Men’s Fitness Australia – June 2017

Deadlift

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“From head to toe a lot of muscles are involved, in particular the posterior chain of the body which is a common

weakness,” says Hamilton. “With all these muscles being used itmakes the deadlift a great option for losing fat

and building muscle mass because of the high demands placed on the body.”

What do most people

get wrong?

“They lift with a rounded back,”

says Hamilton. “This more

oftenornotcomesdowntoone

or more of three things: bad

technique, lacking the mobility

toliftfromthefloorwithagood

back position,or just too much

weight on the bar.”

What to do do if you’re

struggling to perform it well

“If you can’t maintain a good back

position when pulling from the

floor, elevate the barbell in a

rack or on some plates,” says

Hamilton. “This will reduce

the mobility requirements,

helping you to keep the correct

position.Overtimetrytoreduce

the height you pull from, alongside

performing mobility work.”

The essential

assistance move

“Paused deadlifts, where you lift

the bar from the floor and hold

anisometricpositionforafew

secondsjustbelowtheknees,are

helpful,” says Hamilton. “They’re

great for learning to maintain the

correct positioning and not let

your hips shoot up too fast,

so that you end up pulling from

the lower back.”

“Keep the barbell close,” says

Hamilton. “Holding a heavy

weight close to the body makes

it much easier to lift. And your

starting position should be

with the bar covering the knot

in your shoelaces.”

EXPERT TIP

PERFECT FORM

Start with your

feet shoulderwidth

apart, holding

the bar with an

overhand grip (an

alternate grip with

one overhand and

one underhand is

also fine). Position

the bar so that

your shoulders are

over it and it is

directly above your

midfoot. To initiate

the movement, pull

your shoulders

back to activate

your lats, make

sure your

hamstrings

are loaded and

pull the bar off

the ground by

straightening

your legs, keeping

the angle of

your torso the

same. As th bar

passes your

knees, straighten

up until you’re

standing upright,

then reverse the

movement back to

the start. If it’s a

very heavy weight,

you can drop the

bar – carefully – at

the top.

HOW DO YOU RATE?Beginner1.5 xbodyweight •Intermediate 2 x BW •Advanced 2.5 x BW

JUNE 2017 MEN’S FITNESS 85