Every time I have women do deadlifts, there is always a bit of fear and concern expressed from my clients. It usually comes out in the form of a full on tantrum to try and get out of doing the lift, followed by me putting my foot down and making them do it after explaining to them the benefits.
Here are some of the concerns and benefits to doing deadlifts:
Concerns:
"I am going to hurt my back!!!"
Yes it is possible to hurt your back if your form is not right or you try to lift too much weight too soon. Make sure you start light and keep your form.
"It hurts my hands!!!"
Yes it does hurt your hands, which is why you should wear gloves or wrap tissue around the bar first. This will reduce the friction in your hands. I have made my hands bleed several times by doing heavy deadlifts, it’s badass if you are a man. Ladies you might not feel the same way so protect your hands.
"It is so hard and painful!!!"
Yes, dead lifts are by far the most uncomfortable and hardest exercise in the gym. I never said they would be easy! The amount of force and raw power used to pull dead weight from the ground is unlike any other exercise and your body is going to feel it. For this same reason is why deadlifts are one of the single best exercises on the planet.
Benefits:
It's the best full body movement you can do!
Deadlifts incorporate your whole body to do one exercise. Therefore, you're burning more calories while lifting, toning every muscle at the same time (with an emphasis on back, legs and glutes) and building an overall functional strength that can only be achieved through a deadlift.
You're building good posture and protecting your spine!
The biggest fear when doing deadlifts is that you will hurt your back. On the contrary, deadlifts done correctly are the best exercise for strengthening your back. They incorporate the whole chain of muscles that support your spine: glutes, hamstrings and every muscle in your back. Especially your lumbar erectors (lower back muscles) which is often first place we feel back pain on a daily basis. So doing deadlifts will greatly help fix your posture.
Deadlifts build your abs!
Your whole core goes to work to stabilize your body while doing deadlifts, so suck it up and do them!
Workout:
When you are deadlifting, keep your chest out and eyes up. Your back should be flat and butt back, so your knees don’t go more than an inch or two past the bar. The bar should start against your shins, and your lift should start with an upward pull lead by your shoulders. At no point should you let your back round forward.
Set 1 = 20 reps start light
Set 2 = 12 reps increase the weight slightly
Set 3 = 10 reps increase the weight slightly
Set 4,5,6 = 5 reps increase the weight slightly each time
Kettle Bell Front Squat: Hold the weights together in front of your chest with your elbows lifted high.
Side Lunge Sliders: Using a slick surface stand on a towel with one foot and lunge to the side dragging the towel foot along with to work the inner thigh.
Hamstring Sliders: Both feet together, but off the ground and slide in and out with your heels on a towel.
Bent Over Row: Flat back elbows in with a slight bend in your knees.
High Cable Row: Keep your eyes straight ahead and hands and elbows shoulder level
Repeat 2-6, 20 reps each 3 times over.
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