A NOTE FROM TRAINING DEPARTMENT EDITOR, JASON RHYMER:
I have recruited some of my best fitness friends and coaches that I admire to help with this issue. Deadlifts are so powerful that I wanted you to hear from several experts about technique, variations, and why this exercise is so important. My thanks to Mary Mack for showing us perfect traditional deadlift technique; Dr. Mike T. Nelson for introducing us to Jefferson Deadlifts; Leks Stanic takes on my personal favorite, Romanian (Stiff-leg) Deadlifts; Troy Anderson takes us through a kettlebell progression that will light up your posterior chain; and I, Jason Rhymer, will close it out with some odd implement deadlifts using bands and a sandbag.
MARY MACK – Traditional Deadlift
Mary Mack is a personal trainer in St. Paul, Minnesota, who, through discipline, faith in God, clean eating, and weight training transformed her body.
She started her journey at 165 pounds and lost 40 pounds. Her blog, "Fit this, Girl" is about her faith in God and journey in fitness from an overweight, unhappy desk jockey, to trainer, competitor and fitness model. In 2010, Mary became a Certified Personal Trainer and jumped into a full-time career as a trainer helping others follow her proven programs. In 2012, she started dabbling in NPC Figure shows and has competed in four total. This December, Mary is competing at SHINE, an event for aspiring actresses and models who are people of faith. Watch "Fit, this Girl" on social media for her progress in figure modeling and for all the amazing food and workout programs!
I use deadlifts to enhance all my other lifts. It hits so many muscle groups if done correctly. I consider it a full body move. Of all the multi-joint lifts, the deadlift is my favorite for sculpting your back and lower body. You really can gain strength and improve shape If you add deadlifting to your routine.
Usually I deadlift on leg day or back day. In the video, you can see my grip is mixed: over and underhand. This is to help when your grip is weak or forearms are tired. I step up so my shins touch the bar, drop my hips, and stand up driving through my heels. Sometimes my shins take a hit with scrapes, but it's worth it!
To work my glutes and hamstrings a little more than low back, I do a Romanian Deadlift. The amount of weight on the bar is a little less, shoulders back, core tight and squeeze the glutes. It will rip up your hamstrings, in a good way.
DR. MIKE T. NELSON – Jefferson Deadlift
Mike T Nelson, CSCS, MSME, PhD Exercise Physiology, MS Biomechanics, BA Natural Science, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, University Instructor, Speaker and Author. Free fat loss video series at https://www.miketnelson.com
If you are looking to train your entire body, including your core in one movement, the Jefferson deadlift is your ticket!
LEKS STANIC – Romanian Deadlift
Leks Stanic is a health and wellness expert whose CPFitBody studio in Franklin, Tennessee, is focused on battling false health information with high-quality professional programs. Leks has completed over ten fitness and specialty certifications through nationally recognized organizations such as NCSF, AFAA, Exercise, Etc. and IDEA. Her background consists of strength & conditioning, track & field, and Muay Thai kickboxing. She has worked with a wide range of people: athletes, people with specific needs such as women with bone-loss issues, and large group training.
Leks and CPFitBody were recently featured on Nashville Channel 2 for a weight-loss workout and meal program. CPFitBody was also voted #1 gym in Williamson County, TN. Leks is on the best seller list as one of the authors of “Fad-Free Fitness Formula”. She constantly strives to learn more about body movement, fitness, and nutrition and loves educating others.
There are a few different versions of deadlifts. They all mainly work hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. However, you should never feel a deadlift in your lower back. Primary focus is your hamstrings.
Personally, my favorite is stiff-legged deadlift. Make sure you have perfected the form with the appropriate amount of weight. The form is everything, because your lower back is put in quite a vulnerable position.
The strength of glutes and hamstrings is very important when it comes to body-balance. Yes, quads are bigger and should be bigger muscles than hamstrings, but tight or weak hamstrings/glutes can cause multiple hip joint issues, lower back issues, knee issues, etc. The whole body is connected and should be trained equally.
Check out the video for proper form on stiff-legged. I personally don’t like to lock my knees as I feel the pressure on knees that way. Just keep your knees as straight as possible and your back straight. Lower the bar (or dumbbells) in front of you and focus on getting the stretch in hamstrings (NOT the low back!). Stand up straight again. Start with no weight at all to make sure your body understands “neutral back” position. These babies are my favorite because they feel like a stretch in hamstrings, not like much work at all, but a couple days later – oh boy! That was quite a workout!
Please make sure to properly warm-up for hamstrings, and after you have completed the workout, stretch, stretch, stretch. Always consult a professional for proper form and instructions on the deadlift if you’re not sure about the form.
ENJOY!
TROY ANDERSON – Kettlebell Deadlift Progressions
Troy M Anderson is a NASM, PES, RKC, and DVRT/Ultimate Sandbag Master Instructor. Creator of all things Alpha Kettlebell and the owner of Anderson Training Systems For this interested in getting free weekly training videos sent directly to your mobile device, go to www.AlphaKettlebell.com – All hate mail & other correspondence can be sent to troy@alphakettlebellworkout.com
The kettlebell deadlift is a wonderful solution to many problems. From newbies to experienced pros looking to optimize every second of their training time, the kettlebell deadlift will make you very strong very quickly. Beyond being a great cornerstone lift, an exercise like the Single Deadlift is a wonderful precursor to doing accelerative kettlebell work like the kettlebell swing. In fact, I highly recommend mastering the Single Deadlift prior to swinging a kettlebell at all.
Editor's Note – This is a video that Troy made for my personal and bootcamp clients a few years ago. It is so good that I asked his permission to share it with you again. If you are in the Phoenix or Tempe area of Arizona, I highly recommend checking out his programs.
JASON RHYMER – Sandbag and Band Deadlifts
Spiritual Analogy
You have heard and seen everything you need to know about technique and the power of deadlifts.
I want to offer you a different take…the spiritual application of this amazing exercise. This may sound odd, but deadlifts remind me of the time I prayed all night. I have elaborated on this point on my blog HERE, but here is the quick version.
Deadlifts : getting really strong :: prayer : hearing God speak and direct your life
Translation in case you forgot how to read analogies: Deadlifts are to getting really strong as prayer is to hearing God speak and direct your life.
When youth or other friends come to me and say they are praying, but not really getting any answers or feel like God isn't listening, I ask them what their prayers look like. If you are really desperate to hear God speak in your life, your prayer has to be longer than a minute, and not sound like something you memorized. It also probably involves much more silence and listening, than speaking. Remember, to hear God, you may need to be quiet and listen.
Deadlifts solve a similar dilemma for those that want to get really strong. If they are just using deadlifts as part of a circuit, or going too light, or only hitting a few sets every once in a while, then they have not truly explored with this amazing tool completely. Also, there is no flash with just picking something up and putting it down. Yes, that is correct. No flash…but a lot of results.
Check out my blog for more on this point. Thanks for reading and watching…live with strength!
