If there’s one exercise out there people label as the king of all exercises, it’s the deadlift! It works pretty much every muscle in your lower body, and it works your back too.
If you’re not sure what the deadlift is, I’ll tell you.
It’s called a deadlift because the bar is at a “dead” stop on the ground before you lift it. There is no momentum involved.
While proper form is intricate and important for safety, I’ll give you a simple explanation of how to do it. Deadlifts are not the easiest exercise in the world. At least, if you want to lift heavy weights.
It’s an awesome exercise to learn, though. It’s great for building strength and muscle, and it’s incredibly functional.
We pick things up all the time. Some of us do it every day.
People often hurt themselves by picking up and carrying heavy things with bad form. Doing deadlifts on a regular basis can do 2 things to help with this.
Deadlifts can strengthen the muscles you need to lift heavy things. They can also teach you how to lift them with good form so that you don’t hurt yourself in the first place.
I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about deadlifts in this article.
What You'll Learn in this Article:
• The Benefits of Deadlifts
• What Muscles Deadlifts Work
• How to Do Deadlifts With Proper Form
• Common Mistakes When Doing Deadlifts
• Other Tips for Your Deadlifts
Benefits of Deadlifts
There are so many benefits to doing deadlifts. That’s why it’s called the king of exercises. Heck, it's a big reason why I'm personally a big advocate for them. So, let's dive into what these specific benefits are...
1. Very Functional
2. Increase Strength
3. Can Improve Jump Height
4. Build Muscle
5. Strengthen Bone
1. Deadlifts are a Very Functional Exercise
As I already mentioned, we pick things up every day. We might not always squat all the way down to do it, but sometimes we have to.
Ever had to pick up a heavy box from the ground? Well, guess what … The form you need to do that safely is very similar to a deadlift.
Ever have to move into a new house? Well, there’s furniture that needs to be moved.
If you’ve ever had to pick up a couch and load it into a truck, I promise you had to deadlift that couch.
Doing deadlifts is a functional way to increase the strength of the muscles you need to do these things. If you’re strong in the deadlift, then lifting and carrying those things will be a piece of cake.
I don’t know about you, but I like making things easier in my daily life. Deadlifts can help you do that.
2. Deadlifts Increase Strength
While there are some muscles that don’t get used much in the deadlift, most of them are being used.
Deadlifts work your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and plenty of muscles in your back. Oh yeah, we can’t forget about your forearms too!
Your chest, shoulders, and triceps might not get much work, but that’s okay. You don’t have to do it all in one exercise.
I’ll get more into this in the next section, but deadlifts are as close to a full-body exercise as you’re going to get. If you do them regularly then you already know they can wear you out.
Because deadlifts work so many muscles, over time you can lift some pretty heavy weights. This helps to strengthen all of these muscles, and strength is never a bad thing.
The stronger you are, the more capable you’ll be of doing just about anything life throws at you. I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s worth it!
3. Deadlifts Increase Jump Height
I bet you didn’t think this was coming! It’s true though. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research looked into this one. They found that a deadlift program in novice lifters led to higher vertical jumps (1).
Deadlifts help to strengthen a lot of the same muscles you need to jump. As you get stronger with those muscles, jumping with your body weight becomes easier and faster.
So if you do it right, over time you may be able to jump higher!
4. Deadlifts Help Build Muscle
This is a no-brainer, and I’m sure you’re not second-guessing it.
When it comes to muscle growth, it’s all about the principle of progressive overload. Over time, you must put more stress on your muscles than they’re used to.
That means you have to increase some of the variables like:
• Weight
• Sets
• Reps
• Time Under Tension (TUT)
Because deadlifts work so many different muscles, they can help you build muscle in all of those areas. It’s hard work, but if muscle growth is your goal, deadlifts can certainly help you get there!
5. Deadlifts Can Help Strengthen Bones
This is a benefit many people don’t think about, but it’s true! This is especially beneficial for aging women as they are more at risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures as they get older (2).
You see, as you lift more weight your muscles have to get stronger to handle the load. This is true for your bones too. Heavy lifts like squats and deadlifts can lead to increased bone mineral density for that reason (3,4).
If you keep lifting heavier weights without your bones getting stronger, sooner or later they’ll break. So they have no choice but to get stronger. Lifting weights in general can help with this. Not just when doing deadlifts.
