Building Strength With Dead-Lifts

Deadlifts are in some people’s opinion, the king of the workout world. A deadlift is one of those fantastic exercises that work several key muscle groups throughout the body. Learning to increase your deadlift strength and improve your deadlift technique can reap serious rewards for your overall strength!

Deadlift Target Areas

Deadlifting primarily targets the posterior chain, including your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Done correctly, it engages the core, forearms and traps. This compound movement can deliver significant strength gains.

So you’re telling me an improved deadlift can lead to stronger hamstrings and glutes, stronger quads and core, forearms, traps, stabiliser muscles and more? Say less!

Improve Your Deadlift by Perfecting Your Form

One of our top deadlift tips is to improve and perfect your form so you’re able to get a stronger deadlift and increase your deadlift max.

Doing an adequate warmup is important to ensure your muscles are ready to fire and support you during your weight training. Stabilising your upper body by warming up the muscles can help to create a strong foundation before you lift. Stretching between deadlift sets is also encouraged to help release lactic acid buildup and resume blood circulation back to the muscles.

Maintaining a neutral spine and keeping your back straight through a deadlift movement is key. Avoid rounding or excessively arching your spine – this ensures the load is evenly distributed, reducing the risk of pesky lower back injuries.

Don’t forget to drive your deadlift through your heels, not your back. By pushing through your heels, you engage the posterior chain muscles and ensure proper alignment

Tips on How to Get a Stronger Deadlift

While you might be looking to get a stronger deadlift, it’s important to make sure your training is effective around your goal.

Progressive overload is a common technique recommended to help you increase your deadlift max. By gradually increasing the weight you lift over time, your muscles are continuously challenged and able to grow.

It’s important to also continuously check in with your technique and make sure you’re performing deadlifts correctly. By doing something as simple as performing your deadlifts in front of a mirror, or filming a set to watch back, you can make sure you’re performing to your best. Alternatively if you work with a coach, they are able to watch you and help guide you, pulling you up on any areas that need improvement.

As well, consider other additional exercises that can compliment a deadlift. Look at adding a wider stance sumo deadlift or a Romanian deadlift (RDL) into your routine, or accessory exercises like barbell rows or squats that can help to strengthen your target muscle groups.

Stronger muscles = stronger deadlifts!

Deadlifting Tips with Dave: Workouts To Increase Deadlift Max

If your goal is stronger deadlifts, it’s important to not only add those into your regular training routine, but supporting exercises as we’ve discussed above. If you’re working towards progressive overload make sure to keep track of the weight you’re lifting and slowly increase it as you grow your max deadlift weight.

Here’s a look at Dave’s deadlift strength preparation ahead of a Powerlifting Australia competition. He gradually increased the weight of his deadlifts in the lead up to competition day while decreasing the amount of reps.

His top set this session was a 275kg triple followed by back-off sets. This was followed by RDL's and upper back work with lat pull-downs and prone rows.

Try out Dave's dead-lift session

Dead-lifts

Romanian dead-lifts

Lat pull-downs with wide grip

Prone rows with wide grip

Don't Forget to Rest!

While the goal might be increasing your workouts to increase deadlift, it’s important to ensure you’re getting an adequate amount of rest and recovery. By incorporating regular rest days you’re ensuring you don’t over fatigue your muscles and you give them time to repair and grow.

Making sure you also have your nutrition sorted to help you reach your goals is important. Whether you’re tackling it solo or you’re working with a trainer or coach, make sure you’re getting an adequate amount of protein to support muscle growth and recovery. Adding a product like Whey Protein Isolate to your diet as a post-workout shake can help you maximise your training, helping to build lean muscle, increase protein synthesis and assist in recovery. Another bang for buck supplement to help with muscle mass and strength gains is Creatine Monohydrate – used and loved by bodybuilders and endurance athletes. Creatine monohydrate can help gain strength and increase muscle volume through its role in restoring ATP levels – most users notice a boost in strength and endurance, so you can push our more reps and train for longer.

Time to Increase Your Deadlift Max!

Give these tips a try, and let us know how you go! Just make sure you’re careful with your form, add in other exercises to help supportive muscles, and ensure you’re getting adequate rest and nutrition and you’ll have upped your deadlift max in no time!