What are the benefits of deadlifts for your health and fitness? Deadlifts are a worthy exercise to be incorporated into any lifter’s routine. The reason is that this exercise provides many benefits that are prominent enough to impact a person’s health and fitness. 

Deadlifts are frequently incorporated in powerlifting and CrossFit competitions, which are notorious for their impeccably strong and athletic lifters. They are functional exercises incorporated into real-life movement patterns and tactical jobs like the police and firefighters. 

As a full-body exercise, deadlifts engage multiple muscle groups to encourage muscle growth and strength gains. This informative guide will detail the many benefits of deadlifts along with helpful variations, modifications, and training tips. Add it to your 3 day workout split and prepare for the amazing benefits.

10 Deadlift Benefits

What are deadlifts good for? From boosted strength to improved posture, discover more about the deadlift benefits below! 

Boosted Strength

The deadlift is a powerful exercise that utilizes multiple muscle groups as a compound movement. It incorporates muscles like the trapezius, hamstrings, and glutes to pull the weight. Depending on the deadlift variation used, this exercise can activate different muscles throughout the body. 

By exercising these different muscles, strength can be boosted. This can provide benefits associated with strength, including increased lean body mass, decreased injury risk, and improved bone density. 

In exercise, it is important to determine your health and fitness goals before beginning exercise. Depending on your goals, such as strength or endurance, each exercise’s designated sets and repetitions will vary. 

The ideal sets and reps will enhance your progress by training the muscles to produce the desired result. Your sets and reps will change depending on your training goals.

• Strength And Power: 3–5 sets of 5 reps
• Hypertrophy: 3–5 sets of 8–12 reps
• Endurance: 3–5 sets of more than 15 reps

To determine the amount to lift, you will first determine your one-repetition maximum. This is the maximum weight you can lift for one repetition with proper form. Depending on your training goals, you will use a different percentage of your 1RM for your lifts.

• Strength And Power: 80%–100% of 1RM
• Hypertrophy: 60%–80% of 1RM
• Endurance: Less than 60% of 1RM

When emphasizing strength-based goals in exercise, like with deadlifts, evaluating your nutrition and performance is crucial. Analyze your technique and form to reduce injury risk and ensure proper muscle engagement. Prioritize balanced nutrition, especially carbohydrates and protein, to fuel the muscles for your training sessions.

Increased Muscular Endurance

Extensive research exists on the many benefits of exercise for the human body. One example of this research is the capacity of resistance training to increase muscular endurance and strength. 

Different repetitions, sets, and weight loads can improve muscular endurance through exercise. Incorporating exercises like the deadlift is productive for lifters who want to increase muscular endurance. This benefit can enhance athletic performance by reducing muscular fatigue. 

Unlike strength-focused training goals, in endurance-based programming, lifters require lighter weights to accommodate the higher repetitions. Consider using less than 60% of your one-repetition max for the deadlift and evaluate if it is fitting. Challenge your endurance by shortening rest periods between sets to raise the intensity of the exercise.

Better Grip Strength

During the deadlift, the barbell is gripped and lifted from a low body position to a higher one. The weight load is significant, as the barbell weighs 45 lbs on its own. As weight is added to the barbell, the grip’s load increases, benefiting grip strength in the long run. 

One study proposed using grip strength as a predictive biomarker for health. Research found that lower grip strength in hospitalized patients was connected to a greater risk of emergency admission in older adults. Improving grip strength with exercises like the deadlift can influence these health biomarkers as we age. 

Grip strength is often evaluated using a handgrip dynamometer, a hand-held device that measures force generated. These tools are used by healthcare professionals, although many gyms also have them to assess grip strength in lifters. They can be bought online and used at home to test grip and evaluate improvements with exercise. 

There are different types of grip strength to evaluate, such as:

• Pinch Grip — This is how hard you can pinch an object between your thumb and fingertips. An example is when you hold a pen or pencil to write. 
• Support Grip — Your support grip is how long you can hold onto an object, like when carrying groceries. 
• Crush Grip — The crush grip measures how hard you can crush an object between your fingers and palms. Examples include squeezing a hair conditioner bottle or condiments like ketchup. 

Here are examples of tools and exercises that can help improve grip strength such as:

• Towel Wringing — In this exercise, your crush grip is challenged as you wring out the wet towel. Hold the wet towel horizontally at each end and twist in opposite directions. 
• Farmer’s Carry/Walk — The farmer’s carry is a great exercise for strengthening the support grip. It involves holding a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand and carrying it for about 30–40 yards. If the exercise is too easy, increase the weight. 
• Tennis Ball Squeezes — This exercise works on your crush grip. With your palm facing up, use four fingers to clench the tennis ball as hard as you can without the thumb. Hold for about five seconds, release, and repeat in the opposite hand. 
• Plate Pinch — The plate pinch is an exercise that helps strengthen the pinch grip. Rest a 5–10 pounds weight plate against your calf. Bend down and pinch the plate with all five fingers. Stand up and try to hold the plate for about 10–15 seconds. Rest and repeat with the other hand.

Enhances Jump Performance

Although jumping may not be a common action in everyday life, it is a vital component in most sports. It is also often used to determine a person’s lower body power, which can influence athletic performance. 
When integrated into training programs, the deadlift can productively influence a person’s jump performance. When combined with plyometric exercises, the deadlift produces a significant increase in lower body power and maximal strength, which can improve jump performance significantly.

Improved Posture

Metabolism is the body’s chemical processes that convert food and drink into energy needed for different functions, like breathing. When the metabolism slows, it can contribute to weight gain as the body burns fewer calories. The opposite can be said for a faster metabolism, which burns more calories quickly. 
People with slower metabolisms have to eat less food to discourage weight gain. On the other hand, people with faster metabolisms can get away with eating more food. Resistance exercises, like deadlifts, are linked to metabolism improvements and protectors against metabolic disease.

