Deadlift Exercise

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Original Editor - User:Matt Huey Top Contributors - Sam Fears, Matt Huey, Wade Pennington, Tony Varela, Logan Kabance, Lucinda hampton, Rishika Babburu and Kim Jackson

Welcome to Arkansas Colleges of Health Education School of Physical Therapy Musculoskeletal 1 Project. This space was created by and for the students at Arkansas Colleges of Health Education School in the United States. Please do not edit unless you are involved in this project, but please come back in the near future to check out new information!!

Introduction

The Deadlift Movement

The Deadlift is one of the most functional and basic exercises there is. The goal of the exercise is to bend down, grab an object on the floor, and lift it off the floor. Improvements to strength and speed can be attained from the deadlift which translate to an increase in overall power.

The ability to pick up an object off the ground has been a basic movement since the dawn of mankind. If something is dropped, you bend down and pick it up. Boxes, grocery bags, and your children all represent things that require bending over and picking up at some point or another. Simply sitting in a chair requires a hinge at the hip and a squat which are the fundamental components of the deadlift along with many other activities of daily living. Being proficient in these movements will translate to a better quality of life for yourself and those around you.

The mechanics of the deadlift are relatively simple but extremely crucial to the effectiveness and safety of the movement. Provided below is an instructional video and detailed information regarding proper mechanics for the deadlift.

Mechanics

Mechanics of the Deadlift

Mechanics of the deadlift:

1. Place both feet under the bar, roughly shoulder width apart (foot distance may vary depending on variation). The bar should be just over the mid foot, a few inches from the shins.
2. Hinge at the hip and bend at the knee to lower the torso to the bar. Grasp the bar just outside of the shins.
3. Attempt to "wrap the bar around the shins" to engage the latissimus dorsi to assist with keeping the spine in a neutral position. An additional cue would be to "squeeze oranges under your armpits" for similar latissimus dorsi engagement.
4. Once the lats are engaged, perform the Valsalva maneuver by taking a large breath and forcefully exhaling against a closed glottis. This causes an increase in intrathoracic pressure which helps stabilize the trunk and spine during the movement. The Valsalva maneuver should be avoided by individuals at risk of cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease, or hernias. Before starting any exercise program, please consult with your healthcare provider.
5. Push through the feet by "pushing the world away" and begin to lift the bar from the ground. Continue maintaining a neutral spine position for the entirety of the movement.
6. Knee and hip extension will occur simultaneously as the weight is lifted.
7. Once full knee and hip extension are achieved, the weight is then lower to the floor in the reverse manner, and the movement is complete.

Muscles Used

The deadlift exercise can be considered a full body exercise since it utilizes many muscles in both the upper and lower body.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes
• Adductor Magnus
• Hamstrings
• Spinal Erectors
• Latissimus Dorsi
• Trapezius
• Rhomboids
• Obliques and Abdominals

A systematic review did look at the muscle activation during a deadlift. It was found that the erector spinae and quadriceps muscles were more active than the gluteus maximus and biceps femoris. In the hamstrings, the semitendinosus has slightly greater muscle activation than the biceps femoris. The biceps femoris have greater activation during the barbell deadlift compared to the hex bar deadlift. Longer lever arms create greater force throughout the hip during the barbell deadlift when compared to the hex bar deadlift. The hex bar deadlift activated the hamstrings the lowest amount as compared to the barbell deadlift and other variations. Greater activation of the quadriceps is seen during the hex bar deadlift variation. The hex bar deadlift places lower force on the hip as compared to the barbell deadlift based on the positioning of the load being in line with hip.

The importance of understanding how variations activate and load muscle groups differently can be used in the rehabilitation of a person from a previous injury. For example, a person rehabilitating a strained hamstring could choose the hex bar deadlift over the barbell deadlift to lower activation of the hamstrings. Individuals lacking thoracic extension may opt for an elevated starting position to decrease the depth the movement starts from. Persons experience low back and hip pain could use the hex bar deadlift to lower the forces placed on the hip based on load positioning.

Variations

The deadlift exercise can be modified in a number of ways depending upon the desired goals, sport, or limitations of the person performing the deadlift. Each variation will allow the person to focus on specific muscle groups or mimic a desired activity.

• Conventional Deadlift

The Conventional Deadlift

The conventional deadlift is often the most commonly thought of. The person stands with their feet approximately shoulder width with the arms outside their thighs. There is increased emphasize on the lower back due to the trunk having more of a forward lean. The conventional deadlift can be performed unilaterally as an additional variation.

• Sumo Deadlift

The Sumo Deadlift

The person sets up with a wider stance with the arms inside the thighs. The trunk stays in a more upright stance utilizing the hips more than the back. The sumo deadlift is good to add variety and change muscle groups being targeted.

• Straight/Stiff Leg Deadlift

The Straight/Stiff Leg Deadlift

The person stands with the feet about shoulder width and the knees stay extended (not fully locked out). The trunk stays in a neutral position and the downward motion comes from the hips flexing and moving posteriorly. The focus is on the lower back and hamstrings.

• Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian Deadlift

The person must first perform a conventional deadlift or lift the bar from an elevated position such as a rack to assume the starting position. The starting position is the bar just below the waste line with the arms full extended. The person is standing upright holding the bar with slight flexion in the knees and spine in neutral. The initial movement is to push the hips back allowing the bar to slide down the front of the thighs. A natural end range will be felt. At this point the trunk should be lowered until the bar is below the knees or to the mid lower leg if form permits. Rounding the back should not occur to achieve depth. The spine should remain in neutral with activation of the mid and upper back musculature to maintain position. A sensation of loading the hamstrings should be felt if done properly. The focus is on the lower back, gluteals, and hamstrings. An additional variation is to perform the movement unilaterally.

