3 tips for executing a proper deadlift at the gym
SUMMARY
For years, men and women have stepped into the gym looking to lift to gain some extra muscle — which is awesome. We, the dedicated, alternate between "arm day" and "chest day" in a never-ending quest to keep our bodies guessing, avoiding that awful "plateau effect."
Despite its importance, however, many of us dread "leg day." You should never neglect your lower body strength, but it's harder to find the motivation to work on something that isn't glamorous. Thankfully, if you want to bulk the entire body up at the same time, there's one particular exercise that'll do the trick: the deadlift.
The deadlift gets a bad rap in the gym world. Many amateur lifters perform exercise using lousy form or simply too much damn weight and end up injuring themselves. The fact is, there are many ways to screw this movement up — and only one way to do it right. Use these tips to get the most out of each massive rep.
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2FjhMUCHskrmLWU.gif&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.giphy.com&s=780&h=f675fd48f8533324b98e85d65b95b2ab7263d77701d5ff1338800c9b03120fd1&size=980x&c=279316170 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252FjhMUCHskrmLWU.gif%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.giphy.com%26s%3D780%26h%3Df675fd48f8533324b98e85d65b95b2ab7263d77701d5ff1338800c9b03120fd1%26size%3D980x%26c%3D279316170%22%7D" expand=1]
Boom!
Foot positioning
Proper foot positioning depends on the individual and how much power they can generate. However, in general, most people want to stand with their feet about shoulder-width apart, if not just a tiny bit wider. Keeping your feet too close together lowers your center of gravity and knocks you off balance.
We don't want that.
A solid footing will better ensure you lift properly.
Hand positioning
After putting on a lifting belt, many people wrap their hands around the bar in opposing positions — one palm facing out and one palm facing in. Others take a simpler route and lift with both palms inward. What's most important here is to maintain a symmetric angle with both arms. Having one arm flared out more than the other can result in an injury — our bodies weren't meant to carry more weight on one side than the other.
Most people position their hands just outside of their knees to maintain symmetry. However, different types of deadlifts require different hand placements. For starters, keep your hands in the standard position until you get comfortable.
A rounded back will probably result in a sore back.
Pulling up
Your feet are set, your grip is firm, and you're ready to do the lift. Give the weight an initial tug upward and straighten out your back. As your rise up into the lock-out position, the weighed bar should just about scrape your shins. If the bar is more than an inch or two away from your front leg, it's not correctly positioned and you're risking injury. Remember, the closer the better.
