Learn why deadlifts should be an integral part of your workout program. Plus, bonus Halloween-themed exercises to stay fit this holiday!
Deadlifts Benefits | 9 Reasons to Add Them to Your Workouts
1. Total Body Workout
Of all the workouts people do in the gym, the deadlift benefits the most muscles. It works the lats, glutes, hips, pelvic muscles, shoulders, traps, arms, abs, and more. No other exercise trains a long list of individual muscle groups as efficiently as the deadlift exercise. By hitting all these muscles in a single exercise, you are building the most muscles, getting the most amount of testosterone, and making the most of your time in the gym.
2. Naturally Increases Growth Hormone
You need testosterone if you want to put on that size and gain a big bulking physique. Deadlifts can increase a person’s testosterone or hormone production, which also means it builds more muscles and a better-looking body.
3. A Very Safe Exercise
Deadlifts might be the safest exercise you can do in the gym. Do it with proper form and a weight you’re comfortable with, and there’s no way you’ll hurt yourself. The only time people get injured while doing deadlifts is when they’re lifting more than they should or when executing the exercise with the wrong technique. Be patient and don’t try to push past your limit.
4. Improves Posture
This exercise improves your overall posture as well as core stability and strength. Doing a correct deadlift form will train your body to straighten your back so you can stand proud and confident. It works your obliques, abdominal muscles, and posterior chain which improves the strength of your core.
5. Improves Your Other Lifting Workouts
Deadlifts have a positive effect on all your other lifting and bodyweight exercises. Because they use so many muscles (as mentioned above), doing them helps improve your overall strength. Better overall strength helps you to squat better, helps your bench press, pull-ups, shoulder press, and more. Almost every other exercise in the gym will benefit from your deadlifting.
6. Increases Cardiovascular Health
Doing a very heavy deadlift is not really necessary. Perform 10 reps and 3 sets of a lighter load instead of doing a one rep max deadlift. This will help improve your cardio health and your body’s fat-burning capabilities.
7. Helps Develop Explosive Strength
Deadlifts help develop explosive strength, which is also known as RFD (Rate of Force Development). This refers to how fast you can reach peak levels of force in a muscle. Developing your RFD helps you jump higher, run faster, and perform at a high level in a sport you’re participating in.
8. Improves Real-Life Lifting
We see a lot of older people have a hard time picking things up and end up hurting themselves. Deadlifting will build that strength in your body so you don’t easily get injured when you’re older. This exercise is also known to remedy back problems, too.
9. Builds the Upper Back Muscles More Effectively
There are a lot of workout variations to develop the upper back, but deadlifts build the upper back mass more effectively than any other exercise. It’s the most effective lift for mass-building on your mid-back and trapezius.
Bonus: Other Halloween-Themed Exercises to Try
The word “dead” in deadlifts makes this a fitting exercise to add to our Halloween-themed exercises list. Although performing deadlifts won’t literally kill you, your legs might feel a bit dead the next day. So in the spirit of Halloween, here are other fun exercises you can try this coming holiday.
Creepy Crawler
Lower your hands to the ground from an upright position with your knees slightly bent. Slowly move your upper body forward using your hands. Move your hands one at a time until you’re in a plank position, then walk back with your hands moving in the direction of your feet. This Halloween workout routine will engage your core and arm muscles.
Halloween Slasher
The Halloween Slasher targets the arm and leg muscles. From a standing position, hold a dumbbell with one hand straight above your head. Step back using the foot that’s in-line with the extended arm while lowering that arm simultaneously. Go down until one leg is in kneeling position, then go back up to the original stance.
Scaredy Cat
Stand with both feet on the ground, then place your palms on a yoga ball with your arms straight. From a leaning position, bring one knee up to your chest flexing your core. Switch to the next foot by driving the other knee to your chest as you bring the other foot back down.
Witches Cauldron
Place your forearms on top of a yoga ball with your elbows resting on it. Support your body with the balls of your feet while in a plank position. Move your forearms clockwise while resting on the ball. Continue this movement for 15 seconds and perform the same counter-clockwise for another 15 seconds. It’s another exercise to strengthen your core.
Watch this video for a no equipment full-body workout:
Deadlifts are definitely a must-do exercise for everybody. It targets the most number of individual muscle groups — more than any other exercise, which means it’s greatly beneficial to your entire workout regimen. So whenever you feel bored, tired, or think that deadlifting is a waste of your time in the gym, remember these amazing benefits of this great exercise.
Do you love or hate doing deadlifts? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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