The deadlift

The most functional exercise you can do is the Deadlift. It stimulates your whole body, with emphasis on legs, anterior and posterior chain, buttocks, back, arms and trapezoids. It is one of the best exercises that stimulate hormone replacement therapy (testosterone) that exists!

Want to gain muscle mass? Do squats and deadlifts!

We are born with this ability, but over the years have forgotten the correct way to lift something from the floor.

Watch a 2-3 years child when it will take something from the ground. It squats. It uses the knees, the legs, not only uses the back. That's it! This is the movement! Just do it with a bar instead of a toy. Add logic, repetitions, biomechanics and that's it! You have the deadlift!

Tips to do the deadlift:

- Set the bar at a comfortable height to the ground. Place it at a height where you can reach it without bending your back. If you need to elevate a little, do it. Otherwise, it may be from floor. Its your flexibility (back of the leg and buttocks) that will say.

- Approach the bar, keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement.

- Keep your back straight or arched back (pigeon breast), never bend your lower back to get a weight off the floor.

- After doing a repetition, I advise you to drop the bar, stand, breathe and then do another rep, or, you have to "reset". Do not "bounce" the bar on the floor, drop it! The deadlift don't has its eccentric phase (the phase where you're putting the bar on the ground). Do not put stress until the end. In fact, lowering the bar slowly (very close to the ground) increases the risk of injury to the weaker parts, usually the back, the lumbar area. Then lower the weight just enough, and passing the knee, drop!

- Start light, I mean it. You can receive many benefits just having to hold the correct posture, then place little weight (get 10 to 30 kilos) and only add weight when you feel that your technique is perfect.

- Add weight gradually.

- Do reps hard. Do not let a careless manner. If you feel that by the fourth or fifth repeat his form declined, even just a little, it's time to stop and rest. Just make perfect repetitions, you know? This exercise does not work if you break the line. It breaks you.

- Make as many sets as necessary, but keep the number of repetitions low, between 4 and 6. It is often difficult to maintain the correct posture after the sixth repetition.

- It's a good exercise to train the hook grip.

Hook Grip

Crossfit Deadlift Intro

Jouko Ahola Deadlift

This is a basic exercise and you have to know how to proceed to perform more advanced movements, like the Olympic Lifts, which means to lift the weight from the floor to overhead.