Speeds Up Metabolism

The strength gained with the sumo deadlift can spill over into other athletic performances and capabilities. The leg strength gained with this lift can help with sprinting in various sports. It can also contribute to better performance in other lifts, like the squat.

In addition to the above, the deadlift is considered a functional exercise. This means that this strength also transfers into everyday activities. For instance, you use the same muscles when lifting something off the ground or bending over.

Reduces Lower Back Pain

It’s important to note that deadlifts can contribute to lower back pain when done incorrectly with poor form or technique. When done correctly, however, they can help reduce lower back pain by strengthening the posterior chain.  
In 2019, 39% of adults were recorded to suffer from back pain. Deadlifts can benefit individuals with chronic lower back pain by improving muscle strength and decreasing pain-related symptoms.

Activates Full-Body Muscles

The deadlift is a compound exercise that utilizes multiple joints and muscle groups to perform the movement pattern. It is considered a full-body exercise, engaging numerous muscle groups, such as the hamstrings, abdominals, glutes, and latissimus dorsi. 

Full-body exercises like the deadlift are commonly inserted into workout programs to encourage strength and muscle gains in more muscles. They’re great for lifters who are short on time but still want to hit a bunch of muscle groups to encourage growth.

Empowers Functional Strength

Functional strength refers to the ability to perform daily movements, activities, or tasks like moving furniture or carrying groceries. Training to improve functional strength also means decreasing injury risk by improving balance, coordination, and flexibility.

Deadlifts, squats, and farmer’s walks are considered functional strength exercises because they mimic real-life movements. The deadlift helps improve mobility and strength for daily activities like picking up groceries and other objects.

Improved Bone Density

Another benefit of deadlifts is that they improve bone density, or bone mineral density. This refers to how much calcium and other essential minerals are available in the body’s bone tissue. 

A person’s bone density is incredibly important, as the denser a bone is, the less susceptible it is to breaking. As humans age, bone density naturally declines, which can lead to medical conditions like osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones). Incorporating resistance training exercises like deadlifts into your routine can deter osteoporosis by improving bone density. 

Tips To Do Deadlifts

Are you considering adding deadlifts to your workout routine? Here are some tips for getting the most out of this exercise. 

• Mind-To-Muscle Connection — Actively engage the glutes, hamstrings, and other focused muscle groups to improve muscle engagement and maximize the benefits of deadlifts. Use the visual cue of driving the feet through the floor to encourage proper lower-body muscle engagement. 
• Breathing Technique — In exercise, breathing technique is crucial for ensuring oxygen is delivered to the muscles. Inhale on the eccentric (lowering) portion of the deadlift. Exhale on the concentric (lifting) portion of the exercise to increase core engagement and relieve pressure. 
• Form Check — Before each repetition, perform a form check to maintain a neutral spine and prioritize good technique. This will deter potential injury risks that can occur with improper form. 

Variations And Modifications

Lifters can utilize different variations and modifications of deadlifts in their leg workouts. These alternatives can engage one muscle group over another in the deadlift. For example, the hex bar deadlift elicited a very high level of activation rates in the gluteus maximus. 

The Hex bar deadlift is also a great beginner-friendly option as it requires a smaller range of motion. 

The deficit deadlift is a challenging variation that increases the range of motion to promote intensity. The lifter must stand on an elevated surface so the bar can travel lower. 

The traditional barbell deadlift, also known as the conventional deadlift, utilizes a foot stance shoulder-width apart. The hand grip on the bar is placed directly outside of the legs. It incorporates a hinged hip position that emphasizes using the upper and lower back, hamstrings, and glutes.  

Other deadlift variations to consider:

• Barbell Romanian Deadlift — In the barbell or dumbbell Romanian deadlift, the knees are kept mostly straight. This emphasizes hamstring activation while increasing knee bend promotes glute engagement. It has a smaller range of motion, with the bottom portion of the movement stopping below the knees. 
• Barbell Sumo Deadlift — The sumo deadlift enforces a wider foot stance, which slightly reduces the range of motion in the exercise. It incorporates muscles in the core, inner thighs, quads, and glutes. 
• Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift — The dumbbell single leg Romanian deadlift is a unilateral variation used to target muscular weaknesses on different sides of the body. It has a limited range of motion, stopping below the knee. This promotes hamstring and glute engagement while keeping the spine neutral. It is a great addition to any dumbbell leg workout. 
• Deficit Deadlift — The deficit deadlift increases the intensity of the deadlift by increasing range of motion for the lift. It utilizes an elevated platform to allow the bar to travel further, raising intensity and time under tension. 
• Hex Bar Deadlift — The hex bar deadlift uses a hexagon-shaped bar with handles to decrease the range of motion. The bar also has an opposite side where lifters can maintain a greater range of motion in the lift. The design of the hex bar helps lifters enforce a straight and neutral spine to promote proper form. 
• Stiff-Legged Deadlift — The barbell stiff leg deadlift, or straight-legged deadlift, is similar to the Romanian deadlift (RDL) with a few differences. Its movement pattern starts at the floor and it has a wider range of motion than the RDL. Compared to the conventional deadlift, the barbell or dumbbell stiff leg deadlift variation keeps the hips high. It focuses on bending over and maintaining straight legs. 

Conclusion

The deadlift benefits are abundant. It provides lifters with increased functional strength and improved bone density. This full-body exercise offers significant outstanding health and fitness benefits.

Adding this exercise, or one of its variations, to your workout program can do wonders for your fitness prowess in and out of the gym. As a functional exercise, deadlifts can enhance performance in real-life actions like picking up your kids and hauling groceries.

Frequently Asked Questions