How to do deadlifts
One
of the three powerlifting exercises, the deadlift
is one of those good news/bad news deals.
First the good news: The deadlift is one of the
best overall body exercises that you can do.
Every muscle is involved during the dead
lift—upper back, hips, quads, hamstrings,
abdominals, you name it. Now the bad news:
It's an advanced lift and must be performed with
perfect form or you'll risk injury. While
we'll omit it from beginning programs, it can
become a valuable weapon in your back-training
arsenal as your strength training progresses.
The
most important thing to keep in mind during this
lift is that the back must be held as erect as
possible. Never allow your chest to go
over the bar—this will bring your body forward
as you lift the weight, causing you to use your
lower back for most of the lift instead of your
hips and legs. As you pull the weight,
think of pushing your feet through the floor so
that you really get your legs into it.
Here
is how you would perform this exercise.
1.
Place your feet slightly wider apart than
shoulder width.
2. Reach
down and grasp the bar on the outside or the
legs with a reverse grip.
3. Lower
the hips until the thighs are close to parallel
to the floor.
4. Flatten
your lower back and look up slightly.
5.
Make sure that your weight is on your heels, not
your toes. Form is of the utmost
importance here, so make sure the first time you
do this awesome lift you do it with just the
bar.
6.
Stand upright by straightening the legs and
upper body; pause and then slowly return to the
initial starting position. Think of
yourself as a piston or as an arrow being shot
out of the bow.
7.
Look up toward the ceiling because that is where
you want to go. (Typically, your body goes
where your head and eyes go.) If you look
straight ahead, you may come out of the lift
going forward. Look up and you'll usually
come out going up.
8.
As you lower the bar to the starting position,
be sure to keep the bar close to your shins.
In fact, the bar should actually graze your
shins throughout the lift.
Don'ts
-Lift
your hips too quickly. This will transfer
most of the effort to your lower back. The
legs, hips, and lower back should be working
together with most of the work done by your legs
and hips.
-Snap
or lock out your knees as you straighten your
legs.
-Lean
back excessively.
-Bounce
the weight off the floor between repetitions.
Do's
-Keep
your abdominals tight and your back as erect as
possible.
-Keep
your shoulder blades pulled together—this will
help keep your back erect.
