How to keep fit with deadlifts. Deadlifts are the top exercise for many muscle groups: How to perform the supreme discipline of classic strength exercises correctly and effectively. With video instructions
Deadlifts are, alongside bench presses and weighted squats, the classic three-way exercise in every gym. The stations are therefore usually in high demand. Here you will find out why clean deadlifts are so desirable, what you need to pay attention to and what you need, even if you prefer to train your whole body flexibly at home.
Which muscles are trained during deadlifts?
The English term “deadlift” does not mean that the exercise is a killer – although anyone who has done a few repetitions with a heavily loaded barbell could certainly relate to this. Rather, the term alludes to the dead point that you overcome in order to lift the weight off the ground and then completely straighten your torso once you reach the top.
STRENGTH EXERCISES PERFORMED CORRECTLY
According to a study published in the journal Plos One, this uses more muscles than almost any other exercise. These are primarily the erector spinae muscle and the latissimus dorsi muscle. The hamstring muscles on the back of the thighs also work (hamstrings, semitendinosus muscle and semimembranosus muscle). These muscles also affect the knee joint and the hip extensor. The buttocks also work (gluteus maximus muscle), just as you need the core muscles for a stable stance despite the heavy weight, for balance and to transfer power to the other muscles.
The core muscles include the invisible, deep muscles in the middle of the body: in the stomach, back and lumbar region as well as the hip flexor and hip extensor muscles. The shoulder muscles (trapezius and rhomboid muscles) and the forearms also have to provide support when doing deadlifts. Accordingly, even your handshake becomes a lot firmer. If you row the barbell once at the bottom, even your biceps get a good workout…
Why should I do deadlifts?
Because you train many muscles in your legs, back and torso with just one exercise, it is particularly efficient for building muscle and increasing strength. Deadlifts are a functional exercise that involves several muscle chains and joints at the same time, and thus trains your coordination and body awareness, making you more efficient in everyday life and training: In the future, you will no longer overexert yourself so easily when lugging boxes or playing with the kids. On the one hand, because you internalize the correct lifting technique and, on the other hand, because you strengthen your lower back and thus protect it from injury. Deadlifts will therefore hardly be missing from any training plan for a strong back :
Of course, you can also use deadlifts to train your strength endurance and benefit from them in other sports. At the same time, by challenging many large muscle groups at once and mobilizing unimagined strength, you also burn a lot of calories: Depending on the weight and the load, you can burn almost 100 kcal in 15 minutes.
Who are deadlifts unsuitable for?
If you have joint problems in your knee or hip, lumbar pain or an acute slipped disc, you should avoid deadlifts. Make sure you check with your doctor beforehand which exercises you can and should do. The bodyweight exercise Superman is a good way to start gently. In this exercise, you lie on your stomach and lift your upper body and legs a little off the mat. As soon as you have the green light for deadlifts, you should practice with little weight. The right technique is essential for you to stay free of pain. A physiotherapist or fitness trainer can help here.
The correct deadlift technique
Technique is everything: To ensure that you really trigger all the muscles as desired and do not risk injury, devote your full attention to the correct execution and start with little weight. At the beginning, train sideways in front of the mirror or ask a trainer or training buddy to check your execution before mistakes creep in permanently. This is what clean deadlifts look like:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and distribute your weight across your entire foot for a firm stance. It’s best to wear flat shoes so you have better grip and more feeling. Avoid running shoes with thick soles. Tip: Practice barefoot, without socks , so you don’t slip. This way, your foot muscles have to work too and you train your balance and your deep muscles even more.
- Bend your knees slightly for a good stance and optimal power transfer. The knees should never tilt inwards; it is better to push them slightly outwards. Beginners should avoid a full squat, but also the version with straight legs. In any case, pay attention to your body tension.
- Grab the barbell or kettlebell on the floor in front of you with a straight upper body and long arms. If you are doing a rowing exercise, stretch them out completely afterwards. Place your hands about shoulder-width apart and grasp the barbell with an overhand grip.
- Push your hips far back. Important: Keep your spine straight and avoid hunching your back! Depending on how shortened you are, you will feel a stretch in the back of your leg. Work slowly and in a controlled manner.
- Swing your weight into an upright position, pushing your hips forward a little exaggeratedly. Lift the weight up close to your legs. Push your chest out and pull your shoulder blades firmly downwards and backwards. Look straight ahead at the floor.
- Then slowly lower the weight to the floor with a straight back. Your upper body only bends once the bar has reached your knees. Touch the floor with the plates in a controlled manner (at least if you are using a standard Olympic barbell) before pulling yourself back upright with the weight.
Remember: In the first part of the movement most of the power comes from the legs, in the second part from the back.
