The classic deadlift is the foundation of strength sports. Exercise loads the muscles of the whole body and develops the strongest anabolic effect. The deadlift technique is quite complex, so it must be previously studied and practiced in practice with a small weight. The classic deadlift, along with the barbell squat, is a basic, particularly effective exercise that is present in every training program, at least in the phases aimed at muscle gain and strength development.
By engaging virtually every muscle in the body, the deadlift speeds up the metabolism and gives a huge boost to the release of large amounts of testosterone into the blood.
Read our article on straight-legged deadlift technique
Technique for performing the classic deadlift
The first thing that needs to be controlled in the deadlift is the technique of doing the exercise. It must be perfect. Weight and repetitions also play a significant role, but technique is more important.
Before starting the approaches themselves, it is imperative to do a warm-up and "warm up" the hip, ankle and knee joints.
- Stand in front of the manor-mounted barbell so that the bar is exactly in the center of your foot and your shins are almost touching the bar.
- Put your feet a little narrower than shoulder-width apart, spread the toes slightly outward.
- Straighten your back and even slightly bend, pull your shoulders back and bring your shoulder blades together.
- Bend over the bar, pushing your pelvis back, bending your legs slightly and keeping your back straight. The deadlift grip should be especially powerful. It is recommended to use the upper grip, but the use of a different grip or a "lock" grip is not excluded.
- Pull the bar slightly towards you to create some tension in the hands and with the strength of the back muscles, tear the projectile off the floor.
- Begin to slowly straighten your knees and unbend your back in parallel, literally sliding the bar along your shins.
- At the top point, straighten a little and, using the force of the buttocks, direct the pelvis forward. The bar should continue to touch the body.
- Lowering the bar down - a mirror image of the lift.
If the bar goes even a couple of centimeters from the legs, a huge load will fall on the back, the balance will be disturbed and even a small weight will make the projectile unbearable. The position of the straight torso should be maintained throughout the exercise in order to relieve some of the load from the spine and protect yourself from possible injuries. With the right technique, the hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps should ask for mercy much earlier than the back extensors.
If the athlete begins to hunch down, then the muscles cannot cope with the taken weight, the load is shifted to the spine and joints. In this case, you need to do the exercise with less weight.
Features of the deadlift
The key point in the deadlift is synchronization, since it will evenly distribute the load on the joints and not overload muscle groups in certain phases of the amplitudes of movement.
The classic deadlift is a very energy-intensive exercise that puts a good load on all working muscles. Therefore, without the experience of strength training, you cannot take on it. For beginners, bodybuilders are advised to do deadlifts once every two weeks and then, somewhere after a three-month course of active training in the gym, when they have already learned how to squat correctly and "pump" long back muscles with hyperextension.
You need to start your "acquaintance" with the classic deadlift with light weights, or better - using a mop instead of a barbell. And only after perfecting the perfect technique to grab the bar. The well-known saying “the quieter you go, the farther you will be” is appropriate here.
Video how to do the exercise correctly:
Video - classic deadlift 252 kg (59 years old):
But Eddie Hall set a world record of 462 kg (after him, Mark Felix immediately set a record - 511 kg):
