Issue 087

April 2012

Why deadlifting can make you stronger and help prevent injury

There are very few movements that polarize opinion as much as the deadlift. Its more militant proponents claim it to be the best movement ever for building strength, speed, power, size and curing baldness. Its detractors claim that deadlifting is more dangerous than badger wrestling and that even looking at a barbell on the ground will cause disc rupture.

Paul McVeigh

Pro fighter & sports scientist

TUF 14 cast member Paul McVeigh is a sports scientist and a pro fighter, ranked as the number-one bantamweight in Europe.

It is easy to see why these differing opinions developed. Everyone knows someone who has been hurt deadlifting. A poorly executed deadlift puts some seriously destructive compressive loading on a spine. 

Even if technique is impeccable the deadlift is still one of the most tiring lifts you can do for the central nervous system, so many coaches omit the deadlift as its effect on skill training is so pronounced.

Why deadlift?

So if you do it wrong you can be crippled if you do it correctly you may end up a zombie for the rest of the day or week. Why would anyone ever want to pick large pieces of metal off the floor and put them back down? Well, there a number of reasons:

To develop the posterior chain

That’s the bits that you aren’t looking at when you’re having a solo pose-down in the mirror. The hamstrings, glutes and spinal erectors might not be your favorites but they are highly involved in nearly every athletic movement.

To be a better fighter

All of this equals better sporting performance. A stronger, more injury-resistant fighter is a happier one. There is also some technical carryover between deadlifting and MMA training. A fighter who has learnt to deadlift well will be more effective in takedown situations, particularly along the cage walls.

Bonus point

Having an ass like a hump-back bridge is just plain sexy.

To become injury proof

Having a posterior chain that works and is strong is a great way to prevent a whole host of overuse problems at the knee and lower back. Deadlifting correctly helps to insure your glutes are pulling their weight. When they do not, often because you have fondness for sitting at desk for eight hours followed swiftly by sitting slouched over watching TV, the slack must be taken up by the lower back and hamstrings which eventually get trashed by this misuse.

To be much stronger

Using deadlift variations will see you handling much bigger loads than with any other movement. Picking up heavy stuff makes you stronger and deadlifting correctly is the safest way to pick up the really heavy stuff. 

Here are some important technical pointers for getting your deadlift right:

The hip hinge

The hip hinge is the key to learning the deadlift. It teaches us the ability to move from the hips while keeping the spine stable. Pretty much the most important thing when lifting big weights.

To start off find a wall and turn your back to it. While standing up strutting-down-the-beach tall, push your ass back towards the wall until you make contact. Increase the distance from the wall each time until you cannot do it without falling into the wall. A dowel can be aligned with the spine to ensure proper spinal position is maintained.

Once this pattern looks good we can start moving on to kettle bell then barbell variations of the deadlift.

The set-up

Having a great set-up is an important part of deadlifting. We begin by standing in front of the barbell (barefoot is always preferable when deadlifting) with the shins less than an inch away.

Next the athlete takes a massive breath, holds it and hip hinges down to the bar ensuring that the hamstrings are on stretch and engaged. Gripping the bar as hard as possible the athlete then pulls the barbell towards their shins to engage the lats.

Finally the slack is taken out of the bar by pulling it up slightly against the plates. This helps keep the lift smooth and ensures your biceps stay attached to your forearms.

Executing the Deadlift

Many people begin this lift by craning their neck up. This can slacken the posterior chain and limit the weight that can be moved. A good compromise is to keep your chin tucked and look to the ceiling through your eyebrows.

To begin the movement we want to pull the bar hard towards the shins and think about driving the feet into the ground. This helps ensure the chest rises first followed by the hips. At the top of the lift finish with your hips by squeezing your glutes. To get back down simply reverse the movement, hip hinge back then unlock the knees.