The Deadlift is one of the most important lifts out there for anyone who is looking to build total body strength, size, and athleticism.

This movement has many benefits. First of all, the deadlift is a compound exercise, that engages many big muscle groups, So it is amazing is building overall muscle mass.

The deadlift is usually considered a lower back and hamstring exercise. But it will activate almost every muscle in your body. Your Hamstrings, quads and glutes act as a lever and lift the weight. Your back and core help keep your entire body tight and stable to help keep your spine secure. Your shoulders, traps and lats hold the weight and hold it stable. Your arms, forearms, and hands hold onto the barbell a stabilize it in place.

Moreover, since deadlifts work numerous muscles, they’re a very metabolically costly exercise. That means they’re really effective at helping you lose weight.

This is also a very functional movement, lifting something heavy off the ground is something we all need to do every now and then. It will also improve your athletic skill, you'll be able to run faster, jump higher, swing stronger and basically, you'll become better at every movement you need your body to perform.

Another benefit is that the deadlift will correct your posture, most people spend their day sitting in front of a desk, which causes your back and core to weaken, leading to back pains and hunched shoulders. The deadlift works on all the muscles responsible for a good posture - your back, core, and hamstrings all at once.

The drawback with the deadlift, is that it must be done correctly, with a perfect form. Otherwise, it is very easy to hurt your lower back or injure yourself, especially if you are using very heavy weights. Make sure to learn the proper form, or check with an experienced trainer to guide you.

Show img main the 5 best deadlift variations

Exercise Video

How to do

  1. Load a barbell on the floor, and stand in front of it with your feet about hip width apart, put your feet under the bar.
  2. Without moving the bar, or your hips, lean over and grab the bar with a overhand grip (palms facing towards you). Your legs should still be straight at this point.
  3. While holding the bar, move your hips down until your shins will touch the bar. Make sure the back is in a natural spine position. This is the starting position.
  4. While keeping your entire back and core tight and your chest up, drive through your heels and pull. Move your chest and hips at the same pace while pulling, don't raise your butt faster than the chest. Don't pull with your arms, but try to straighten the back and legs until you standing fully erect..
  5. In a controlled manner, lower the bar in the same way to the starting position.

  6. Keep a proper form. It is very easy to injure yourself if your form is not good, If your spine rounds or your hips and knees don't move in unison, the weight is probably too heavy.

    Your lower back must stay neutral to avoid injury. The biggest deadlift mistake is rounding the back. Rounding it during heavy Deadlifts is dangerous for your spine. It puts uneven pressure on your spinal discs which can injure them. Maintain the natural inward curve of your lower spine.

    Keep your neck in a neutral position. Many people do the mistake of looking up, this hyper extends your neck and puts to much stress on it. instead look on a spot on the floor a few meters in front of you.

    The only thing your arms do is help keep the bar steady throughout the movement. There is no actual pulling action from the arms themselves. Lock your arms straight and keep them close to your body through the lift.

    Don't overextend your back at the top of the movement. A common mistake is to thrust the hips too much forward and overextend the back. Avoid emphasizing your back and instead imagine clenching your butt.

    Your chest should be higher than the hips at all times, and it should be facing forward, not down as you pull.

    Place your feet right under the bar. The bar should run horizontally across the middle of your feet. Doing this maximizes your leverage while minimizing the stress on your spine.

    The bar should stay in contact with your body the entire time. You should almost drag the bar up your thighs.

    Do not lower your hips too much. The deadlift is a hip hinge, not a squat. If you set the hips too low you will put yourself in a disadvantageous position biomechanically reducing your ability to lift the weight.

    It is usually recommended to do them at the beginning of the workout session. Because a deadlift is a “big movement” it is better to do them when you have the most energy to perform the movement well.


Very risky for the lower back when done wrong

This exercise must be done with a perfect form, since even a little rounding at your lower back might cause serious spine injury. The deadlift is one of the best exercise but only if you do it with a perfect form. Otherwise, it is one of the most dangerous. You won't achieve a perfect form learning from the internet, don't fool yourself. Many people before you have thought they can and ended up with an herniated disk, don't think you'll be different. Please make sure to advice a professional trainer and ask him to watch you before considering doing this exercise, and even then be very careful and always start with very light weights and progress from there. If you feel any pain in your back or leg, that might be a sign of a lower back injury.


Try our fitness app
