The Deadlift
Truly a pioneering exercise, the deadlift is a great way to build overall back and leg strength. This exercise consists of ‘simply’ lifting weight off the floor and letting gravity the only thing that stops you from completing it. The reason why they call it the “deadlift” is because the weight is simply dead on the floor and read for you to pick it up. There are no wheels, belts, balances, chains or pulleys getting in your way. The only thing standing between you and the weight on the floor is gravity.
On this exercise, people will be able to lift the most weight as opposed to squatting, benching, pressing and power cleaning because deadlifting uses a lot of muscles. Going up in weight for this exercise will be pretty fast. Why? You are training more (bigger) muscles than let’s say the press, hence resulting in faster strength gains. It is not uncommon to see rookies increasing by 5 or 10 lbs every workout on the deadlift.
Performing the deadlift is pretty straightforward, but you should be extremely cautious with lifting heavy weights. A few things you need to keep in mind are:
- Always arch your back, at all times, during the deadlift as to prevent back injury.
- When you have the weight lifted, stick your chest out to emphasize on the arch on your back.
- When you have the weight on the floor, “unload” by letting your hands off the bar. That means un-grip and re-grip the bar after every repetition.
- Always look straight ahead and focus on the wall or mirror.