initial push off the floor can be knee-focussed. With the Romanian deadlift, you stop the movement at the point where your knees aren’t bending and straightening each time, meaning you get to focus purely on the posterior chain.

Because this technique emphasises a loaded stretch through the hamstrings, you don’t need much weight in order to challenge the hamstrings and train your mobility – this makes the RDL a great accessory exercise alongside the other deadlifts I will mention. The drawback is that you’re continuously holding the bar, meaning your grip can suffer from the constant tension. I recommend using lifting straps.

Conventional Deadlift – The most common form of deadlift, this involves your hands being just outside of your feet, with a narrow stance. This can be challenging if you’re tall or have short arms relative to your leg length. However, with a bit of tweaking it’s a great exercise for all the reasons we’ve discussed above.

Sumo Deadlift – A great alternative for people struggling with their conventional setup. It involves a wider foot position, with hands on the inside. As a result, the hips are lower relative to the shoulders, but you should still focus on keeping your shoulders over the bar to avoid it becoming too “squatty” or knee-dominant. It will additionally load the muscles around the groin more than a conventional deadlift.

Should I Train the Sumo or Conventional Deadlift?

Choosing between the sumo and conventional deadlift is a subject of some debate. This is because people focus on what is better instead of focussing on what is better for them.

The largest factors in making this decision will be comfort and enjoyment. If you struggle to get into a conventional deadlift, a sumo will probably give you a more comfortable position. However, others will feel that a conventional deadlift is more efficient. For example, my body type (very tall) probably suits a sumo deadlift more, but I have always preferred a conventional deadlift.

If you’re entering a powerlifting competition, there probably is a specific deadlift that is right for you. If you’re anyone else, there’s no reason why you can’t switch it up from programme to programme. Both will get you strong, and challenge you in unique ways.

What About the Hex Bar?

These have grown in popularity due to their ability to bridge the gap in lifters who struggle with the mobility demands of other deadlifts. The handles are higher than the resting height of a barbell, and you stand “inside” the weight. This keeps the weight closer to your centre of mass, improving balance and possibly reducing the load on the back muscles.

However, I think these are potential downsides to the hex bar deadlift. After all, the whole point of deadlifting is learning to pick something up, and managing forces on your posterior chain. By changing your levers and making things more convenient, I think you take away some of these movement challenges. The things we have to pick up in day-to-day life are rarely so conveniently-shaped.

I also think this can lead people into a false sense of security, in a similar manner to the leg press for squatters. People are almost always able to lift a lot more with hex bar deadlifts, but may not require the same attention to detail to do so. That being said, I am not anti-hex bar deadlifts; these are just the downsides as I see them.

Now you know these tips for deadlifting, it’s time to talk about getting the most out of your deadlift.

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