One of my all time favourite exercises is the dead lift. While this exercise may seem like one reserved for body building or chumps trying to show off in the gym, rest assured that the usefulness of this exercise goes far beyond most conceptions. The dead lift is useful for people in many different activities.
Mari Laukkanen - Finnish National Biathlon Team
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| Chelsy Meiss of the National Ballet of Canada. Deadlifting 140 pounds gives Chelsy a noticeable edge. |
Deadlifts can be performed by any body and are safe for everybody - but only if executed with good form.
Why you should do this exercise
The deadlift is one of the few exercises that stimulate both the lower and upper body. The same cannot be said of other big compound exercises like the squat. Deadlifts work the gluteals, upper thighs, hamstrings, lower back, upper middle back, and traps. In fact, the deadlift works more muscles simultaneously than any other strength training movement (yes, even more than the squat!).
Because of this, I think the usefulness of this exercise for cross country skiers and biathletes is HUGE. Skip this exercise and you'll be missing out on a chance to develop to your full potential.
The deadlift also helps to develop cardio respiratory fitness. Like the squat, deadlifts will severely tax the cardio respiratory system if done with enough intensity.
The Exercise
How the starting position looks:
Key Points:
- Hips above knees
- Bar is in middle of feet
- Grip is shoulder width
- Neck position is neutral
- Spine is straight ****
I want to emphasise the last point. It is the most important point. Do NOT curve your back no matter what! With a straight back, the stress of the exercise will be on the muscles of the back. These muscles will grow stronger and you will avoid injury. If you curve your back, the force of the exercise is on the spine, and it will only be a matter of time before you get a nasty injury.
Key Stages of the Deadlift
1. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead or slightly outward (no wider than 11 and 1 o’clock). The balls of the feet should line up under the bar. If you are just starting this exercise, start with a low weight and focus on proper form. A good repetition range would fall between 8-12 reps.
2. With knees slightly bent and hands gripping the bar slightly outside of legs, hinge forward from hips. With the bar close to shins, keep head up, eyes looking forward, chest out, and back flat. Inhale.
3. Keeping the bar close to the body, exhale as you work to straighten the legs—drive through the heels, not the toes—and bring the weight up past knees. Keep core engaged throughout the entire movement (this helps protect the spine) and finish by thrusting the hips into alignment with the feet and squeezing your glutes. Constricting the butt muscles will complete the hip extension and bring the pelvis to a neutral position.
4. Once the bar is past the knees and the arms are straight, gently rest it against your thighs and maintain a straight back, without rolling shoulders back. Also avoid excessively arching your lower back.
Final Notes
This is a very tiring exercise and so don't be surprised if you're panting at the end of a set! I would say that good form for this sort of exercise is more important than any other exercise. If you do it wrong, you could suffer a nasty back injury. If you do it right, you'll grow strong, and transfer that strength to the snow!
There are many variations to this exercise and different ways to tie it in to your current strength regime. If you attend a gym, I would seriously consider checking in with a personal trainer to ask how you can tie this amazing exercise into your workout routine.
Happy training!
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