Man I have really been going at all of the powerlifting movements haven’t I? Next up is the deadlift. This is another lift I used to train quite a bit back when I was training for powerlifting. My brother used to hold the NJ teen’s powerlifting deadlift record. Guess what happened to him? We were training one day and he slipped a disc in his back… I am not making these stories up people!
The deadlift is one of those movements where you feel like a powerful beast. Picking up a ridiculous amount of weight from the ground. But is it conducive to trying to look and feel great? To me it is not. I know a lot of high deadlifters who barely look like they lift. I am talking 600+ pullers. Deadlifts are awesome for power and are good for athletes (although I’d recommend a variation like a trap bar deadlift that is safer) but for the average person looking to get fit, it is not needed.
The worst part is people perform deadlifts with terrible form. Their backs rounded, knees caving in, an injury waiting to happen. But they see some random jacked guy on instagram deadlifting so they think that must be the secret.
To replace the deadlift, here are some movements I really like
- Trap Bar Deadlift
- Landmine Deadlift
- 1 leg straight leg DB Deadlift
- Smith Machine Straight Leg Deadlift
- And if you must deadlift, do rack deadlifts instead
On another note, if you must deadlift please never use mixed grip (unless you are competing). These are notorious for giving people bicep tears. Compared to barbell squats and the bench press I don’t mind the deadlift as much. But I really see no need for it in the majority of people’s programing.
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