As you’re aiming for PRs and perfecting your stride, you want to focus on strength and form. Logging a lot of miles on the roads can place repetitive functional overload on the quadriceps, making them strong, powerful, and dominant. But that means your hamstrings, the opposing muscle group that acts as brakes to stop your knee from hyperextending at the end movement of a stride, need to be just as strong.
Published: May 28, 2020 5:57 PM EDT hamstrings? Deadlifts.
“A deadlift is a fundamental full-body movement, primarily working the hamstrings and glutes, which are muscles of strength and stability,” says Kenny Santucci, certified personal trainer and owner of Warm up first; you never want to go straight into a deadlift. The. But there are a few things to know before setting yourself up at a bar or grabbing a kettlebell or set of dumbbells and going straight into the move.
That’s because deadlifts can be tough if you’re not used to doing them regularly, and it’s easy to do them incorrectly. Sacrificing form can lead to injury One hero exercise for your:
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- As youre aiming for PRs and perfecting your stride, you want to focus on
- Using your mid- or low-back to lift too-heavy weights
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- Having poor posture, which prevents activating the whole hamstring and glute
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How To Do a Proper Deadlift:
The Set-Up:
If you’re using weight, Santucci recommends a hex bar, especially for beginners. But if you don’t have access, you can use dumbbells. As an alternative, Santucci prefers kettlebells, because the handle is higher off the ground, which makes it easier and teaches you to slide hands down your legs and touch knees, creating the hip-hinge motion, Santucci says. You can even use grocery bags if you’re adding weight to the move at home, as the height of the handles comes up to knee height.
The Deadlift:
With weight in hand, stand tall with feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, a microbend in knees, shoulders back, and chest proud. Slowly send your hips back to hinge from the hips while keeping your back straight, abs tight, and chest lifted. Engage hamstrings and glutes to resist the downward pull of gravity as the weight lowers toward to the floor. Lower as far as you can until you feel a pull along the backs of legs. Push hips forward to come back up to standing. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Expert tips:
No matter what variation of a deadlift you’re doing, the hip-hinge motion is the most important factor. If you keep your chest up and your abs tight, it makes it hard to drop your butt down and round your back, Santucci says. “Think about pushing your butt back to the back wall,” Santucci says.
Be sure you understand the difference between a squat and a deadlift. A squat is knee dominant, while a deadlift is hip dominant.
Warm up first; you never want to go straight into a deadlift. The will teach you all the fundamentals to get the most out of your weight session are very thin, connective tissue so it’s important to protect your back by activating a strong core, Santucci says. To prep, perform Good Mornings, holding a book or kettlebell close to your chest. Most importantly, it’s all about understanding the hip hinge, and if you’re using weight, think of it as a counterbalance to your butt.
How do you make it easier?
When working up to a deadlift, you can start by not bending all the way over, but instead bending to comfortable position, balancing on a single leg or in a staggered stance, Santucci suggests.
Use one foot as a kickstand.
If you’re having trouble balancing as you work up to a single-leg deadlift, you can start with left foot planted, right toes used for balance like a kickstand. Then, reach hands toward floor, focusing on hinging from the hips. Complete reps then repeat on other leg.
Ease into extra weight.
As you add weight, you can also start with the weights on blocks so you can reach them while maintaining good form. Or utilize a hex bar, which will help center the weight and help you focus on proper form.
What are the benefits of deadlifts?
This exercise builds strength in the hamstrings and glutes and supports basic functional movements (like lifting grocery bags off the floor). It strengthens the posterior chain, the muscles along the backside of your body, which will improve your running form, economy, and power. Specifically, deadlifts will help balance out your quad strength, help you charge up hill, and strengthen your stride.
How often should you do deadlifts?
In general, you should already have at least two strength training days on your training log, so Santucci recommends aiming for adding deadlifts to your routine twice a week once you get the form down.
As for reps, if you’re just learning how to do something, you want to keep volume low. Start with 3 to 5 reps and add volume over time. With body weight, Santucci recommends aiming for 1 to 2 rounds of 8 to 10 reps, and building from there. When you are comfortable with performing 12 to 15 reps easily, then you can start to add additional weight.
What deadlift variations can you do?
Once you master proper deadlift form, there are many variations you can do, Santucci says. You can add these variations in to your workout or sub one in your circuit in place of a regular deadlift.
Single-Leg Deadlift
How to do it: Stand tall with both feet on the ground, arms at sides. Shift weight to right leg, hinge forward from the hips, allow right knee to bend slightly, and lower torso to the floor, as left leg lifts behind you. Hinge forward as far as comfortably possible while maintaining a straight back and proper form. Keep both hips pointing straight toward the floor, don’t allow one hip to roll open. Grab the weight (if applicable), then in a controlled manner, return to the starting position. Complete reps then repeat on other leg.
Romanian Deadlift
In this variation, you’ll start from the top of the deadlift. Start standing with kettlebell in both hands. With a soft bend in right knee, tip forward by hinging at the hips as the kettlebell falls toward the ground. Keep your back straight. Only lower until you feel a slight pull in your hamstrings, typically right below knee level. For this variation, you don’t have to lower weight to ground. Stand back up, squeezing your glutes. Repeat.
Double Kettlebell Hover Deadlift
How to do it: Place two kettlebells side by side on the ground in front of you, handles running parallel to each other. Straddle the weights with toes turned out slightly. Hinge at the hips and send butt back with a straight back and neutral spine. Grasp the weights and push through feet to lift the weights and return to standing. This is the starting position. Hinge hips back with a straight back and neutral spine, this time only lowering the weights about halfway to the floor. Hover there for 2 to 8 seconds. Squeeze the glutes to return to a starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
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This wide stance makes it easier to maintain a neutral spine, so it puts a little less stress on your back muscles. It also works your hips from a different angle and gives your quads an extra challenge.
How to do it: With the barbell propped on blocks or weight plates, position your feet under the bar with a very wide stance, toes pointed out slightly. Keeping chest lifted, hinge hips back with a straight back, allowing your knees to bend naturally. Maintain a neutral spine—don’t hunch forward or crane your neck. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, arms extended, shoulders back, and shoulder blades over the barbell. Push the floor away with your legs as you lift and skim the bar up your legs. Stand tall, keeping your spine neutral. In a controlled manner, lower the weight back down your legs, keeping your back straight.Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Straight-Leg Deadlift
Stand up straight, holding weights in front of your thighs, with arms extended and palms facing you. With slight bend in the knee, not a full bend, like you would in a traditional deadlift, keep stiff legs as you hinge hips back and bend over, lowering the weight all the way down to the floor. Pause and contract glutes to raise the weight back to the starting position.
