Exercise of the month

Deadlift

Main body parts worked:

Hamstrings

Glutes

Back

Core

There are many variations, methods and types of deadlifts.

Traditional deadlifts

Sumo deadlifts

Stiff/straight leg deadlifts

Romanian deadlifts

Hex deadlifts

etc.

All involve lifting a ‘Dead weight’ from the ground.

The working muscles change slightly depending on which technique is used.

Even using the same technique, not everyone will lift the weight the same way. Body shape, strengths/weaknesses will effect the mechanics of the lift. e.g. Some people are leg dominant, some back.

Deadlifts of some kind should be the foundation of any strength training.

They develop functional strength for everyday life and sporting applications. As well as strengthening the muscles and connective tissue, they load the skeleton encouraging greater bone density.

As so many large muscle groups are involved, the calorific demand of the deadlift is much greater than isolation exercises. This makes them a useful tool for people who want to work on body composition.

The type of deadlift you do will be determined by what you want to get out of the exercise.

For general strength and fitness I would recommend using various versions of the exercise to get the most reward.

Simon