The Deadlift
How to Deadlift:
Today we will look into how perform a Deadlift.
Deadlift is a great exercise for building posterior and overall strength. Posterior being the largest muscles on the backside of your body.
Deadlift is great for muscle building, general health, posture and injury prevention.
It’s classed as a compound movement meaning it uses multiple joints and muscles and this leads to more bang for your buck than training the muscles individually in isolation. Compound movements not only train the muscles of your body but your central nervous system and hormonal release processes too.
How to set up:
* Set the barbell up close to your shins
* Feet under your hips (not too wide!)
* Hands just outside your legs
* Shoulders in front of the bar
* Hips higher than knees but lower than shoulders
* Chest proud and natural arch in your back
How to perform the lift:
* Engage upper back by bringing your shoulder blades “back & down” as if your putting them in your back pocket
* Lift your chest and push the floor away at the same time to start the lift
* Once you pass your knees, lift your chest to vertical and push your hips forward at the same time
* On the return, lean forward until the bar passes your knees
* Then bend your knees to return to the set up position
Note you want to keep your back in a natural state during the entire lift and not to let it flex or excessively extend.
Lifting with proper form will be more beneficial than overloading the lift and sacrificing that flat back position.