The Deadlift…the biggest bang for your buck!
My 3rd deadlift attempt at the 2023 NYS Powerlifting Championship. A 240 kg (529LB) pull.
I started my fitness journey in 2012. I won’t bore you with the details or history, I’ll save that for another time. In short, I’ve spent countless hours reading, researching, watching videos, and listening to interviews on the subject. I can’t think of many industries more saturated with information than diet and exercise and overall fitness. I’m here to tell you as a regular guy that rediscovering this exercise has been a godsend. In terms of bang for your buck, you can’t get any better. If someone asked me what to do to get started on the way to a healthy life, I would start right here. Learn to deadlift! For me, it represented a “keystone habit”, see Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit for more on that. Or just read this article on the ballad of Paul O’Neill to understand the concept.
Now before the “fitness experts” jump on me and argue the squat is a better exercise, I recognize that debate and it’s a good one. The reason I stress the deadlift is because it’s much easier to learn proper technique, and overall a safer exercise as it does not require you to place a barbell on your back.
For people that don’t know what this is, it’s simply the act of grabbing the barbell from the floor and standing up. The barbell will end up just under your waist. Checkout this simple demonstration…
As we grow, mature, and age, one of the biggest ailments we face is the lack of muscle or loss of muscle. Having a strong body is so important to your overall longevity and ability to do the everyday things that make you happy. Doesn’t matter what that thing is. Being stronger will allow you to feel better and do it better. For may people, exercise turns them off because they see Instagram photos and magazine covers and think, “I’ll never be that” or “that takes a commitment I’m not willing to make”. Enter, the deadlift! You’re right, you’ll never be that person on Instagram or on the magazine cover. Lose that mindset! And think in terms of health and happiness. Some cardio is good, walking, running, biking or whatever. But building muscle is the real trick. Whenever anyone asks me about my diet or anything, I try and steer people away from thinking about losing weight or getting in shape and try and tell them, get stronger. And the deadlift is the best thing for that.
Like so many great things in life, the deadlift is simple in explanation and able to be learned in a few minutes, but is something you can always be working on to be better, and more efficient with.
Before I turn it over to the experts, I’ll give you a few things to think about…
Take it slow. You will get strong pretty fast, but go at your pace. Don’t be a hero, an injury will derail your training. Technique first, strength later.
You can start Deadlifting at 18, 28, 38, 48 or 58…It does not matter. I started at 38, and while I did have some background in Weight Lifting from my high school days, 20 years had already passed without doing this type of working out.
Don’t listen to “isn’t that bad for your back”, those people have no idea what they’re talking about. This will heal your back problems!
This is an exercise to build muscle and strength. It’s not a high repetition exercise. It’s best done in the target range of 4-6 reps.
Check out these articles and video’s on the deadlift to learn more. And feel free to message me for any questions.
You will notice I’m a big fan of the starting strength series!