The Deadlift.... back exercise....or is it?

The deadlift. Pick up a weight off the floor and stand up straight with the weight. That's it. As simple as you can get. Or is it? If it is so simple, then why are people afraid of the deadlift? Maybe because you have seen a video of a powerlifter doing deadlifts and it didn't look like much fun



But the major topic that I'm going to tackle right now is the conception that the deadlift is a back exercise. Now, the deadlift is good for the back (gasp!) and the back is used in the exercise, but the (mis)conception that a lot of people have is the fact the back is the primary force driving the deadlift. Wrong! Because of this,a lot of poor form has been encountered in the deadlift.

To make a long story short, the legs (mainly glutes and hamstrings) are the main muscles used to start the deadlift. They are the most powerful muscles in the body. Using the back to lift weight off the floor is like asking a 3 year old boy to pull a truck. The lower back muscles are the smallest muscles in the entire posterior chain. No wonder why people pull back muscles when doing improper deads

In a later post, I will show how the legs are to be positioned so that the legs are used to pull weight, and not the back.

Until next time, happy training