Is the deadlift necessary for an intermediate bodybuilder?
I have been lifting for 6 years (non professionally) yet never seriously tried the Deadlift exercise.
Is this exercise necessary for intermediateadvanced bodybuilders in any way?
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The Deadlift works nearly every muscle in the body.
VERY IMPORTANT: You must use proper form. Most important is to Hold a Deep Breath, Contract the Abs, and arch the back, to help prevent a herniated disk and Sciatica.
You can lift heaver loads if you use a Reverse Grip vs. the Classic Grip.
The Deadlift along with Squats and Bench Press make up all the exercises in Competitive Power Lifting.
The Deadlift should be the first exercise in your workout routine.
Putting the Deadlift in your workout routine should be done with care.
As with other multi-joint exercises it is very easy to over-train muscle groups.
For example, combining The Deadlift with Squats in a same day workout if you are not a competitive Powerlifter, will very likely over train your Quads and Gluteus Maximus.
These are the muscles that are worked hardest by the Deadlift:
Quadriceps, Biceps Femoris, Long Head
Quadriceps, Biceps Femoris, Short Head
Quadriceps, Rectus Femoris
Quadriceps, Vastus Lateralis
Quadriceps, Vastus Medialis
Gluteus Maximus
Trapezius, Anterior Head
Trapezius, Inferior Part
Trapezius, Middle Part
The Deadlift also puts a significant load on these muscles.
Flexor Digitorum Profundus
Flexor Digitorum Superficialis
Inferior Gemellus
Intertransversarii Laterales Lumborum
Latissimus Dorsi
Levator Anguli Oris
Levator Scapulae
Longissimus Thoracis**
Obliquus Externus Abdominis
Obturator*
Piriformis*
Quadratus Lumborum**
Rectus Abdominis
Rhomboid Major
Rhomboid Minor
Semimembranosus
Semitendinosus
Serratus Anterior
Serratus Posterior Inferior*
Splenius Cervicis
Superior Gemellus
Teres Major
The Deadlift is the only common exercise that works some specific muscles.
*Deadlift Only
**Deadlift and Back Extension
The above image is from the first edition of Strength Training Anatomy, Copyright 2001 by Editions Vigot, Paris France.
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The deadlift is awesome
I find deadlifts very productive. Since they're a multi-joint, multi-muscle exercise, they promote growth across the entire back and legs. Done heavy, I've found them very efficient at adding muscle. This is partially because I am a novice. It might be different for your situation.
I don't know of many exercises that could be said to fully replace the deadlift. Squats? Romanian deadlifts? Barbell hip thrusts? They're all close, but not quite it.
You should deadlift
Since the deadlift is easy to learn, safe if done correctly, and simple to do heavy, I think you would love deadlifting. Start light and add weight frequently.
No.
The deadlift is a bad exercise.
Wanna pull heavy weights and work the entire body at once?
We have:
Zercher squats
Clean and jerks
Wanna hold heavy weights in your hands?
We have:
Farmer carries
Want an exercise that literally and actually works every single muscle fiber of your body and isn't just hyped up to do so by powerlifters?
Turkish get up
Want a strong abdomen? Then you gotta actually work your abs, deadlifts don't magically work your abdomen.
The deadlift however is an excellent HIP HINGE exercise, which makes a decent
Butt builder. But you can actually lift way heavier weights with barbell glute bridges and activate more muscles by using a bigger range of motion with back extensions on the roman chair.
Why should you deadlift?
Because you want a big deadlift.
The deadlift was created as a circus lift in 1896 to impress people, not as a muscle builder. And then was introduced in powerlifting in 1972.
The nature of the deadlift is and has always been since the very first day it was created as a function to test strength.
If you're lifting but not doing deadlifts then you're not actually lifting. I say this with tongue-in-cheek but a serious tone.
The same goes for squatting.
Generally, your deadlift will be the movement for which you can move the most weight and the effect of moving this weight on your body cannot be overstated.
You're not just hitting muscles but adrenals and CNS. You're building the core of your body like nothing else, which makes you strong in all sorts of other movements.
Just standing there and holding the weight will isometrically load you up like nothing else.
Proper form requires good back and hamstring flexibility, which is something a lot of lifters don't have. Strength without flexibility is a recipe for injuries.
So while the deadlift looks just like you're picking something off the ground (which is true), there's a lot more to it (though not as much as in a squat). And like the squat, this exercise pays huge dividends.
Absolutely not necessary, deadlifts are great but still overrated. You can replace the deadlift with other exercises if you want to.
You should give it a serious try though.
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