The deadlift is one hell of an exercise — but does that mean you should deadlift from the floor?
Lets find out.
In my opinion, the deadlift is one of the best exercises on the planet.
I mean, when it comes to whole body strength, it is king:
- It works every single muscle in the body (with a heavy emphasis on your legs and upper back)
- Has great carryover to athletic performance tasks (think jumping and sprinting)
- Improves your ability to perform various tasks of daily living
- Builds a sweet set of buns
Seriously, what more could you want?
However, with these amazing positives, there is one big fat caveat that we need to consider.
It needs to be performed with damn good technique.
See, the deadlift is pretty complex movement.
Moreover, the way in which the bar is positioned during a deadlift (in front of your body) means that it naturally places a lot of shear stress on your spine.
Now, to be clear, this is not a bad thing.
When the deadlift is performed correctly, this shear stress strengthens the muscles of your back and trunk. And the result? Over time your back becomes more stable, and less injury prone.
But, if your deadlift technique is poor, then this shear stress is not going to be a good thing.
In fact, it may even result in injury.
Good Deadlift Technique (AKA How to Deadlift)
What does good deadlift technique look like?
While there may be some slight variances in deadlift technique between individuals (things like stance width and hand position, for example), there a few general rules that must be adhered to at all times.
These include:
- Your whole foot making even contact with the ground
- Armpits positioned over the bar
- Back in a neutral position
- Head in line with spine (so not looking too far up or down)
- Bar positioned over your shoe laces
- Hips back, feeling a whole lot of tension in your hamstrings
If you tick these six boxes, then you are in the prime position to perform a safe and efficient deadlift.
And it should look a little something like this (performed by yours truly):
But (there is always a but…), it does need to be said that not everyone will have the mobility required to get into the bottom position of a deadlift safely.
Which begs the question…
Do I Need To Deadlift From the Floor?
In short, no — you do not.
While I am a firm believer that everyone should deadlift in some way, shape, or form, I also believe that you need to tailor an individuals exercise prescription to their current capabilities.
This means that very few people will actually be able to perform a barbell deadlift from the floor.
Or at least in the initial stages of their training journey anyway.
Which is fine.
See, we have a myriad of deadlift variations available to us that offer the same benefits. Importantly, most of them are easier to perform than a traditional barbell deadlift, as they don’t require quite as much mobility.
In short, they are harder to stuff up.
Then over time (as you become more competent at the movement), you can gradually transition into performing a deadlift from the floor.
Genius.
The Best Deadlift Variations
With this in mind, I thought I would outline my favourite deadlift variations.
I normally prescribe each of these in the order listed for 4-6 weeks each (before moving onto the next one), for 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions, twice per week.
By the end of the process, you will be in a very good position to start deadlifting from the floor
- Elevated Kettlebell Deadlift
- Sumo Kettlebell Deadlift
- Trap Bar Deadlift
- Romanian Deadlift
- Conventional Deadlift from Blocks
- Sumo Deadlift
As I am sure you can see, these exercises become gradually more challenging.
In this manner, each progressive variation requires a little more mobility, and becomes a little more complex.
However, once you have spent a good 4-6 weeks training each of them you will have your deadlift pattern down pat.
As a result, you will be primed to start deadlifting from the floor!
Take Home Message
The deadlift is an incredible exercise, however, there is no need to perform it from the floor if it sits outside your current capabilities. In fact, you can perform a number of deadlift variations and get exactly the same benefits.
So give some of the variations listed in this article a go, and make sure to let us know what you think!
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Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash
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