The deadlift is a very popular and effective exercise. Find out what benefits it gives and how it is technically necessary to perform the exercise. Most athletes use the same movements in their training programs. If we turn to statistics, then their share is approximately 85%. But there are many other, no less effective exercises or can be used differently. This will diversify the training and prevent the muscles from adapting to the load, which will lead to an increase in efficiency. Today we will talk about one of the most popular exercises, but performed in a slightly different way - deadlift with dumbbells. Very rarely, athletes use it, and now we will figure out why this happens.
Although the sports equipment was replaced with another, and the classic barbell turned into dumbbells, the same muscles are involved in the movement. As in the classic version, the main load falls on the gluteus maximus muscle, the muscles of the back and the front of the thigh. When using the straight-legged option, the back of the thigh is also connected to the work.
As the secondary muscles involved in the work when performing the movement, it should be noted the press, hamstrings, calf muscles and biceps.
Dumbbell Deadlift Benefits
Most athletes are sure that the deadlift with dumbbells cannot offer the athlete any advantages in comparison with the classic version. However, this is not the case, and here are the benefits to be gained by performing the popular dumbbell movement:
- A large number of muscles develop;
- Movement coordination and balancing increase;
- The amplitude increases;
- The sports equipment changes quickly, which allows you to perform final repetitions with lower working weights using pyramiding;
- The body develops symmetrically;
- Great for athletes who do not like the barbell, for example, for girls, deadlifts with dumbbells will be more acceptable than the classic version.
As you can see, the benefits of this exercise can be quite decent.
Deadlift technique
It should be noted that a large number of all kinds of deadlift options have been created, which leads to serious deviations in the deadlift technique with dumbbells. For example, dumbbell squats or straight-legged deadlifts have very similar movements. But the exercise we are considering today should be done as follows.
Stage 1
Place the dumbbells in front of you. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the equipment on either side of your feet. Bending over, grab a dumbbell with a neutral grip (palms facing inward) and lower your hips. In this case, the hips should be in a natural position for the lever. The head is slightly raised and the gaze is directed forward. The back should be straight and taut, making sure that it does not round. This should be the starting position for the dumbbell deadlift.
Stage 2
Begin to go down, while bending your legs at the knee joints and remember to keep your back straight. Sports equipment should be positioned as close to the front of the thigh as possible, and they should slide along it in a vertical plane. Once at the lowest point of the trajectory, pause for two counts, then begin to straighten the knee joints and return to the starting position. Remember also about the breathing technique with inhalation, you descend, and as you exhale, you rise.
When performing the exercise, you must remember:
- Keep your back straight throughout the entire movement;
- Don't confuse deadlifts with squats when you need to sit deeply;
- Hands are always straight and keep sports equipment as close to the hips as possible;
- If you want to look at the movements of the legs, then the back will begin to round, which should not be allowed;
- Sports equipment can be lowered to the ground or left hanging, in this matter the choice is yours. Do as it suits you;
- When fixing the legs in a straightened position and lowering the arms slightly below the knee joints, most of the load will fall on the muscles of the back of the thigh. In this case, the exercise will turn into deadlift;
- If you are working with a large working weight and the dumbbells are heavy enough, then use special straps to reduce the load on your hands. This will make it much easier to hold the sports equipment.
Dumbbell Deadlift Tips
When performing any exercise, there are peculiarities and secrets. Dumbbell deadlift is no exception. Take a look at a few tips:
- The use of dumbbells is very suitable for beginner athletes. This exercise does not create a large load on the joints and ligaments, which is very important at the initial stage of training, until the athlete gets stronger. When using smaller working weights, it helps to increase the range of motion.
- Keep an eye on the lumbar deflection at all times. When problems begin to arise with this, then increase the bend in the knee joints or decrease the angle of inclination. Thanks to this, the back will not be rounded.
- The activity of the gluteal muscles directly depends on the bend of the knee joints. When the knees are bent strongly, it is the buttocks that work more actively. With less flexion of the knee joints, the load will shift to the back of the thigh. Straightening your legs will put more stress on your hamstrings.
- The dumbbell deadlift is the starting point for barbell use.
- The effectiveness of performing this movement can be increased by using a different load before performing it. It can be squats or lunges.
- If pain occurs in the lumbar region, it is best to refuse to perform the exercise.
Check out the dumbbell deadlift technique in this video:
