How to: Deadlift

The deadlift, arguably the ultimate test of strength you can perform. The final lift in powerlifting. This compound movement works the most muscles out of all three, these include:

· Levator Scapulae – The muscle running from the jaw to the shoulder

· Trapezius, upper and middle – Upper and middle neck muscles

· Rhomboids – Upper inner back muscles below the neck

· Rectus Abdominis – Abs

· Obliques – Side abs

· Erector Spinae – Lower back

· Gluteus Maximus – Buttocks

· Quadriceps – Upper front leg

· Adductor Magnus – Inner thigh

· Hamstrings – Upper back of legs

· Gastrocnemius – Calves

(Ketchum, 2019)

There are two stances to the deadlift that people may choose, the conventional deadlift where the lifters feet are a bit wider than shoulder-width apart or the sumo deadlift which involves the lifter's stance being wide. As always with the powerlifting movements, the position is entirely down to preference.

How to deadlift properly:

1. Stand with your legs in the sumo or conventional position

2. Bend knees slightly and keep a straight back whilst leaning forward and placing your hands on the outside of your legs. Keep your shoulders close together as if you were trying to squash an orange between them.

3. Keep the bar close to your body as if you were trying to shave your legs and take a large inhale to keep your core tight, pull the bar up over the knees and stand up with a straight back ensuring not to arch the back at any point or lose tension in the upper back.

4. Once at the top and after holding the bar up a few seconds, you then begin to lower the bar in a controlled fashion, slowly leaning forward at the hips and bending the knees to carefully place the barbell onto the floor.

References

Ketchum, D (2019) What Muscles Does a Deadlift Work Out? [blog]. 1 July. Available from https://www.livestrong.com/article/416598-what-muscles-does-a-deadlift-work-out/[accessed 15 March 2020].