How to do deadlifts for a firm butt and healthy back

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We analyze the technique in detail and show the most popular variations of the exercise.

Why do deadlifts

Everyone does the deadlift: powerlifters and weightlifters, bodybuilders and fitness athletes, runners, football players and many other athletes, as well as the elderly and those who want to quickly recover from an injury.

You should do this exercise for five reasons.

1. Deadlift pumps many muscle groups

During execution, the muscles of the hips and legs, buttocks, and back extensors are loaded. The movement also involves the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles, lats, trapezius, rhomboid, scapula stabilizers and forearm muscles.

2. It increases performance in different sports

Doing the deadlift teaches the brain to coordinate muscle work, recruit more muscle fibers, and do it exactly when needed. As a result, the body becomes stronger and moves more efficiently, which has a positive effect on other activities as well.

3. Exercise protects against injury in everyday life

The deadlift movement pattern occurs in everyday life when you lift something heavy from the floor. Once you have mastered this safe movement technique, you will not tear your back by lifting the edge of the couch or dragging the bag of cement. In addition, deadlift contributes to Changes in bone mineral density in response to 24 weeks of resistance training in college-age men and women. an increase in bone mineral density, which helps reduce the risk of fractures.

4. Suitable for all skill levels

The movement itself is fairly simple and does not require much flexibility, speed, or strength. Any human limitations can be circumvented using exercise modifications.

5. The deadlift has many variations

The exercise can be done with a barbell, dumbbells and kettlebells, with a different setting of the legs, grip width and knee bend angle. Each variation has its own advantages, and you can use this to work out your weaknesses.

How to do deadlifts correctly

If you've never done a deadlift before, check your starting position first. This can also be useful for those who performed the exercise, but did not think about the technique.

How to take the starting position

Walk up to the bar and stand so that the bar is over the laces of your sneakers, about 3–5 cm from your shin.

Place your feet hip-width apart, turn the toes of your feet to the sides by about 15 °. Feel how your feet are pressed firmly to the floor. Distribute your body weight so as not to collapse on your heel or toe.

Bend your knees and lean towards the bar. At the bottom, the shins should touch the bar, but not move it. The video below shows correct execution in color, erroneous in black and white frames.

Grasp the bar with a straight grip shoulder-width apart. With heavy weights, you can wrap your thumb around the bar and close the top with four fingers.

You can also try a razor grip - when one hand takes the bar with a direct grip and the other with a reverse grip. This will stabilize the bar and reduce stress on the forearms.

Straighten your elbows, lower your shoulders. Seen from the side, the shoulders extend slightly beyond the bar with the shoulder blades well above it.

Straighten your back and point your chest forward. Avoid excessive bending in the lower back - the back should be in a neutral position.

Keep your head straight, in line with your back, or slightly raised. Don't look at your feet or lift your chin up.

How to move correctly

Take the starting position. Take a deep breath and hold your breath.

Leading the bar almost close to the shins, straighten at the hip and knee joints.

It is also often advised to "push the floor with your feet" while lifting. By performing this movement, you automatically turn your knees slightly outward and activate the gluteus medius muscles.

In the final phase of straightening, move your pelvis forward and tighten your buttocks. At the same time, keep your back in a neutral position. Overextension of the lower back can lead to injury, especially if done abruptly.

Bring the bar back under control, follow the technique, and keep your back straight.

How to change an exercise for different purposes

Build your hips and relieve your back

Try sumo deadlift. In this movement, the legs are set much wider than in the classic, and the knees are turned to the sides.

Due to the wide stance of the legs, the body in the starting position tilts less than in the classic version. As a result, less shear forces are exerted on the spine, which makes movement safer for the back.

In this case, the load on the hips, on the contrary, increases. An electromyographoic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts showed that the sumo deadlift puts more stress on the inner and outer heads of the quadriceps than the classic.

Increase the load on the back of the thigh

Incorporate straight-legged deadlifts into your workouts. In this variation, you only flex your knees slightly, reducing the load on the quads and stretching the muscles on the back of the thigh.

As a result, more load goes to the muscles of the posterior chain: back, buttocks and hips.

Another option for emphasizing the back of the thigh is the Romanian deadlift. The knees also do not bend much, and the movement itself begins at the top point - from a standing position with a barbell in hand.

Further, the bar is lowered to the middle of the lower leg and rises back. You don't put the barbell on the floor for the entire set.

The Romanian deadlift helps you practice the right technique and load your muscles properly using light weights.

Additional load on the upper back

To do this, make a deadlift with a wide grip. Grasp the neck along the ring marks (notches at the ends of the neck 810-910 mm apart). Try to keep your shoulders in place, preventing them from rounding and coming forward throughout the entire set.

Build core muscles and improve balance

Try the Romanian single-leg deadlift with dumbbells. Due to the instability, the exercise will perfectly load the muscles of the core and back.

It is even more difficult to perform this exercise with a bar. Even with a light barbell, you will put a monstrous load on your back and at the same time find out which side you have is stronger.

How to incorporate deadlifts into your workouts

If you prefer splits, do deadlifts on leg day. If you train all muscle groups in one lesson, do the exercise once or twice a week.

To build muscle mass, 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps are enough. Pick up the weight so that it is heavy for you, but at the same time it was possible to maintain a neutral back position and straightened shoulders.

For a rapid increase in strength indicators, include in the program short sets of 3-5 times with submaximal weights. This is necessary for the development of strength, but very tiring for the central nervous system. To avoid overtraining, alternate them with medium repetitions.