Performing Deadlifts: More Than Just Picking Things Up
By: Dr. Goldberg

Whether it’s taking your dog on a long walk, or lifting a heavy pot out of a cabinet, functional fitness allows us to do the activities in our daily lives that bring us joy. In CrossFit, we perform lots of functional movements, but  in my mind, I’m hard pressed to think of many exercises that are as functional as deadlifts. Let’s learn more about performing deadlifts below. 

It’s easy to think about deadlifts as simply “picking something heavy up and putting it down”, and while this movement is rather basic, there’s so much more to it than that! Understanding the complexities of performing deadlifts and why it reigns supreme will give you a newfound appreciation for this foundational strength movement . So, let’s dive in.

What is a deadlift? 

At its core, the conventional deadlift is a compound hip hinge movement, meaning more than one major muscle group is being used to bend at the hip. There are multiple variations of deadlifts – think single-leg, Romanian, sumo – each of which targets or emphasizes the use of different muscle groups. Deadlifts are often touted as being the “king of the compound lifts” and is a good measure of an athletes’ strength and power. 

How do you perform a deadlift?

A deadlift, no matter what variant, consists of two phases: lifting and lowering. The steps for performing a conventional deadlift, which is likely the version you’re most familiar with, are briefly outlined below:

• The lift begins with you standing with your feet about hip width apart with your arms on the outside of their thighs. The barbell should be positioned over your midfoot 
• You then hinge at the hips, keeping your back neutral and your chest up, and grip the barbell outside your legs with either a double overhand or a mixed grip
• The lifting phase is initiated by pushing through your feet and driving your hips forward 
• Once the barbell is at your hips, you will lock out your legs and complete the lifting phase
• You can then lower the barbell slowly and with control, maintaining a neutral spine until it reaches the ground

What muscles do deadlifts work?

When you think about what muscles are being used during a deadlift, your first thoughts likely include your lower back and hamstrings and you’d be correct! Though, if we’re honest, just about any muscle you could think of would be correct as the deadlift can be considered a full body exercise.

The primary muscle groups recruited in a deadlift include the erector spinae (lower back), hamstrings, glutes and quads. Muscles such as your lats, traps, and abs are also active during the deadlift and help with spine and core stabilization, and maintenance of a neutral spine.

Below you can find a quick summary of what muscles are engaged during both phases of the deadlift across the ankle, knee, and hip joints (these are the joints where changes in joint angles occur). And just for a bit of exercise-biomechanic fun, I’ve included what type of movement is occurring across each joint!

Something you’ll notice is that the same muscle groups are recruited across our joints during both phases – and while this may seem counterintuitive at first, it does make sense! The same muscle groups should be active during both movement phases, what changes is whether the muscles are lengthening (eccentric motion) or shortening (concentric). More to come on that in a future post!

What are some benefits of deadlifting?

Beyond crushing your own PRs, deadlifting is associated with lots of other physiologic benefits:

• Improved posture: deadlifts primarily target your posterior chain, the muscles along the back side of your body. These muscles are important for maintaining good posture and preventing slouching. 
• Addressing muscular imbalances: nearly all of us have some muscular imbalances, many of which are between the front and back of the body. Deadlifts, which target the posterior chain, can help address some of these, including rounded shoulders and forward head posture.
• Enhanced athletic performance: deadlift-associated improvements in muscular strength and endurance translate to improved power and core strength, amongst many other factors. Enhanced power makes athletes more explosive, improving measures like jump height, while improved core strength can help athletes improve their agility, stability, and coordination. 
• Increased bone density: weight-bearing exercises such as the deadlift puts stress on your bones, which signals your body to produce new bone tissue. Over time, this leads to increased bone mass, which makes your bones stronger and less susceptible to fractures. Moreover, this increased bone density can reduce your risk for developing osteoporosis!
• Reduced risk of injury: building a stronger lower body and posterior chain helps reduce our risk of injury during other activities including running, playing sports, or helping a friend move.

What are some common cues?

Although performing deadlifts is a simple movement, there are some important and common cues that can help take your deadlift up a notch. 

• Keep a neutral spine
• Engage your core 
• Drive your feet through the floor
• Drive your hips forward
• Exhale on the lift, inhale on the lower
• Pull the slack out of the bar

What other variations of deadlifts are there?

Performing deadlifts is a remarkably versatile and customizable movement. As such, there’s almost no end to deadlift variations!

• Romanian: the setup for a Romanian deadlift is the same as a conventional. Once you’ve completed the initial lifting phase, you will push your hips back further as you allow the barbell to slide down the front of your legs. The movement concludes when you feel your natural end range of motion. This variation emphasizes your hamstrings and glutes.
• Sumo: your setup for a sumo deadlift will be wider, and your arms will be inside your thighs. The sumo deadlift emphasizes your inner thigh muscles (adductors).
• Single leg: the single-leg deadlift may be one of my favorite variations. The setup for this movement is similar to that of a conventional deadlift and uses a kettlebell or dumbbell in place of a barbell. As you hinge to pick up the weight, you will extend your non-weight-bearing leg behind you, keeping your toes pointed toward the ground. Then you’ll lift the weight up, and slowly return it to the ground. The single-leg deadlift emphasizes balance and stability of the weight-bearing leg.
• Snatch Grip Deadlift: the main difference between conventional and snatch grip deadlifts is grip width. Like its name suggests, a snatch-grip deadlift employs a snatch grip, which is markedly wider than your conventional grip. While both variations target similar muscle groups, the snatch grip deadlift places more emphasis on the lats and upper back muscles. 
• Trap Bar Deadlift: this deadlift variation involves using a trap bar, which is shaped like a hexagon and has handles on opposite sides. Using this bar can help take some of the stress off of an athlete’s lower back as it allows for a more neutral spine during the lift. 
• Box or Rack Deadlift: this modification involves picking the barbell up from a box, blocks, or off a rack. This allows for a reduced range of motion, and can reduce some of the lower back stress commonly associated with the conventional deadlift. 

Many of the above variations can be useful for athletes with varying abilities or who are coming back from injuries, or who need modifications for altered abilities. Remember that you should always consult with a healthcare professional to decide whether incorporating different styles of deadlifting is beneficial and safe for you,

How functional is performing deadlifts really?

The short answer to this is very. Think about how many times during the day you bend over to pick something up, or how often you carry a heavy load into or out of your home! From picking up groceries, to lifting your gym bag – deadlifting helps prepare us to be strong throughout our days. It doesn’t stop there, though: deadlifting can help us become better athletes in other sporting arenas that we enjoy, too!. Deadlift-associated increases in explosiveness and power can translate to better tackles in footballs, or more powerful spikes and blocks in volleyball.

Conclusion

We’re 8 weeks through our current deadlift cycle and the weights are continuing to get heavy. So the next time you step up to a heavy barbell, keep all of the incredible benefits of the deadlift in mind and they might just be the motivation you need to hit that new PR!

Invictus Weightlifting

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