What's the big deal about deadlifing?

Many of my clients know that I'm a big fan of the deadlift and its variations in my training programs.  Along with squats, it is considered by industry experts as one of the single greatest, most beneficial exercise available.  Whether I have someone begin with a basic bend movement or have more advanced people hauling in excess of 50% of their body weight off the floor, I've seen only good things come of it.  This is of course assuming proper technique is taught and practiced.  Below is an exerpt from an interview with Coach and Powerlifter Eric Cressey by Myles Kantor.

What are the unique benefits of deadlifting?

First, I’d say that (along with box squats) it’s the single-most effective movement for training the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, adductor magnus, and lumbar erectors). The posterior chain is of paramount importance to high-level performance; watch the best sprinters run, and you’ll see that they seem to just “float”—and it’s because they’re running with their hamstrings and glutes. In contrast, watch a guy who runs with his quads, and you’ll see that his hips are bouncing up and down; there’s a lot of wasted movement. The glutes and hamstrings are all fast-twitch fibers with a lot of strength, speed, and size potential—potential you’ll never realize without deadlift variations. 

Second, strengthening the posterior chain with closed-chain movements like deadlifts also reduces injury risk. Weak hamstrings are a serious risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, patellofemoral pain, and a host of other problems at the knee, hip, ankle, and lower back. Conversely, leg curls simply won’t get the job done, as they don’t require co-contraction of the glutes and hamstrings, are open-chain, and occur in a fixed line of motion. Our body is far smarter than some piece of selectorized equipment.

Third, deadlifts enable a lifter to train hip and knee extension together without learning the full Olympic lifts, which have a big learning curve. 

Fourth, deadlifts enable a lifter to use more loading, thus ensuring that more motor units and, in turn, muscle fibers will be recruited all over the body. The more fibers you recruit, the greater your stimulus for growth. And, if you’re looking to shed body fat, the post-exercise oxygen debt will be larger from recruiting more muscle mass, meaning that your metabolic rate will be really jacked up for longer after the end of your training session. 

Fifth, you can train deadlifts several different ways. Light weights (~30% 1RM) with high velocities develop speed-strength, mid-range loading (45-70% 1RM) develop strength-speed, and circa-maximal weights enhance maximal strength. Pulls at 90% can have tremendous benefits in terms of both power and maximal strength development.

Sixth, deadlifts are quite possibly the best exercise for enhancing rate of force development (RFD)—also known as explosive strength. This refers to how quickly you can develop tension in a muscle, and is obviously of tremendous importance to athletic success. Movements that are initiated from a dead-stop are superior methods of enhancing RFD; box squats and Anderson squats are great as well. Olympic lifts can be tricky in this regard, as the first pull is actually somewhat slow compared to what you’ll see in a speed deadlift; Olympic lifters are more interested in setting themselves up for the second pull.

Seventh, as noted earlier, deadlifts have a better functional carryover to real world performance than leg curls, glute-blasters, and all the other silly machines out there.

Eighth, deadlifts are unparalleled in their ability to wallop loads of muscle mass on your upper back. The better my pull has gotten, the bigger my upper back has grown—and by accident! It’s actually gotten to the point that I’ve had to bump up a weight class because my upper back, hamstrings, and glutes have grown so much from pulling that I have been forced to do so!

Ninth, deadlifts train supporting grip like nothing else. If you can’t grip it, you can’t deadlift it.

Tenth, believe it or not, deadlifts can be a tremendously valuable corrective training exercise if coached correctly. I’ve used them in the correction of IT [iliotibial] band friction syndrome, lower back pain, lateral knee pain, groin pain, and a host of other torso and lower extremity problems. The secret rests with the proper execution of the exercise. 

It seems many people stay away from deadlifting because they associate it with danger, especially back injuries. How much of deadlifting's dangers are inherent versus dangers caused by improper form? 

I’m a firm believer that the overwhelming majority can do variations of the deadlifts safely. As long as proper form is in place, and people aren’t attempting unreasonable weights, this movement will improve health and performance. If you really think about it, is deadlifting that much different than picking up your groceries or your child? The problem isn’t the exercise; it’s the exerciser’s technique, or trainer or coach’s coaching. 

In many cases, people lack the flexibility to pull from the floor. In these individuals, I devote more time to improving dynamic flexibility and have them do rack pulls (bar is elevated) to start to “groove” the technique. I’ve had several clients over the age of 70 and even 80 safely perform deadlift variations—and they all remark on how much easier it makes activities of daily living. 

Speaking of technique, what are some easy ways to injure oneself doing deadlifts improperly? 

• Initiating the lift with the elbows flexed/bent (they should be “taut” the entire time)
• Pushing through the mid-foot or toes (should push through the heels)
• Starting with the hips too high (using the lower back instead of the hamstrings and glutes)
• Starting with the hips too low (trying to squat the weight up instead of deadlifting it)
• Allowing the hips to rise faster than the shoulders (should come up together to keep the stress on the legs)
• Not finishing the lift (The hips should be fully extended; you should be standing completely  upright at lockout. This can be fixed by just having someone squeeze their glutes and push their hips into the bar.)
• Hyperextending at the lumbar spine at lockout (you shouldn’t be leaning back; it’s a sign that you’re moving too much at the lumbar spine and not enough at the hips)
• Rounding the spine at any time (The spine should remain neutral at all times; if you look like a scared cat, you’re doing deadlifts incorrectly!)

As with other lifts, individuals eager to increase their deadlift often overtrain the exercise. In this vein, Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell has remarked that "the deadlift is very taxing on the central nervous system" and that "Most lifters deadlift too often and too heavy." What do you consider to be overtraining the deadlift?

This is a very loaded question that I could spend all day answering. In a nutshell, I’ll just say that there is more than one way to skin a cat. I’ve made progress on my deadlift by ignoring it altogether, and I’ve made progress training it twice a week (once for speed, once heavy in the 3-6 rep range, plus an additional heavy pulling session on speed day once per month). Beginners need to pull more frequently to continue to improve on technique. More advanced lifters don’t need to pull as frequently to increase their deadlift, but they can still benefit from incorporating deadlift variations in their programming frequently.


So hopefully you are all sold on the benefits of deadlifting.  If anyone wants me to show you the correct technique for deadlifting, then just get in touch and I'll take you through it.