I like deadlifts

[RhinoJoe]

I was in the gym the other day and I overheard one of the “trainers” advising his client on the dangers of doing deadlifts, and why he would never have him do them. Now, I understand that it may not be a good idea to have 99 year old Ms. Golden Girl pulling 400 pounds off the floor, but I am confounded at the reasoning behind why a healthy, young man in reasonably muscular condition, with no obvious lower back injury (plus, he was doing fairly heavy barbell squats) would be denied the very movement which could allow him to grow larger and stronger. I just don’t get it. Especially since the client was asking if the trainer could work deadlifts into the routine.
I like deadlifts.
I like the look on other people’s faces when they see a lifter pull a weight equivalent to that of a small locomotive off of the floor. And then do it again. It’s impressive.
I like the noise the plates make when they hit the floor and then each other at the end of each repetition.
I like how the bar bends in the middle.
I like chalk dust in the air.
I like how mothers pull their children from the streets at every grunt the lifter makes on each successive pull.
Now, granted, I don’t lift nearly the amount that I used to in the deads, (hey, I’m old) but I do perform ‘em. And I don’t think I will ever stop. And to have a “trainer” espouse the so-called detriments of the deadlift and then convey this belief as fact to a person who is looking to him for guidance and improvement, just plain burns my biscuits.

[pmug0000]

I was in the gym the other day and I overheard one of the “trainers” advising his client on the dangers of doing deadlifts, and why he would never have him do them. Now, I understand that it may not be a good idea to have 99 year old Ms. Golden Girl pulling 400 pounds off the floor, but I am confounded at the reasoning behind why a healthy, young man in reasonably muscular condition, with no obvious lower back injury (plus, he was doing fairly heavy barbell squats) would be denied the very movement which could allow him to grow larger and stronger. I just don’t get it. Especially since the client was asking if the trainer could work deadlifts into the routine.
I like deadlifts.
I like the look on other people’s faces when they see a lifter pull a weight equivalent to that of a small locomotive off of the floor. And then do it again. It’s impressive.
I like the noise the plates make when they hit the floor and then each other at the end of each repetition.
I like how the bar bends in the middle.
I like chalk dust in the air.
I like how mothers pull their children from the streets at every grunt the lifter makes on each successive pull.
Now, granted, I don’t lift nearly the amount that I used to in the deads, (hey, I’m old) but I do perform ‘em. And I don’t think I will ever stop. And to have a “trainer” espouse the so-called detriments of the deadlift and then convey this belief as fact to a person who is looking to him for guidance and improvement, just plain burns my biscuits.

That burns my biscuits too lol. I fucking love deadlifts, and I don't give a shit what a personal trainer says I'm gonna pull until I'm crippled or dead.

[Cstlfx]

One thing to keep in mind, is that trainer can be held responsible for what they recommend. So, if a guy has bad form, screws up, he can blame it on the trainer. Which can lead to a decrease in the amount of people going to the trainer or worse.

Secondly, a trainer tries to keep his clientele. If he pushes someone too hard that does not want to be pushed hard, they'll leave. Which in turn leads to the trainer not getting money.

i understand, it sucks, I think people should do deadlifts every so often, but its a business.

[excessive endorphins]

Deadlifts are Among the 2 best overall exercises known to man.I will do them always,with limited breaks like i am taking now,but they will forever be in my life.There is no greater feeling then hundreds of pounds in the grasp of your hands.

[RhinoJoe]

I agree.

[shizz702]

Hell yea deadlifts are my favorite exercise! They are one of the best mass and strength builders in the Iron game. Nothing like pulling heavy shit off the floor! They are also the purest test of strength cause there is no cheating them, just brute strength pull that dead weight. Tell that trainer to shut up and deadlift! lol

[airborneIRON]

i stayed away from deadlifts for years because my high school strength coach (who won national high school strength coach of the year every year i was in high school) said on our first day in the gym "deadlifts are just that, dead." he touted about how bad they were and then instituted power cleans into our big 3 in its place. i just added them into my routine about 2 months ago and i'm already loving them.

[shizz702]

i stayed away from deadlifts for years because my high school strength coach (who won national high school strength coach of the year every year i was in high school) said on our first day in the gym "deadlifts are just that, dead." he touted about how bad they were and then instituted power cleans into our big 3 in its place. i just added them into my routine about 2 months ago and i'm already loving them.

Sounds like your coach had you on the ol' 5x5 with the squat, bench, and power clean.