Proper breathing
The general rule in strength training is that you breathe in during the concentric phase and breathe out during the eccentric phase. So with deadlifts, you breathe out while you lift the barbell and breathe in as soon as you lower the barbell to the ground.
What are the most common mistakes when deadlifting?
Typical mistakes that are unfortunately seen again and again are a rounded back, a tense neck and too much weight. These mistakes put a strain on the cervical and lumbar spine as well as the sacroiliac joint and the knees. Many people overestimate themselves and load too much weight too quickly or do not warm up properly. Injuries to the intervertebral discs or joints can be the result and are often irreparable or cause recurring problems.
What weight should I aim for?
You often read that you should lift twice your body weight to build muscle particularly effectively. However, we cannot recommend this because the movement with so much weight is very unnatural or unusual for the body. From a physiotherapy perspective, it is therefore strongly discouraged. You can set yourself the goal of perfecting the technique with very little weight. After that, you should train many repetitions with 50 percent of your maximum weight (the weight you can lift once).
Alternatively, you can base your weight on half your body weight and then increase it by 10 percent each week if things go well. Until you can eventually move your own weight. But you don’t have to! To build muscle, train with as much weight as you can do ten clean repetitions at any time without pain. That’s more than enough to build muscle without overexerting yourself and causing permanent damage to your back.
For new training stimuli, you can also train your strength endurance with 20-25 repetitions and significantly less weight. With a high-protein diet, you can lose weight without losing muscle mass or make yourself fitter for other sports.
4 deadlift variations for more variety
By the way, it is often not the lower back that becomes too weak at some point, but the forearms that quickly give out. A grip variation that we are now introducing to you can help with this. For new training stimuli, you will also find two tips here that relate to equipment and leg position.
1. Protects the forearms: the cross grip
To relieve the strain on your forearms, you can hold the bar shoulder-width apart with one hand in an overhand grip and the other hand in an underhand grip. After half the repetitions or in the second set, switch hand positions. This is guaranteed to help you do more repetitions. To make your forearms stronger, you should also regularly train your holding strength in a two-handed overhand grip, at least in the first of three sets or for as long as you can.
2. Protects your back: deadlifts with rack or hex bar
If you find it really difficult to grip the barbell, you can also use a hex bar or trap bar , as it is also called. It has handles on the side and that is where the weights are. This means you don’t have to bend over as far, relieves the strain on your back and gets into a more squat position than with classic deadlifts.
Alternatively, you can also do deadlifts with a rack: Here, the weight is not lifted as low, which means you can perhaps mobilize more weight in a smaller range of motion. It also protects your back and knees.
3. Offers new training stimuli: Sumo deadlifts
In the sumo stance, your feet are much wider than shoulder-width apart. This shortens the lifting distance of the barbell, allowing you to move more weight and train your hip flexors and extensors even more. Vary your stance and your grips regularly for varied training stimuli.
4. For professionals: Romanian deadlift
You can achieve another variation of the foot position with Romanian deadlifts: Here, the feet are placed closer together and the legs remain almost straight the whole time. However, this is only recommended for experienced people without back problems, as the strain on the lower back is very high, even if the knees are protected a little more. But you also need a certain amount of flexibility to bend forward so far without bending your knees.
The right equipment for deadlifts
You can also do deadlifts with a kettlebell (depending on your level, we recommend 18-24 kg or simply a modular kettlebell ) or with dumbbells. Please do not touch the floor with the dumbbells, as this would be far too far. Instead, with your legs slightly bent and your back straight, go down as far as you can without pain. You can touch the floor with the kettlebell without putting the weight down.
The exercise is actually most effective with a barbell. If you want to get your own, we recommend a standard Olympic barbell , because you can touch the floor with the plates without any problems. Then you will of course need weight plates : we recommend a set of five and ten kilograms to start with. Remember that the barbell already weighs 20 kg.
It’s best to wear longer, tight-fitting sports pants to avoid the barbell rubbing against your skin. Shorts are also usually a nuisance. In addition, suitable barbell collars are helpful to secure your training. If you tend to get blisters, you can also invest in fitness gloves or magnesium powder for better grip. Some strength athletes use weight belts to support the spine, but this is not necessary. Instead, pay attention to a clean technique.
Conclusion: Deadlifts are complex and therefore so effective
The deadlift is one of the most demanding and strenuous exercises in strength training because the movement is very complex and almost all major muscle groups are involved. Regardless of whether you are using a dumbbell, barbell or kettlebell, the most important thing is to perform it correctly – otherwise the intervertebral discs will suffer. Even experienced people should question themselves from time to time and correct themselves if necessary. Here you will find instructions on what the perfect deadlift should look like.
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