How To Deadlift

For an exercise that requires quite an amount of life, the name ‘deadlift’ hardly does any justice. From the very beginning of the craze for building bodies, gym goers and body builders alike have been swearing by the deadlift. It is the kind of exercise that cannot be underestimated when taking into account the level of difficulty involved and the chances of extremely serious injuries. This is exactly why, before attempting to perform a deadlift, it is an absolute must to increase expertise on the heart of the matter. For starters, did you know that the deadlift targets your quads, gluteal muscles, hamstrings, lower back, your forearms and your traps? Well, it’s true, so much good does exist in one exercise alone and you better be believing it sometime soon. Here’s presenting for you tremendously useful instructions on how best to perform the deadlift. Apart from the instructions that are to follow, it's advisable to rope in the help of a trainer to watch over you when you perform the deadlift.

Deadlift Exercise

Start off the execution of the deadlift by first placing the barbell on the ground. To zero in on the right barbell, ask for the help of your trainer or a person at the gym who looks like he knows what he’s talking about. Once you find the right barbell, stack up the weights. Here, don’t make the mistake of thinking you are Mr. Universe. When starting off with the deadlift, it is a must to get the exercise or position right. After all you don’t want to end up with injuries.
With the weights figured out, you can now step up to the bar. Your feet should be shoulder width apart, nothing less and nothing more. For the perfect stance, your feet can point just a little outward or point forward, whatever you are comfortable with. In order to determine if you have got the position right, look vertically down, the bar should be just above the balls of your feet.
Carefully squat and hold the bar. Your hands should be just a little away from your shoulders. Don’t make the mistake of holding the bar in line with your shoulders, this will only destroy the chances of getting the position right. As far as grip goes, it is advisable to hold the bar with one palm facing you and the other facing a direction away from you. In other words, alternate grip! An alternate grip will prevent the bar from slipping and is exceptionally useful for beginners or people who ‘suffer’ from a poor grip!
Proceed to lower your hips in a way that helps your thighs seem parallel to the floor. While lowering your hips, take extra care to ensure that the lower part of your legs, i.e. below your knees, stays straight. Here, the angle that exists between your foot and your lower leg should rest at 90 degrees.
As for your back, it really is the part of your body that you want to be giving the most attention. This is because your back is most prone to an injury when performing the deadlift. To avoid any complications, you can flatten your back while still trying to maintain a natural arch. The trick lies in flattening your back without loosing that natural arch. Don’t bend over too much or your back might just go for a toss.
You can now lift the bar while also making it a point to stand up slowly and carefully. Your hips and shoulders should be raised and your back should still have its arch, never let the ‘arch’ go. The bar should be held with your arms straight while it also hangs straight in front of you. This step ends when you arrive at an upright position. Don’t bend backwards and don’t try lifting the bar any further. If you find that your shoulders are arched, pull them back to arrive at the stance required for this step.
You can now return the bar to the ground, but do so carefully. The bar should travel in a vertical path, and not curve around your knees. You might also want to focus on your back, keeping it straight all the while. While getting closer to the ground, with the bar, attempt to push your rear end out, just like you did while lifting the bar. This will prevent the bar from brushing against your knees and also keep injury at bay. Keep your head up while performing his final step of the deadlift!

There you go; you are now done with the step-by-step instructions on how to do the deadlift. To master this exercise, practice regularly and practice right!

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