Women's Health - UK (2019-07)

62 | JULY 2019 Women’s Health

Your form, on lock

e don’t know of a more epic way

to show off your strength than

picking up 45, 65, 90-plus kilos

from a weights-room floor.

Which is just one of the reasons

why deadlifts should be on

your must-do list, as they are

increasingly for lifting fans. ‘I

find more and more women are

curious to try deadlifting,’ says

women’s strength coach Allison

Tenney. ‘Then they get excited

about it, and then they’re

hooked – not just on the physical

benefits, but on feeling strong,

capable and empowered as well.’

This classic strength exercise

engages one of the most innate

human movement patterns

(hingeing forward at the hips)

and strengthens and sculpts

everything from your glutes to

your core, lats and shoulders.

It also engages your entire

body, ramping up fat burn

more than any other resistance

move. Tapping so many

body parts at a high intensity

= serious results. Hello,

newfound sense of power.

Read on for our favourite

benefits, and our primer

on form so you can get the

most out of every rep. You’ll be

a deadlift devotee in no time.

AMPED

ATH LE TI CI S M

Whether you’re running marathons

or shooting netball, deadlifts will

make you better. ‘They build power,

the lifeblood of any successful

athlete,’ says Tenney. The hip

hinge (pushing your bum back,

then thrusting your hips forward)

is your body’s ultimate force

move, propelling running strides,

jumps and other lifts.

Rock each and every rep with these tips for nailing the standard deadlift

AND...

ACTION

Skim the bar

upwards close to

your legs as you

push into your feet.

• Stand as tall as
  possible, keeping
  your spine neutral.


• 
  

  Control your pace
  and hold your back
  straight as you
  lower the bar
  down your legs.

  
  


• 
  

  Bear in mind: the
  lowering is as
  important as the
  raising (don’t
  drop the bar).

  
  

Maintain a neutral

spine (don’t look

at the mirror)

Your shoulder blades

should be over the

barbell

Push your bum as

far back as possible

Minimal knee bend

(this isn’t a squat)

The feet are

hip-width apart

TIGHTER CORE

Deadlifts beat the plank when it

comes to training the deepest

muscle in the abs, according to

a study in the International Journal

Of Sports Physical Therapy. Known

as the transverse abdominis, it

acts as an internal corset, keeping

your torso strong and firm.

STRONGER

BONES

You have to put weight on bones

to strengthen them. Luckily, with

training, deadlifts can let you load

the spine and hips (which are prone

to osteoporosis) with more than

your own body weight. After each

lift, cells called osteoblasts fill in

any stressed areas of your skeleton.

Once those spots are calcified,

they turn to rock-hard bone.

SUPERIOR

FITNESS

Women who performed heavy

strength training improved their

blood pressure more than those

who stuck with cardio, according

to an Appalachian State University

study. That may be because lifting

can act as super-high-intensity

interval training, prepping your

arteries to dilate more easily.

Boring elliptical sessions, be gone.

DEADLIFT GAINS

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