I was a decent deadlifter once, but I am not going to talk numbers with you.
Do not say a word! I already know you have an uncle who deadlifted 600
lbs. the first time he tried without ever lifting even a toothbrush in
his life. It is a nice story. I believe in it 100%. It even explains why
your uncle has bad breath.
Anyway, it is time to tell the truth. The deadlift does not make you
big despite the claims that it releases growth hormone, testosterone and
makes your muscles willing to suck in as much nutrients as possible to
avoid being obliterated the next session. It is a myth started by
broscientists suffering from mainstream media brainwash.
The trick is quite simple. Since they cannot sell you steroids, they
sell you ideas and powders. Those ideas are meant to explain how the
bodybuilders from the magazines get big. Thus, there are hundreds of
articles claiming that the major bodybuilders, Arnold included, got big
by doing the so-called big three: squat, bench and deadlift.
Since the deadlift is an extremely taxing exercise, it gives
opportunity to develop your imagination in various ways. After a hard
deadlift session most people feel broken, and it is easy to believe that
you have done some sort of a muscle building voodoo that will make you
grow “like a weed” and feel like an “alpha male”.
Out of the big three, the deadlift is the least dependent on muscle
size. You will almost never meet a strong bench presser or squatter
without some decent mass. However, many skinny fat dudes can deadlift
high numbers, such as three times their bodyweight or even more, which
is why they love the exercise so much:
“The deadlift is our favorite exercise. It is the best. Look mom, I can lift 5 plates.”
{Boom bam bing! The earth is shaking.}
Their secret hides in lanky structure, decent ligament and tendon {Boom bam bing! The earth is shaking.}
resistance to injury and long arms, which offer better leverage.
Consequently, for those guys the deadlift becomes the exercise of choice
to measure self-worth in the gym.
How do I know this? I was one of those skinny fat muscle maestros who
believe that deadlifting heavier and heavier will help you join the
thick muscle fiber club. I remember clearly the days when I was adding
plate after plate to the barbell and looking for admiration from others
with the corner of my eye. Surprisingly or not, I did receive it. Many
big dudes, some of which even on steroids, were wondering how I was
doing it. I did not have a secret program or anything – just arms longer
that average. I was also not a victim to the propaganda that the
deadlift is the most dangerous thing in the world.
Did I get huge? Uh…are you aware which site you are reading?
Everybody says that the deadlift works all the muscles in your body,
including those that move your ears, but it is not true. The fact that a
lot of tissue is involved does not mean that all of it is trained hard.
The main movers are the hips, the spinal erectors and the rest of the
back musculature. It is a ton of muscle, but you are still not becoming a
muscle magazine material.
Nonetheless, your back will get thicker thanks to the deadlift quite
fast. All else can be small but your spinal erectors and upper back will
grow. You will just have a denser back compared to your old self.
In the end, the main reason why the deadlift leaves some people
disappointed are enormous expectations. They promised you were going to
get super big by deadlifting until a little kitten feels sorry for you,
but it will never really happen. Growth is not exactly exercise
dependent. Some movements are better than others, but almost any
compound exercise can help you reach your potential. The mythical status
of the deadlift is a result of propaganda, not muscle building magic.
Is the deadlift a decent functional exercise that makes you stronger
overall while building a bullet proof CNS? Of course, it is. However, it
is not a magic bullet and anyone telling you any different is either an
ignorant fool or a liar on steroids.
I know many of you are probably watching the “motivational” videos of
“naturals” like Layne Norton, before deadlift day, but you are a big
boy now. I know you know better.
