Deadlifts

[SweetLou321]

Ok so for sometime ive been debating with myself if deadlifts are better suited with back work or leg work. So what are the MAIN muscle involved with this lift? i know a lot of guys do deads for back thickness. But for me, my hams, quads, traps, and low back feel this lift the most. My actual lats dont become sore from this at all. Id like some science on what extra lifts would go with deads the best.

 

[Rodja]

You're making the mistake of thinking back=lats, which is not true. I myself use them as a leg exercise since the hips are the focal point on deads.

 

[SweetLou321]

Well i understand there is more to the back then lats. Ok so the hips are the main point? So then a leg lift. Thank you. So do my back work on my upper days? and leg work with deads on lower days?

 

[Rodja]

Well i understand there is more to the back then lats. Ok so the hips are the main point? So then a leg lift. Thank you. So do my back work on my upper days? and leg work with deads on lower days?

Yes.

 

[SweetLou321]

sweet thanks man, your a really nice help on these boards

 

[swollen87]

i say its a back exercise... i do it on back day because if i squat and deadlift on the same day, ill be f*cked

imo they should be done on different days

squats and deadlifts BOTH workout your whole body

 

[SweetLou321]

i say its a back exercise... i do it on back day because if i squat and deadlift on the same day, ill be f*cked

imo they should be done on different days

squats and deadlifts BOTH workout your whole body

I can squat and dead the same day, use to love it because after squats i was all warmed up for deads.

But i do lower body twice a week or 1.5 or whatever, since i train 5/3/1.

 

[ZiR RED]

If you deadlift correctly, then it is a hip (hamstring and glute) dominant movement:
Straight back, hips slightly above knees at the start, bar over shoe laces
Drive from the hips. The shoulders should NOT elevate before the hips.
Each rep is separate (ie: not bouncing off the ground)

The secondary muscles involved will be the spinal erectors, trapezuis, and lats.


If you deadlift like most of the schmucks I see at worlds gym, etc. then it is a back dominant movement. Bouncing the bar off the floor, hips raise before shoulders, back rounds, movement is a series of extensions between each of the spinal disks (great way to set yourself up for injury).

Do rack pulls or partials if you want to focus more on the back musculature.

Br

 

[SweetLou321]

thank br
I try to reset every rep, but i switch up from quick reps to reset reps. I know jim wendler does touch and go reps.

But i will keep these as a lower body movement

 

[swan1209]

Personally I am sore in my hamstrings, gluts, quads, lower back, upper back, traps, forearms, and even abs if I'm working lower reps. It makes the deadlift very hard to categorize and therefore it is a cornerstone in my training. I consider it a full body movement.

 

[Torobestia]

You're making the mistake of thinking back=lats, which is not true. I myself use them as a leg exercise since the hips are the focal point on deads.

Yup, same here.

 

[R1balla]

i do deads on back and leg days because when i come up from the dead, i shrug the bar so it becomes a mean trap workout as well.

 

[jcp2]

Some people use it when they do hamstring trainig, i think Dorian used to do that. Some do it on squat day because it maximizes recovery, and some do it on back day because it breaks things up. I have done it on squat day and its own day. When i pull on its own day it is followed by posterior work, some back work, and possibly, some kettlebell work.

 

[jlinteris]

Deadlifts for me (conventional) are put into back training. Whether I do high reps or low rep, my hips and legs feel fatigued while my lower back and traps are completely trashed. Everyone lifts with slightly different technique as one another and depending on the lifting leverage of your body this will determine the primary and secondary muscles being used. Konstantine Konstantinov (youtube him) is one of the top three strongest deadlifters on the planet and he pulls with completely rounded upper back and a flat lower back. Watching his form you can see he uses far more back than legs, but this is how he generates his power. For myself to include pulls into a leg day it would wither be SLDL or sumo pulls.