However, because of the high load placed on your body in a deadlift, they are very effective at strengthening bones.
What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work?
Like I said earlier, deadlifts work most of your body. There are 600+ muscles in the human body, so I’m not going to get super in-depth here.
Let’s just cover the biggest muscles involved:
Quadriceps (AKA Quads)
These are the muscles on the front of your thighs above the knee. Their main job is to straighten your knees when they’re bent. So every time you squat down and have to stand up, these are being used.
The bottom of the deadlift has your knees bent before you lift the weight. As you lift it, your quads are working hard to extend your knees as you stand up with the weight.
Hamstrings
This is the group of muscles on the back of your thighs. Their main job is to bend your knee when it’s straight, but it has other jobs too.
They also help with hip extension, and in the deadlift, this is where they shine. At the bottom of the deadlift, your hips are fully bent about as much as they can be.
As you lift the weight, your hamstrings work with your glutes to extend your hips.
Gluteus Maximus (AKA Glutes)
This is your biggest butt muscle. Your glutes are very important in deadlifts, and it’s one reason many people do them. Many people in the gym want to build a bigger butt, and not many exercises will do this better than deadlifts.
Your glute's main job in the deadlift is to extend your hips. So they work very closely with your hamstrings for this exercise.
Erector Spinae
These are your posture muscles. They run along the length of your spine on both sides.
Their main job is to stabilize and extend your spine, which stops you from rounding forward. During the deadlift, rounding your spine forward can lead to spinal disc injuries.
That’s one of the reasons proper form is so important. Your erector spinae muscles help to keep your spine straight during deadlifts, which helps protect you from injury.
Latissimus Dorsi (AKA Lats)
Your lats also play a big role here. Your lats are the big wing-like muscles on your back.
Their main job during a deadlift is to pull the bar close to your body as you stand with it. This movement is called shoulder extension, and it’s very important in deadlifts.
They help you hold the bar close to your body which gives you an advantage. Your lats protect your lower back from injury in this way, and help you lift heavier weights more safely.
Forearms
This is a no-brainer. If you’re going to stand up with the bar, you have to hold onto it. To hold onto the bar, your forearms are engaged.
So your forearms get a ton of work during deadlifts. As you begin lifting heavier weights, you can build quite a bit of muscle in your forearms. That, and your grip strength can go through the roof!
How to Do Deadlifts With Proper Form
Deadlifts are an exercise that requires a barbell. Load a barbell with an appropriate amount of weight and place it on the ground in front of you.
How to do a deadlift:
1. Walk up to the bar until your feet are under the bar at hip width. Squat down and grab the bar with an overhand grip at shoulder width so that your arms are outside your knees.
2. Pull up on the bar just enough to pull your body down into a squat without lifting the bar off the ground. You should have a big bend in your knees until your thighs are about parallel to the ground.
Pull your shoulders back and keep your core engaged before you attempt to lift it. Also, make sure your back remains straight throughout the movement for safety.
3. Press your feet into the floor as you stand up with the bar. Do your best to extend your hips and knees at a similar rate as you stand up. Also be sure to keep the bar close to your body the entire rep.
*It’s very easy to straighten your knees without extending your hips much, but you don’t want to do that. That leaves almost the entire rep for your hips and lower back to lift and can lead to injury if you aren’t careful.
4. Once you are standing up nice and tall, squeeze your glutes hard for a second.
5. Next, slowly lower back to the starting position. If you’re on a deadlift platform with bumper plates, you can just let go at the top as well. Just make sure not to let the bar bounce into you.
That’s how to properly perform the deadlift. It sounds simple until you get into the fine details of what proper form is.
The reason I get so detailed in the form is because if you aren’t careful it’s easy to hurt yourself. When done correctly, though, deadlifts are a safe and effective exercise.
Common Mistakes When Doing Deadlifts
Now you know the proper form for doing deadlifts, what about common mistakes?
Rounding Your Back
This is a common mistake people make, and it can lead to injury if you aren’t careful. Think about your spinal discs as a water balloon that's only half filled. If you squeeze one end of it, what happens?
All the water shoots to the other side and bulges out. The same thing happens with the discs in between each vertebra. If you are holding a barbell and let your spine round forward, it pinches the front side of each disc. This can potentially lead to a bulging disc or even a disc herniation.
