Powerlifting – Improving Your Deadlift
It is easy to injure yourself while deadlifting. Many people do not know how to deadlift properly. Another issue is there aren’t many personal training courses offered to help you learn how to deadlift properly. Here is a brief overview of how to do it the right way.
Warm Up
In order to warm up before your deadlift, you need to know what to do and for how long. You do not need to warm up for 30 minutes. Your muscles will get tired. You also want to do dynamic stretches and not static ones. An example of a dynamic stretch warm up is:
- Side leg swings -12 to 15 reps on each leg
- Stiff leg deadlifts with a rubber band – 25-40 reps for 1 set
- Forward leg swings -10 reps each leg for 2-3 sets
- Sculpa pulls – 20-30 reps for 1 set
- Single leg deadlifts – 10-15 reps on each leg for 2-3 sets
Set Up
After warming up, you want to get in position. You want to be close to the bar but not too close because then your lower back will be taking most of the hit. You want there to be a little gap so when you lock up at the top, the bar hits your quads but your shin is still touching the bar as you are approaching.
Pull Up
Now that your feet are in position, make sure they are in line with your shoulders, and your arms are straight in. Bend over at the waist, grab the bar, take a deep breath in and roll your hips down in position. Hold that position and hold your breath, then push through your feet while you extend upwards, then breathe out. An important thing to remember is that you want to take the slack out of the bar before completing the lift. Repeat this series of motions.
Deadlifting is an upper and lower body exercise. It is important to make sure your form is proper to make sure you do not injure yourself.
