by Mark Mogavero
By Mark Mogavero
"What's the best exercise for???? Answer: The Deadlift
I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked what the best exercise is for arms, legs, abs, and all the remaining body parts. When asked this question, my normal response is that there is no best exercise for any given part. The real key to developing chiseled abs, broad shoulders, and killer arms is to perform a wide variety of exercises on a regular basis, as to keep the muscles guessing and placing them in a state of perpetual progression. Any competent fitness professional should be able to understand this and make that same recommendation. But one day, while I was being asked this question, I failed to hear the particular body part mentioned, and I thought to myself, 'What is the best exercise for the body, period'?If I had to recommend one exercise, and only one exercise to someone that will provide the most benefit not only inside the gym, but outside as well, without question I would recommend the basic deadlift. To me, there is no more pure form of exercise and no other exercise come close in terms of improving one's life outside the gym. Why?
In the most basic element, the deadlift is an exercise where dead weight is simply lifted off the floor to a standing position. There are various ways to perform the dead lift such as sumo-style, Romanian, single-leg, stiff-leg, narrow stance, opposite arm-leg, performed with dumbbells, barbells, cables, bands, kettlebells, bags of sand, rocks, cars, etc. Yet, the exercise for the most part, the goal of the movement pattern is the same: lift the weight.
In an average day for the average person, how many times does one pick an object up? Regardless of whether the object is picked up from the floor, couch, car-seat, garbage can, etc, the fact remains that any person lifting an object in this manner is performing a deadlift. Is a parent who lifts a toddler off the floor doing anything mechanically different from picking up a loaded barbell in the gym? With the variation in hand placement and perhaps a little change in depth of movement, the task is the same.
Here's the basic exercise:
the beginning of the movement, position yourself so your Shoulders are aligned over the bar, hips back, and chest up.
As you begin to lift the weight, the back stays flat, the chest over the bar, push through your heels and straighten the legs and hips simultaneously.
At the top of the movement, the back is flat, not hyper extended, Knees just short of locked out, chest once again over the bar.
When considering the fact that nearly every muscle group in the body is involved in the exercise, one can see that the deadlift is a real total-body exercise. I would estimate that some 90% of the muscles in the body are involved in this lift. Not only is it very taxing to the muscles, but a very demanding cardiovascular exercise as well.
- Lifting a baby out of a car seat? It's a deadlift.
- Picking up groceries off the kitchen floor? It's a deadlift.
- Taking a full garbage bag out of the can? It's a deadlift.
The barbell version targets the muscles of the lower back and hamstrings as the primary movers, but the real benefit comes from all of the various stabilizing muscles that are called upon to maintain proper form throughout this exercise. These include all of the muscles that stabilize your spine, your transverse abdominus and rectus abdominus (your 'Abs'), internal and external obliques (the side of your abdomen), your lats and traps (the large muscles of your middle and upper back, and to some extent your pectoral or chest muscles.
There are other benefits to performing the deadlift that are overlooked by the average fitness enthusiast. Since the exercise is so demanding, your body's metabolism will remain elevated for several hours to almost a day in some cases after performing the lift. Not only are you developing strength and flexibility in the muscles, but you are burning fat for a long period after leaving the gym! Talk about a double whammy. Not only will your metabolism be higher, but as a response to the strain of the deadlift, your body will release a higher dose of hormones into the bloodstream to help repair muscle, tendons, and other soft tissues. This helps to increase the lean body mass of an individual, and the result of that increase will be a higher basal metabolic rate, or the overall number of calories that your body will burn over the course of a day to maintain the same bodyweight. The translation is that not only will you be burning more calories during the workout, and after the workout, but your body is repairing itself in a way that will make you burn more calories on a more permanent basis. The deadlift really is the perfect exercise!
I am sure that some of you are questioning the safety of the exercise, and are concerned that you will hurt your back performing this lift. I have worked with hundreds if not over a thousand clients, and can say in each case, even those who had a 'bad back' saw results from doing deadlifts. If you have any type of health issues, make sure you get clearance from your doctor before performing this exercise, as it can be quite taxing on the cardiovascular system and briefly elevate blood pressure. Make sure you practice perfect form as shown above. If you are unsure of your ability to perform this exercise, seek the guidance of a qualified fitness professional and have them make sure your form is perfect. Start very light until you have the movement down, then add weight as your body gets stronger.
I have complete confidence that this exercise, when performed properly, can help anyone. Not only has it helped my clients, but it has paid huge dividends for me as well. The deadlift was a key component in my recovery from a lower back injury that I suffered when I was 18 playing college football. Ten years after the injury, arthritis developed, severely limiting my flexibility (I was barely able to reach my feet to tie my shoes). With a little bit of Chiropractic care, and lots of deadlifts, I can honestly say that my back has never felt better, nor have I ever been this strong. If it can work for me and my clients, it can work for you.
