Iron Man USA — August 2017

ironmanmagazine.com | AUGUST 2017 67

to perform it. The following muscles
are involved:

• Core musculature (or your entire
  torso)


• Hips, glutes, quads and hamstrings


• Lower back (or erector spinae)


• Biceps (both heads)


• Forearms


• Grip strength (muscles of the fingers)

Thicken And Strengthen Your
Entire Body
With all of the muscle activation
involved in deadlifting, it’s no wonder
that this exercise has become synony-
mous with mass building. Deadlifts tax
your core musculature, which includes
the muscles that make up your trunk,
lower back (including your lats) and
your hip extensors. Your core is your
support system, your movement
system and your stabilizing system. A
well-developed core is not only visually
appealing, but it also helps to improve
all of your other lifts.

Much of your power will be derived
from your hip flexors and extensors, all
of which are considered part of your
core. You’ll lift with your hips leading
the movement and lock them out at
the top of the movement while squeez-
ing your glutes. More on that topic will
be discussed shortly.

So you want brute power, but you
probably also want a thick, rounded,
muscular physique. Deadlifts will
also assist you in packing on slabs of
muscle. That’s why you could consider
deadlifts the king of the muscle gaining
exercises that you need to try.

Build Muscular Endurance
Not convinced that you should be
deadlifting yet? In that case, you should

know that deadlifts have one more

benefit. In strength training, muscular

endurance is defined as the capacity of

a muscle, or even a group of muscles,

to repeatedly apply force against resis-

tance for an extended period of time.

You won’t be able to finish a set of

deadlifts without breathing like Darth

Vader. Why? The reason is because

the deadlift is a compound, full-body

movement that forces your body to

enhance its ability to transport oxygen

to your working muscles thus bettering

your overall muscular endurance.

How To Properly Perform

The Deadlift

Load a bar preferably using Olympic

weights because you’re going to want

to drop that heavy load at the end of

your sets. Step up to the bar. Without

bending your knees, bend at your hips

and grasp the bar using either a dou-

ble-overhand or an over-underhand (or

staggered) grip. If you don’t have great

forearm strength, you may want to use

a staggered grip because it helps you

maintain better control. A staggered

grip also allows you to lift heavier loads

• so get staggered to hit new max PRs.

Place your hands just to the outsides of

your shins. Roll the weight towards your

feet, which should be set slightly nar-

rower than shoulder-width apart. Your

shoulders should align with the bar so

that when you move into the lift you

can keep the bar very close to your legs,

yet still be able to clear your knees.

Drop down into starting position by

pushing your hips back and bracing

your abdominals. Keep your shoulders

down, push your chest forward and

engage your lats. Keeping your back

neutral, drive your body upward and

slightly back as you push through your

heels. Your elbows should stay locked

in place. You are basically standing up

with the weights. Let your hips and legs

be the driving force and your upper

body be the holder of the load. Your

hips and shoulders should, however,

move upward at the same time.

The most important part of the deadlift

occurs at the top of the movement

• the finish. Finish the movement by
  driving your hips forward, completely
  into the bar. Stand up straight and
  contract your glutes and abdominal
  muscles. Your pelvis should end up in a
  neutral position.

Not only are these steps important

for proper execution of the lift, the full

extension of your hips and contraction

of your glutes and abs is crucial for

avoiding injury to your lower back.

To descend out of the movement, you

want to use the same motion that you

used to get into position. Keep your

knees locked as you hinge (or un-

lock) at the hips and push them down

toward the floor. Remember that the

weight should remain close to your

shins as you move downward.

Once you move below your knees, you

can unlock your knees, giving you more

bend in your legs. The bar should land

back over the middle of your feet in

position for your next repetition. Let the

weights make a full return to the floor

before you begin the next rep. Rest for

a two count and then begin the next

rep. You shouldn’t use momentum or

bounce the weights off of the floor.

Why? This can hinder the pull, which

sets you up for bad form and possible

injury. Remember: These are deadlifts,

meaning you’re lifting dead weight.

How Many Reps?

If you’re a bodybuilder, you may associ-

ate deadlifting with powerlifting and

CrossFit. However, many bodybuilding

greats regularly incorporate deadlifts

into their routine to add raw mass,

especially back mass. The secret lies in

rep ranges. Higher repetition ranges, 8

to 12 per set, contribute to hypertrophy

especially when coupled with short

recovery periods between sets (60 sec-

onds or less). Complete three sets.

The only limiting factor is grip strength.

It usually plays out first. To help extend

the life of your grip, use straps or the

staggered grip. Just be sure that your

straps are on right.