The benefits of deadlifts
Deadlifts are often known as one of the ‘Big Three’ compound lifts, alongside squats and bench press. These three exercises make up the exercises in the sport of powerlifting, and are very much associated with lifting very heavy weights in the gym.
However, when it comes to deadlifts, there are many different variations you can use, and many different ways you can implement and train deadlifts - it’s certainly not an exercise just for people who like to lift really heavy weights! Anyone who is following a resistance training program (and pretty much everyone should be following a resistance training program of sorts) can benefit from implementing a deadlift pattern in some form.
As I mentioned above, deadlifts are very much a compound exercise, and one of the ‘best’ compound exercise for that matter, as it targets so many different muscles and muscle groups at the same time. While it is primarily a leg exercise, you also strengthen the core muscles, the lower back, shoulders and grip all at the same time. It means that it helps you to develop the whole body all at once. This makes it an efficient exercise to include regularly in your training program.
While people often worry about potentially injuring themselves when doing deadlifts, they are a great exercise to prevent injury and pain when done correctly. At high intensities and volumes, of course there is a risk of injury (as there is with any exercise), and lower back injuries in particular can be common with deadlifts. However, when practised correctly and appropriately, there aren’t many exercises which are better at preventing back injuries or pain. The lower back is heavily targeted during deadlifts, so learning to do them well will leave you with a much stronger back and core - meaning even if you spend most of your day stuck behind a desk, you are less likely to be left with lower back pain and soreness on a regular basis. It also means you are less likely to ‘put your back out’ carrying out day-to-day tasks when you are competent at deadlifts. After all, a deadlift is essentially just picking something up off the floor, so learning to do it with a ‘neutral’ spine has real-life applications.
Deadlifts provide you with a huge amount of ‘bang for your buck’, between their strength applications, ability to help you build muscle throughout much of your body, and protect you from pain and injury in the long term. When you then factor in the multitude of different variations you can use to target specific muscles, movements or skills, you can understand why regularly performing different types of deadlifts can be beneficial and important for so many of us. Very few exercises provide you with as much ‘return’ as deadlifts do. Find the variation(s) that work for you and your goals, and get them in your regular exercise routine!
Please be careful, though - if you aren’t confident in your own abilities, then definitely invest in some coaching to make sure you know exactly what you are doing, and how to include them to maximise your potential benefits. If you have any questions on deadlifts or any other exercise, or need any support for your training, don’t hesitate to contact us at:
coretrainingpt@gmail.com