 

[CopyCat]

Right now I do deads on the same day as legs, to include squats on the same day. It's the routing I am doing, a 3 day split. 1 time around I squat first then deadlift. The next time it comes around I deadlift then squat. Though, when I am done with this routine I will probably switch deads to my back day and squats/deads will be separate. Other times I like to switch it up like that from time to time. Yet other times I do them only on days that I complete circuit training working the whole body. I just like to switch it up like that.

 

[SweetLou321]

Ive decided to put them like this
Upper body (bench day)
Lower body (squat day)
Upper body (oh press day)
Lower body (deadlift day)
thanks for the help guys

 

[Defex]

They're a whole body exercise for sure, but I do them on my back day because when I'm done, my back feels like complete trash.

I'm addicted to dead lifts, and I wish I could do them everyday. lol

 

[StangBanger]

good info.. I was debating the same. I did squats monday and legs are trashed and I did deads yesterday and lower back is DOMS today. The week before I did them both the same day. I think I like them both on the same day honestly.

 

[Defex]

If you can manage Squats and deadlifts in the same day then go for it. But you're probably leaving in a body bag. Lol

 

[SweetLou321]

I can do both the same day, and hit prs too. But i prefer to train them seperate.

 

[swan1209]

If you deadlift correctly, then it is a hip (hamstring and glute) dominant movement:
Straight back, hips slightly above knees at the start, bar over shoe laces
Drive from the hips. The shoulders should NOT elevate before the hips.
Each rep is separate (ie: not bouncing off the ground)

The secondary muscles involved will be the spinal erectors, trapezuis, and lats.


If you deadlift like most of the schmucks I see at worlds gym, etc. then it is a back dominant movement. Bouncing the bar off the floor, hips raise before shoulders, back rounds, movement is a series of extensions between each of the spinal disks (great way to set yourself up for injury).

Do rack pulls or partials if you want to focus more on the back musculature.

Br

He's not kidding... I'm a schmuck that broke form and injured myself. Never sacrifice form for weight! I tell myself this all the time and yet I committed this error so make sure you know proper form and stick to it! That way, no matter when/ with what muscle groups you train deads with, you will be sure not to cause injury do to fatigued lower back and other core muscles.

 

[tommygunzz]

I do conventional deadlifts on back day and romanian deadlifts on leg day.

 

[TheLaw]

If you deadlift correctly, then it is a hip (hamstring and glute) dominant movement:
Straight back, hips slightly above knees at the start, bar over shoe laces
Drive from the hips. The shoulders should NOT elevate before the hips.
Each rep is separate (ie: not bouncing off the ground)

The secondary muscles involved will be the spinal erectors, trapezuis, and lats.


If you deadlift like most of the schmucks I see at worlds gym, etc. then it is a back dominant movement. Bouncing the bar off the floor, hips raise before shoulders, back rounds, movement is a series of extensions between each of the spinal disks (great way to set yourself up for injury).

Do rack pulls or partials if you want to focus more on the back musculature.

Br

I don't want to come off as a jerk, I just wanted a little clarification. You stated "The shoulders should NOT elevate before the hips" and, about the poor form of most people, that their "hips raise before shoulders." Like I said, not trying to argue or nitpick, just want to confirm that proper form is:

hips rise
then
shoulders

Personally, I pull very similar to Konstantin Konstantinov who was mentioned earlier (similar in everything except the weight lol), though this is the way I was taught. Is it incorrect?


As for when I do deadlifts, I give them a day of their own. I have done squats and DL together, but that was only when preparing for a contest. Usually I am spent by the time I am finished with one or the other.

 

[ZiR RED]

Good spot. Yes, I did make a mistake in my explanation.

What I should have said was: the hips should NOT elevate before the shoulders.
The hips and knees should extend at the same time, not: knees extend (hips raise) then hips extend (shoulders raise) as I see many people doing at local gyms.

So, hips and knees should extend simultaneously: thus hips and shoulders elevate equally through the first part of the pull.

Br

 

[Bizzle23]

I usually do them twice a week. Once on back day with heavy weight and again on hamstrings day with slightly lower weight, usually SLDL.