[killyouintheface]

i stayed away from deadlifts for years because my high school strength coach (who won national high school strength coach of the year every year i was in high school) said on our first day in the gym "deadlifts are just that, dead." he touted about how bad they were and then instituted power cleans into our big 3 in its place. i just added them into my routine about 2 months ago and i'm already loving them.

I've never done power cleans, but aren't deadlifts just the first half of that, essentially?

I just got strong enough in my legs to do any pulls from the floor. I love them, and I feel like they're going to be part of my path to being a whole person. As soon as I have enough balance and stability to squat, I want to start doing them, too.

I'm trying to talk my gym into getting another power rack, and getting more round plates instead of those stupid stop-sign-shaped things.

[airborneIRON]

he actually had us start the semester 3x12 then we worked our way down to 3x5 on our way to 1rm. it was a good program that built a lot of explosiveness, but i just wonder what could have been if i'd had deads...

[shizz702]

he actually had us start the semester 3x12 then we worked our way down to 3x5 on our way to 1rm. it was a good program that built a lot of explosiveness, but i just wonder what could have been if i'd had deads...

Yea power cleans are great but they can't replace the brute strength deadlifts produce. Nothing builds lower back strength like deadlifts.

[killyouintheface]

Yea power cleans are great but they can't replace the brute strength deadlifts produce. Nothing builds lower back strength like deadlifts.

I'm finding - and it may be because I'm so weak and new at them that anything does the job - that it's not just the lower back they build up, it's that entire posterior chain from the hamstrings up to the traps.

[need2getBIG]

Deadlifts Are Awesome!!!!!!!!!

[shizz702]

I'm finding - and it may be because I'm so weak and new at them that anything does the job - that it's not just the lower back they build up, it's that entire posterior chain from the hamstrings up to the traps.

Oh yea that build it all bro. Hams, quads, glutes, lower back, core, traps, abs, forearms. Complete full body exercise. The main thing they work though is the hams, glutes, and lower back. It's my opinion that there is nothing that hits the lower back harder than a conventional deadlift.

[killyouintheface]

Oh yea that build it all bro. Hams, quads, glutes, lower back, core, traps, abs, forearms. Complete full body exercise. The main thing they work though is the hams, glutes, and lower back. It's my opinion that there is nothing that hits the lower back harder than a conventional deadlift.

That makes me happy. I need all the help I can get with my hamstrings and ass and how all that stuff works together. lol

Wednesday is back day. I'm already excited.

[JimmyZ]

I just started doing deads a few months ago. I too had the HS weight room teacher that taught the big three, bench/squat/cleans. Actually this hole got me into deads, aint that some shit.

[BiG in NYC 823]

I was in the gym the other day and I overheard one of the “trainers” advising his client on the dangers of doing deadlifts, and why he would never have him do them. Now, I understand that it may not be a good idea to have 99 year old Ms. Golden Girl pulling 400 pounds off the floor, but I am confounded at the reasoning behind why a healthy, young man in reasonably muscular condition, with no obvious lower back injury (plus, he was doing fairly heavy barbell squats) would be denied the very movement which could allow him to grow larger and stronger. I just don’t get it. Especially since the client was asking if the trainer could work deadlifts into the routine.
I like deadlifts.
I like the look on other people’s faces when they see a lifter pull a weight equivalent to that of a small locomotive off of the floor. And then do it again. It’s impressive.
I like the noise the plates make when they hit the floor and then each other at the end of each repetition.
I like how the bar bends in the middle.
I like chalk dust in the air.
I like how mothers pull their children from the streets at every grunt the lifter makes on each successive pull.
Now, granted, I don’t lift nearly the amount that I used to in the deads, (hey, I’m old) but I do perform ‘em. And I don’t think I will ever stop. And to have a “trainer” espouse the so-called detriments of the deadlift and then convey this belief as fact to a person who is looking to him for guidance and improvement, just plain burns my biscuits.

Well said brother!

And I too Like Deadlifts! Unfortunately I cannot do them b/c of my torn hamstring, but I am looking forward to doing them again in the near future!

[RhinoJoe]

Well said brother!

And I too Like Deadlifts! Unfortunately I cannot do them b/c of my torn hamstring, but I am looking forward to doing them again in the near future!

Hang in there, Bro. I see big deads in your future!

[BiG in NYC 823]

Hang in there, Bro. I see big deads in your future!

Hopefully!

