Issue 041
September 2008
Continuing the series of essential exercises, this month I will cover the deadlift. Known to many as ‘the king of exercises’, the deadlift can add many benefits to anyone’s training plan, including those for fighters.
Introducing the Deadlift
The deadlift is an exercise that involves lifting a heavy weight from the floor to a standing position. In this exercise, almost every muscle in the body is worked. The main muscles responsible for the movement are the legs and lower back, although the upper back, shoulders, abdominal region and grip are also highly taxed when performing the deadlift.
To perform a deadlift, place a barbell on the floor in front of you. Keeping the back straight, bend the legs until the hands can grasp the bar. From here take a deep breath and tighten the midsection before driving the heels into the floor and pulling up and backwards until standing upright. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the lower back should not be allowed to round forwards. You should also try to keep the chest up and pull smoothly off the floor – do not try to jerk the bar from the starting position.
In my opinion, a fighter should be able to deadlift at least 1.5 that of his own bodyweight and preferably well over twice his bodyweight. Working towards these figures will enable you to have enough strength in reserve to do what you need to do, even when fatigued and / or in bad positions.
The Deadlift for MMA
The deadlift is a great strengthener for the extensors of the hips (the glutes, hamstrings and to a lesser extent, quads). Developing general strength in these muscles can improve the push-off when shooting in on an opponent, and also the ability to lift the opponent if you manage to get hold of them in a fight! An excellent example of this kind of strength was displayed by Matt Hughes during his prime – the ability to seemingly effortlessly pick up and dump opponents to the mat at will.
The deadlift also strengthens the entire ‘posterior chain’, or back of the body. This strength will make it easier to posture up in positions on the ground, and in extreme cases, to pick up the opponent from the ground when in a troublesome situation! The most famous example of this type of movement is ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s massive slam on Ricardo Arona a few years ago – a move that allowed Jackson to go from a very bad position to winning the fight within seconds.
Deadlift Variations
Here are some variations of the Deadlift that you can use:
• Deadlifts off blocks, for overloading the top end of the movement or if too inflexible to reach the bar on the floor
• Stiff-legged deadlifts, to put more stress on the hamstrings
• Deadlifts standing on a platform / plates, to increase strength from the bottom position
• (Wide stance) sumo deadlifts, takes some stress off the lower back, strengthens thighs
• Snatch (wide) grip deadlift, increases range of motion, taxes grip more
• Deadlift with thick bar, quickly improves grip strength and changes line of pull slightly
• and many.more!
Alex Gold is a strength and conditioning specialist working with fighters to achieve peak performance. Alex offers in-person training in the London area and online training worldwide. Alex is also available to speak on various topics related to strength and conditioning. For more information, visit www.hardcoresportstraining.co.uk where you can also sign up for a free newsletter with training tips and exclusive offers.
