Notes on deadlifts
Step right up to the bar so that your ankles are touching the bar.
Lower your hands to the bar by pushing your hips back and bending through your knees.
You should maintain a neutral spine when reaching down to pick up the bar.
Grab the bar and pull the bar into the weight plates and create tension in the lats.
Squeeze the core starting from the obliques and breathe in through the diaphragm and hold your breath while keeping the core tight.
Drive through the heels to lift the bar off the floor until the bar is just past the knees.
Now drive the hips forward and squeeze the glutes tight as the bar comes to the top.
The top of the movement should be when the hips and knees are extended and the lats are contracted.
To lower the bar you will need to lower the bar by bending the knees and hips and simultaneously and keeping your chest over the bar.
Important Points
At the start of the movement the chest should be over the bar and the arms are extended And the shoulders are slightly past the bar.
The contraction of the lats is very important in keeping the upper body tight.
The Breathing and Core tightening protects the lower back. And helps contact the glutes .
Pushing your feet laterally during the initial push May help to contract the glutes.
Avoid squatting too much at the beginning of the movement. By keeping the chest over the bar and the hips back it will prevent excessive squatting.
Tall people can be affected by the length of the legs especially the upper leg. There is a definite advantage to being shorter and stockier. Very tall people may find Rack pulls or partial range deadlifts effective and have less chance of injury.
For rack pulls I prefer starting just below the knee in order to start the movement similar to a normal deadlift starting the with the Quads.
Primary muscles being worked. Quadriceps, hamstrings, Glutes, lats, lower back and core muscles as stabilizers.
Because of the huge amount of muscles being worked the deadlift is a lift that really fatigues the body including the neural system and as such the volume of near maximal sets can lead to injuries.
Because The deadlift is a hamstring and glute movement as well as being a lat and back movement. Many will argue for one or the other and can be put into either a leg or back workout.
Accessories to help deadlifts
Lifting belts - These can be used in order to help create abdominal pressure. It's important to realise that lifting belts are only as good as your ability to contract your core. It is important to learn how to contract the core and be able to squeeze the core hard against the belt to create abdominal pressure.
Lifting Straps - these can be used to help Grip the bar. The other option is an opposing grip to prevent losing grip however this leads to differences in the use of the lats in keeping the upper body stable. Powerlifters cannot use straps so they need to use an opposing grip.
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