I was doing very well and making gains day by day! But, this is just a minor setback. I will get back there..Thanks!!

[killyouintheface]

Hopefully!

I was doing very well and making gains day by day! But, this is just a minor setback. I will get back there..Thanks!!

Slow and steady wins the race. You could come work out with me. Between me being crippled and you being injured, we'll be pathetic enough to pull all the chicks. lol

[Adrenaline Junkie]

haha great post!
lol i know alot of trainers that dont have any idea about what their talking about, and they're friends of mine, cause these days they're all getting certified online, and just reading a book isnt good enough in my opinion to qualify someone to teach others in the world of physical fitness.

[LiftBig315]

Ever since we have tossed Deads into the mix...we haven't gone a week without them...can't live without em.

[wedge]

Deads are my favorite exercise. Its a battle of wills, mine or the irons.
Put them in with squat and bench, and you have a good mass gaining potential.

[Sho]

This just in............ DEADLIFTS ARE AMAZING!!!!!

[LiftBig315]

Just got back from the gym...back/bis....can't even think straight after the last rep on deads, haha...

[LiftBig315]

I just wanted to add that we noticed that our bar was bent during deads today too...we didn't know if it was from us, or somebody squatting...first person we have seen doing deads, was the guy that was right after us.

Would you guys let the staff know the bar has a bend in it? or is it not that big of a deal?

[killyouintheface]

I just wanted to add that we noticed that our bar was bent during deads today too...we didn't know if it was from us, or somebody squatting...first person we have seen doing deads, was the guy that was right after us.

Would you guys let the staff know the bar has a bend in it? or is it not that big of a deal?

It'll bend when there's enough weight on it, but if there's some dumbass at your gym dropping the bars on benches or something when they're working out (like a guy at my gym did last night), that'll put a permanent bend in it if it lands just right.

[airborneIRON]

tomorrow is back day. time to make me your bitch deadlifts.

[Gazzara]

I like doing back-only deadlifts in the local strongman contests, just to hear everyone yell "Use your legs" - or "Dude, take off your boots" We are pulling the weight off 9 inch blocks which puts the bar just below your knees. I don't think that the 1/2 inch boot heel really makes a difference. Same for the spandex squat suits. And what are those giant belts for? I already have one holding up my pants.

[bovat]

One thing to keep in mind, is that trainer can be held responsible for what they recommend. So, if a guy has bad form, screws up, he can blame it on the trainer. Which can lead to a decrease in the amount of people going to the trainer or worse.

Secondly, a trainer tries to keep his clientele. If he pushes someone too hard that does not want to be pushed hard, they'll leave. Which in turn leads to the trainer not getting money.

i understand, it sucks, I think people should do deadlifts every so often, but its a business.

this is exactly what i was gonna say.

[H Bomb]

Just got back into them, should never have let an old injury scare me away from them. I was young and dumb without knowledge of good form. I have a good friend and training partner that encouraged me to do them again, and what more motivation do you need when you see him ripping 500 and more from the floor like he is warming up! Form is everything if your form is tight you won't get hurt. My development changed instantly in 2 weeks after I started doing them again! The squat and the deadlift go hand in hand. The main total body exercises capable of turning weaklings into beasts! I can't wait till I build my deadlift to match my 600 pound squats. I' m a couple of hundred pounds away from that, but with my never say die attitude in the gym it won't be long. As for trainers. What kind of trainer are you, if you can't teach someone how to lift something properly from the floor? Unless you have a chronic injury there are no excuses!

[LiftBig315]

It'll bend when there's enough weight on it, but if there's some dumbass at your gym dropping the bars on benches or something when they're working out (like a guy at my gym did last night), that'll put a permanent bend in it if it lands just right.

yeah thats what I was sayin, there was a perma-bend in the bar..

[MANABOLIC]