• Elevated Deadlift

The Elevated Deadlift

The person can utilize whatever stance they prefer, but the difference is the bar starts at a higher height using a rack. The height of the bar can be adjusted to whatever height the person would like. This allows the person to either focus on lifting heavier weights, training weak points, or mimicking a similar activity.

• Deficit Deadlifts

The Deficit Deadlift

The person utilizes whatever stance they prefer but they typically are on an elevated surface so the bar is lower than it would typically be. This allows the person to focus on the initial pull of the deadlift, training a weak point, or mimicking a similar activity. With the starting position being assumed at a greater depth, more range of motion is needed within the ankles, knees, and hips. Additionally, more thoracic extension is needed to get into proper positions. The deficit deadlift can more closely mirror picking up objects off the ground during daily activities. The deficit deadlift adds more variety and can be implemented to provide a new stimulus. An additional variation is to perform the movement unilaterally.

• Snatch Grip Deadlift

The Snatch Grip Deadlift

The person uses a conventional set up but instead of gripping the bar just outside the thighs, the person uses a much wider grip. Using this wider grip puts more emphasis on the stabilization of the scapula and upper back musculature. The snatch grip deadlift requires more range of motion within the ankles, knees, and hips along with more thoracic spine extension. The necessity of greater range of motion is due to the starting position being lower to the ground because of the wider grip. The snatch grip deadlift is a useful variation as it can represent real world activities. Not all objects allow us to grab just outside of our lower legs. Additionally, the snatch grip deadlift can be used for specificity of sport in olympic weightlifting training.

• Adaptive Deadlifts

The Adaptive Deadlift

It is important to remember that exercise is an inclusive activity that can be performed by almost everyone in some capacity. Placing limitations on people with disabilities is inappropriate and should be discouraged. People with disabilities are capable athletes who need to be and should be pushed similarly to everyone else. Adaptive athletes achieve amazing feats in their own right. To see the power and capacity of adaptive athletes please visit the shift.ar instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/shift.ar?igsh=eDNoemE5OHJmYWI2

There can be several different modifications made to allow people with disabilities to deadlift. The primary focus on adapting exercises for people with disabilities is to prioritize safety. The secondary focus is to utilize similar movement patterns and muscle groups to achieve the desired outcome of the traditional exercise.

For persons in wheelchairs, the use of kettlebells (KB) can be implemented to achieve a deadlift exercise from the seated position. Start by placing KBs just outside the wheels of the wheelchair. The person assume the starting position by grasping the horns of the KBs, creating a neutral spine, and activating the musculature of the upper back. The person then uses their trunk extensors to lift weights off the floor into an upright sitting position before lowering the weights back to the floors. Additional modifications may need to be made for each individual's needs. It is important to be flexible and creative when adapting exercises.

Additional Variations

The variations to deadlifts are not limited to the type of deadlift itself. Additional modifications can be made to change the exercise.

• Bars

Changing the type of bar used can add variety. Stiff bars, hex bar, or fatter diameter bars changes the forces and demands.

Stiff bar: This barbell is the most common variation used and is the same barbell used in most bench press and squatting lifts. The stiff bar increases muscle activation from the hamstring and erector spinae muscle groups by increasing the mechanical moment at the hip and low back during respective concentric and eccentric phases of the lift.

Hex bar: A hex bar is a specially designed barbell where the lifter stands within a hexagonal shaped barbell that reduces the horizontal distance from the weight being lifted. The hexagonal bar increases mechanical moment at the knee and lowers moment from the hips and lumbar spinae which increases activation from the quadriceps muscle group. More specifically targeting the Vastus Lateralis.

Fat bar: The fat bar or using fat bar attachments, increases the diameter of the bar causing the forearm and hand musculature to produce more force to perform the lift. In a study done on fat grip attachments, muscle activity of the forearm and shoulder musculature, measured by electromyography, was increased with the fat grip attachments when doing a 1RM of a conventional deadlift.

• Resistance

The use of resistance bands and chains can add increasing or even decreasing resistance throughout the range of motion of the deadlift. Different types of resistance used can add the ability to adapt the deadlift motion to different populations. Kettlebells, dumbbells, and resistance bands are all used to help replicate the motion of a deadlift for populations that may have specific disabilities.

• Grips

Double Overhand Grip

Opposing Grip

Double Overhand Grip- Both hands wrapped around the bar with your palms facing towards you.

Opposing Grip- One hand is wrapped around with the palm facing towards you (same as double overhand grip), while the other hand is wrapped the opposite way with the palm facing away from you. This grip is generally considered more comfortable for lifters. However, there is an increased risk for distal biceps tear as you are increasing the tension put on the biceps while having the arm in a supinated position.

• Speed

The speed at which the lift is performed can be changed. Increasing the velocity works on a lifters ability to generate more power through that movement. Training with a decelerated lift can increase the amount of time under tension for the muscles being activated promoting greater force production and building strength.

Research

Deadlifts and low back pain:

One study found that a 8-10 week deadlift training program did improve pain and function at a 15 month follow up with people with discogenic low back pain.

A systematic review found there is Level B evidence that deadlifts are a clinically effective option for the treatment of mechanical low back pain, with improvements in pain and functional outcomes.