Don’t Fear The Deadlift
DON’T FEAR THE DEADLIFT
Are you afraid of or intimidated by the deadlift? The deadlift is commonly avoided. If you are not regularly doing a form of deadlift as part of your weight-training program, it is time to add it to your routine!
The deadlift often gets a bad rap from coaches, trainers and athletes who claim it will lead to injuries. They are correct – bad form on a deadlift can lead to injuries. However, with correct form, deadlifts are not only one of the best injury-preventing tools you can use but also the greatest full body exercise that exists. Smart personal trainers know that the deadlift, which involves almost every muscle group in your body, should be respected rather than feared.
A properly performed deadlift provides many benefits, including:
- High oxygen use, leading to higher metabolic rate, enabling you to burn more calories at rest
- High growth hormone response, leading to increased use to fat for energy, meaning fat loss
- Increased strength and size
- Injury reduction and prevention
- Core stability
- Posture enhancement (literally making you fight for better posture)
The Mental Aspect: Sound mind, sound body.
Not only will the deadlift offer physical benefits but it can also benefit you mentally. The deadlift forces you to get in tune with your entire body. You have to be mentally focused to properly execute the movement. This will help you to build neural pathways that will enforce proper movements in other lifts and will carry over to everyday life.
Mental focus, especially when it comes to heavy deadlift, is a must. The deadlift is just that, dead weight. You have to approach the bar with a high level of determination. It is only you and the bar. It will either leave the ground or it won’t. No spotter can help. The deadlift will help you to become mentally and physically elite.
The experienced personal trainers at Body By Choice Training will not throw you right into deadlifts. They will eventually add it to your program when you are ready to perform it properly. Ensuring proper form leads to great results. We closely examine your posture, hip mobility, thoracic spine mobility and scapular mobility. Then, we will address any dysfunction before working into conventional deadlifts. These things need to be corrected or building strength and muscle on top of these dysfunctions can lead to future injuries.
The deadlift is a key tool for reaching your goals. With proper form, education and preparation, there is no reason to be afraid of the deadlift!
Are you ready to deadlift? To learn more about the many benefits of adding deadlifts to your weight training program, or to schedule your free fitness consultation with one of our personal trainers, please contact us at 616-259-9064.