Performed safely, the deadlift will strengthen every bone in your body, challenge every muscle across your posterior chain (all the muscles that run from your neck to your heels) and test your grip strength and core stability to the absolute max.
The deadlift and its variants will also prove hugely beneficial to anyone who play sports. The activation it places on the hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps (if you adopt a sumo or trap bar stance) are invaluable for activities that require explosive leg strength – rugby, football, and track and field to name just three.
When you deadlift, you use every single muscle in your body:
Your arms, forearms, and hands hold onto the barbell and make sure the bar stays in the right position and stays stable throughout the lift.
Your shoulders and traps hold the weight and hold it stable.
Your back and core help keep your entire body tight and stable to help keep your spine secure.
Your posterior chain and legs to act as a lever and lift the weight.
Now lets get to the variations of the deadlift:
1) Conventional Deadlift
Stand in front of a barbell with your shins close to the bar. Feet shoulder width apart or closer. Grab the bar with your hands outside your legs, a bit wider then shoulder width. Keeping your arms straight, bend your legs and flatten your back. Position yourself so it is like you are doing a squat with the barbell at arms length in front of you.
Conventional vs sumo:
-Utilizes entire posterior chain
-Greater resistance on lower back
-Larger ROM(range of motion)
-Long arms and a short torso can be more advantageous when working with maximal effort loads
2) Sumo Deadlift
Place your feet wider apart and grasp the bar with a slightly narrower grip than you would with a regular deadlift. Use a significantly lighter weight as this variation targets the muscles in your hamstrings, making it a great builder for leg power.
Sumo vs conventional :
-Greater stress on quadriceps
-Less resistance on lower back
-Shorter ROM
-Short arms and a long torso can be more advantageous when working with maximal effort loads
3) Romanian Deadlift
To start the move, stand with the bar in your hands as opposed to the floor and lower until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings to build flexibility as well as strength, power and control in these often neglected leg muscles. There’s no need to go heavy for the Romanian deadlift to be effective, so start small.
Benefits of RDL:
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