I’ve had this injury before, and trust me … It’s excruciating. The key is to keep your spine straight during the lift because it will help prevent this from happening.
Holding The Bar Too Far From Your Body
I already covered this, but it’s worth mentioning again. The further from your body you hold the bar, the harder your lower back has to work. If the bar is heavy enough, it can lead to a low back injury, so be careful!
Use your lats to hold the bar close to your body throughout every rep. You’re less likely to hurt yourself, and you’ll be able to lift more weight that way.
Extending Your Knees Too Early
I also mentioned this earlier, but this is the most common mistake I see. Some people will start pulling by lifting their butt in the air before the bar leaves the ground. This causes their knees to mostly straighten by the time the bar comes off the ground.
If you do this, you’re essentially making your lower back, hamstrings, and glutes do all of the work. You’re almost completely taking your quads out of the lift.
Not only does this put a lot of unnecessary stress on those muscles, but you also won’t be able to lift as much weight. Your quads are strong muscles. So make sure you straighten your knees and hips at the same time on the way up.
Lifting Your Head Up
This was actually how I was taught to deadlift, but it’s not the right way to do it.
A lot of naive coaches tell new lifters to look up while they deadlift because it stops them from rounding forward. The problem is, it overly extends their neck instead of keeping it neutral.
While getting an injury from doing this isn’t extremely common, it’s not a good practice. It’s best to keep your head and neck completely neutral/straight throughout the entire lift.
That’s the best way to prevent a neck injury when a lot of force is being placed on your spine.
Overextending Your Spine
This is another common one that takes a good coach to notice. There is a difference between keeping a straight or neutral spine and an overextended one.
An overextended spine is the opposite of rounding forward. It’s puffing your chest out and curling your upper back towards your butt.
When this happens, your core isn’t engaged. You can feel your abdomen when you arch your back like that, and your abs will feel soft.
Because your abdominals help to stabilize your spine, it’s important that your core is engaged properly. It helps to protect you from spinal injury.
This is one reason many people wear a belt. A lifting belt helps to remind you to keep pressure in your abdomen and to engage your core.
So don’t overarch your back. Engage your abs, and keep a neutral, straight spine throughout every rep.
Additional Deadlift Tips
Deadlifts are the king of all exercises for a reason. They truly do more for you in one exercise than just about every other one.
No matter what your fitness goal is, deadlifts can and should be a part of your workout program. At least, as long as you’re healthy enough to do them.
Deadlifts do load your spine with a lot of weight. So if you have nagging back injuries, or they hurt you when you do them for some reason, deadlifts might not be for you.
I’ve dealt with back injuries in the past, and I had to cut deadlifts out for a while. Once I got my core strong enough, and I could do them without pain, I added them back in.
I’ve done deadlifts for years, and they’ve helped me put on quite a bit of muscle. They’re pretty great for fat loss too given how many calories you can burn.
Deadlifts aren’t the only exercise that matters though. There are tons of other ones you’ll want to include in your program too.
Not only that, but your workouts can’t stay the same forever. Well, they can, but you’ll stop seeing progress sooner or later if you don’t switch things up.
As I already mentioned, your body gets used to your training. You have to switch up the sets, reps, and exercises over time to keep your progress going.
If you really want to reach your fitness goals, you’ll also need to eat a diet that aligns with them. Your diet will be very different if you want to gain weight vs if you want to lose body fat.
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References:
(1) Thompson, Brennan J., et al. "Barbell Deadlift Training Increases the Rate of Torque Development and Vertical Jump Performance in Novices." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 29, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 1-10.
(2) McPhee, Carolyn, et al. "Recommendations for Improving Women's Bone Health Throughout the Lifespan." Journal of Women's Health, vol. 31, no. 12, Dec. 2022, pp. 1671-1676.
(3) Nguyen, Van Huy. "Exercises Aimed to Maximize Lean Mass and Bone Mineral Density at the Hip and Lumbar Spine." Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia, vol. 7, no. 1, Mar. 2021, pp. 42-43.
(4) Granhed, H., et al. "The Loads on the Lumbar Spine During Extreme Weight Lifting." Spine, vol. 12, no. 2, Mar. 1987, pp. 146-149.