This comes from the obvious problem, which is that trainers don't want to work hard anymore. i workout at what most hardcore people wud call a "sissy gym". everything is shiny and clean, people smell good and have these smiles plastered on their faces nonethelsess, it if full of free weights, which is what I need to get big. from what i have been seeing since i joined my first gym 12 years ago, is that trainers "usually" recommend cable and machine exercises to their clients. why ?? because cables and machines will not make the trainer work hard. for example, if a client asks the trainer for a triceps exercise, he will take him to the cable pulldown apparatus, instead of taking him to do heavy skull crushers and close grip presses, coz cables will keep the trainer comfy, he will not have to hand heavy weights, watch carefully for form, or do any spotting. it will also make the client feel that he has accomplished something my pulling 3 plates on the triceps rope pulldowns, which will make him happy and coming back for more. lets face it, bodybuilding isn't fun, u sweat, u are in pain, your joints ache, and it makes u feel like shit, but we do it coz we are used to that feeling and coz we enjoy the rewards later. apparently most people come to the gym to have fun, which shouldn't be the case at all. you shouldn't be there to enjoy urself, a gym is not Disney Land, you are here to push yourslef and get better. i have a guy at my gym who used to workout with such trainers, and he always complained to me that he doesn't see any improvements, although he has been working out for 6 months. i saw the desire in his eyes and i asked him if he was willing to taste the real shit and he agreed. after a 30 min chest workout, he swore that he had never felt like this before, and said that all what the trainer had him doing were cable crossovers and presses on the multi-gym apparatus. i took the time to correct his form and show him how free weights are handled, which is not something your regular gym trainer is willing to do. that's why you see people doing leg extensions instead of squats, back pulldowns instead of rows, chins and deads, concentrated curls instead of heavy cambered bar culrs, etc. don't sweat it, my man, as i said before, most people come to the gym to "have fun". the others who really want to improve, will ignore the "skinny-fit" trainer with the 6 pack and come to you for guidance. the question is, are you willing to help ?? Peace.

[airborneIRON]

i'm gonna be a personal trainer here in a couple months, and i'll be showin my clients (that want to) how to get strong, not just pretty.

[killyouintheface]

yeah thats what I was sayin, there was a perma-bend in the bar..

I see people squat a lot of weight at my gym (jealously, since I can't squat) with enough weight to bend the bar, and as soon as it's unloaded it straightens right back out.

There was some jackassery involve in the bending of your bar, I'm willing to bet.

[mritter3]

i am with you 100 percent, ther is no greater feeling than pulling a lot of weight off the floor, i can feel the thickness in may back after each one. always a great exercise, doesn't make much sense that he was squating heavy, as long as you have good form i think injuries are less likely to occur

[LiftBig315]

I see people squat a lot of weight at my gym (jealously, since I can't squat) with enough weight to bend the bar, and as soon as it's unloaded it straightens right back out.

There was some jackassery involve in the bending of your bar, I'm willing to bet.

that's what I was thinkin, I can see it bend when we are deadlifting, but it straightens out...then we looked (spun it) when it was on the ground and it was clearly bent.

[killyouintheface]

that's what I was thinkin, I can see it bend when we are deadlifting, but it straightens out...then we looked (spun it) when it was on the ground and it was clearly bent.

Your gym sounds like it has the same problem mine does. It's like a little kid's playroom with crap strewn all over the place cause nobody ever cleans their mess up.

[daninarmy]

I never used to like them untill I forced myself on them about 2 mo ago. I started at 165 and now I am up to 270 It great I love the feel I get from them afterwards.

[Donogh]

Deadlifts are my favourite exercise. I had a bit of a problem getting technique proper at the start but after a little while it because second nature. Today I pulled 495 on a zero carb diet! Not that big for some but I am dieting hard for the last 6 or 7 weeks (sitting at 185lbs at around 6-7% bf) Im pretty happy!

[donk]

my old gym close down the other day, which was the worst fuckin thing to happen. it was a no stirngs attached old gym with one purpose, to train. so i join this fitness club down the road, since there is no other gym around now and proceed to deadlift. my last set was my 1rm and i was digging and grunting and hollerin and when i dropped the weight, you'd a thought i killed somebody with the looks i was gettin. but they might as well get used to it cuz it looks like im there to stay

[shizz702]

I deadlifted today! :)

[powerhouse]

should be in every man's or womens mass building training for back

[hatebreedXXX69]

Hell yea deadlifts are my favorite exercise! They are one of the best mass and strength builders in the Iron game. Nothing like pulling heavy shit off the floor! They are also the purest test of strength cause there is no cheating them, just brute strength pull that dead weight. Tell that trainer to shut up and deadlift! lol

Amen to that brother, thats exactly how i feel.

[LiftBig315]

Your gym sounds like it has the same problem mine does. It's like a little kid's playroom with crap strewn all over the place cause nobody ever cleans their mess up.

actually for the most part everybody puts their shit back...some times it isn't that way though, and it does get annoying.

[killyouintheface]

actually for the most part everybody puts their shit back...some times it isn't that way though, and it does get annoying.

Must be nice. lol