PERFORMING THE LIFT:
• Stand over the barbell with your feet positioned
slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
• Grab the bar with an overhand grip, with your
arms positioned either side of your torso, or in
a mixed grip to be able to handle more load.
• Ensure your feet are placed directly below
the bar.
• Bend your knees, push back with your hips and
drop your butt down to the floor. Do not tilt
your pelvis.
• Lift your chest as you pull upwards, keeping
your head in line with your shoulders. You
come up by extending your hips and knees
simultaneously.
• Keep the bar close to your body as you drive
your knees and hips upwards. Roll the bar
over your knees and thighs until your legs are
straight.
• Lock your knees and hips at the top. Don’t lean
back at the top of the movement, despite how
many times you see people do this.
BANG FOR
YOUR BUCK
What is definitely not in dispute
is the sheer amount of muscle
fibres that are targeted during
a deadlift performed properly.
When looked at from this
perspective it is clear to see why
so many people call it the king of
all exercises. Anecdotally, as well
as through a clear understanding
of science and hormones, the
deadlift is unmatched (except for
the squat) in terms of the size gain
it can induce. Because of the sheer
amount of muscle fibre affected,
there is a big anabolic hormone
response, meaning that you
maximise the release of your natural
anabolic hormones.
A bang can be positive and it can
be negative, as we all know. This
means that this bang for your buck
may well be negative if you do not
respect the exercise. The deadlift
works a movement pattern called
the hip hinge, however this does
not mean it is always trained this
way. One of the most dangerous
times to perform a deadlift is doing
so under fatigue, because it is in this
state that people start forgetting
the fundamentals about form and
round their back and put their
spine under immense pressure.
This all puts enormous strain on
the vertebrae, SI joint, ligaments
among much more. People even
tear biceps doing the deadlift. Most
often, the reputation the deadlift
has for breaking people as opposed
to building them up has been the
result of it being performed with
poor form or under fatigue or both.
TIPS:
• Keep your shoulders back and chest forward
– do not drop your chest.
• Never round your back as
this will make you
susceptible to injury.
• Do not jerk the weight
up at the top of the
movement. Keep the
momentum going with
one smooth motion
from the bottom of the
movement.
• Pull like a mofo!
MUSCLES TARGETED: Gluteus maximus, quadriceps,
trapezius, splenius cervicis, levator scapulae, latissimus
dorsi, erector spinae, obliques, rectus abdominis and
flexor digitorum.
The best way to look at it is like
this: it can be your most powerful
anabolic weapon, but like with all
weapons, if not respected it can
seriously hurt you. Respect the king.
WHAT DO
PERSONAL
TRAINERS
SAY?
Alex Dias, Andries Goliya and
Norman Sithole are all personal
trainers at various Virgin Active
gyms, who work with different
population segments, from
bodybuilders, to those wanting to
get into bodybuilding, to sports-
specific, functional training and
fat loss clients. Speaking to three
different trainers with different
client bases may well bring us closer
to understanding just how people
use the deadlift in their training
regimens.
“The deadlift is a fantastic
exercise for the sheer amount of
muscle fibres it recruits. Because
of this it is a great exercise for
building strength. When trained
heavy or with higher volume it
is very demanding and