What Are The Benefits Of Doing Deadlifts

With machines constantly developing and evolving the gym can be an overwhelming place. Often having a number of exercises that you know work and that you are confident doing are worthwhile to have in your pocket for days you don’t want to work with fussy equipment.

Deadlifts are a fantastic way of working your entire body with limited equipment. To perform a deadlift you need:

• A weighted bar

• Weight discs
• A lock for the weights on your bar

Using this equipment and perfecting the deadlift technique will lead to huge benefits, including your physical appearance and health benefits. If you want to find out more about the benefits you can gain from performing deadlifts and how to execute the perfect deadlift keep reading.

Benefits Of Doing Deadlifts

Deadlifts have a lot of benefits. They are a fantastic exercise and once they are mastered they should be a key part of your exercise regime.

1. Fat burning as it works a number of the muscle groups in your body, which leads to the production of testosterone. This hormone will enable you to burn more fat and also to have a stronger body. The number of calories burned when performing deadlifts can be similar to going for a run, depending on the number of reps and sets you perform, as well as the weight you are using.
2. Deadlifts can benefit your posture as you are aware of your stance and this may translate to your life out of the gym. If you have lower back problems deadlifts can help strengthen your lower back which will support you better and again enable you to have better posture.
3. Deadlifts are proven to help strengthen a number of muscles. Sumo deadlifts, for example, help in developing the legs and back as well as improving core strengths which benefits your balance. This article explains in depth what muscles sumo deadlifts work and how to perform it correctly. 
4. There are visible physical benefits to performing deadlifts as they help to build muscle in the legs, back, and abdominal muscles.
5. You can hugely improve your cardiovascular health by performing deadlifts as they help increase your cardio endurance. Cardio health is extremely important for people of any age and weight.

If you are doing deadlifts often you will find that you will have stronger joints, bones, and muscles as a result of the above benefits.

How To Do A Deadlift Properly

There are a number of key factors that you should focus on when performing a deadlift to ensure that you do not hurt yourself. Proper form will result in visible, physical results and an increase in your strength. Knowing where you should feel deadlifts will also help you know if you are doing the exercise correctly. 

1. Your feet are very important, you should make sure that you are wearing the best training shoes for deadlifts with good grip so that you can plant yourself into the ground. You can do this by driving down through your heel.

2. Your stance is the next most important part of a deadlift. Your stance should go from bent knees over the middle of your feet, lower your butt so that your quads are parallel. Next, lift your chest and remember to keep your head in line with the rest of your spine to avoid any injuries. This can be the most difficult part of deadlifting to master so make sure you take the time to learn the stance and get used to how it feels. Position yourself in front of a mirror so that you can check your form each time.

3. If you do not have a proper grip on the bar you will not be able to lift it up. Maximizing your deadlift grip is important as it will allow you to hold maximal weights for longer than usual at the top of each rep. There are three main grips that you can choose from, these are hook grip, double overhand grip, or a mixed grip, which is a combination of both previously mentioned grips.

• Hook Grip: wrap your four fingers around the top of the bar, trap your thumb under your fingers around the bar
• Double Overhand Grip: the bar is gripped with palms facing towards your body
• Mixed Grip: one hand is placed in the hook grip, the other hand is placed in the double overhand grip. There is no best grip, you should try all three to find which grip gives you the best results and feels the most comfortable.

4. The way you pull, or lift, the bar is also important. The bar should be kept close to your body, you should feel it roll over your knees and thighs until your hips and knees are locked.

Make sure that you stand straight and do not lean back as you will end up losing balance and falling backward. Take your time with the motion, it should be fluid and not just an A to B motion with no care given to the in-between stages.

Once you have successfully, and properly lifted the bar your focus will turn to lower the bar back down to the ground and there is a proper way to do this to avoid injury. Again, this should be a fluid motion, doing the opposite of what you did when lifting the bar.

In short, for the perfect form when you perform a deadlift you should focus on your feet, stance, grip, lift, and the return. You can move on to a number of deadlift variations once you are confident performing deadlifts in their basic and conventional form.

Variations include sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, single-leg deadlifts, and more. Speak with a trainer in your gym to learn more about these variations and for advice on which variation you should move on to that would yield the same results that you are getting by performing conventional deadlifts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Happens If You Do Deadlifts every day?

Performing deadlifts everyday will not have any negative effect unless your form is not correct. IF you deadlift every day with the correct form you will notice the strength in your upper body increase as well as your glutes and hamstrings

How Many Reps Of Deadlifts Should I Do?

The number of sets of deadlifts per week that you should aim would depend on your goal, whether you are trying to increase strength or muscle mass. 

The recommended number of reps, on the other hand, will vary depending on your lifting experience and the weight you are lifting. If you are a beginner you will be lifting lighter weights and so four to six reps is advised. 

You can break these into sets and rest in between to make the exercise easier. If you are lifting heavier weights you will be lifting fewer reps initially until you become comfortable with the increased weight. Choose your reps depending on your ability.

Are Deadlifts Better Than Squats?

Which exercise is better depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are building your glutes then squats are better but if you are looking for general gains and to build strength in both your lower and upper body deadlifts are best.

Are Deadlifts Good For Your Abs?

The deadlift is one of few exercises that work out the entire body. While it doesn’t directly work out the abdominal muscles, if you are performing the exercise with the correct technique it may indirectly benefit your abdominal muscles which may become more obvious.