3 tips to improve your deadlift
The deadlift has gotten a bad rap over the years as a villainous exercise that destroys people's backs. While it is true that a deadlift can cause major damage to the body if done improperly, it is also true that a well-executed deadlift will help you reach your maximum potential for strength, performance, and body composition goals.
If I could only do one exercise and wanted to get as much out of it as possible, deadlifts would be on my short list of choices. It's just that good. As a former client of mine once said, "it makes me feel like I'm put together with steel beams!" That sounds amazing! I want that.
If it wasn't that good, I'd tell you "don't do deadlifts; they're just too risky." For some, they are--elderly, sedentary, those lacking sufficient mobility or core control. But for those people, there are corrective exercises and regressions that will keep them safe while still working the deadlift pattern...but let's save that discussion for another day.
First of all, you must learn how to get your back in a neutral alignment. I wrote on this subject recently, here:
Once you've mastered getting, and keeping, your spine neutral, there are 3 areas I would focus on optimizing:
stance
grip width, and...
breathing
Use the stance you would use if you were trying to jump your highest; for most people it'll be feet about 12-18" apart, and either parallel to one another, or just slightly turned out.
Once you establish your stance, you want to bend at the hips to bring your hands down to the bar. With your feet flat on the ground and weight distributed evenly (left vs. right foot, front vs. back of foot, inside vs. outside of foot), grab the bar just wide enough to allow your knees to bend forward without having to dodge your arms.
Lastly, you want to have inhaled any time your bar is at the bottom of the movement and you're ready to move it up to the top. If you're new to deadlifting, take one breath per rep, holding your breath when at or near the bottom of your lift, only.
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