A Case for Legs, Part 2.

  Last week, I wrote about the importantce of adding a squat variation to your workout routine.  But I wouldn't be doing a blog entitled "A Case for Legs" any justice if I failed to reveal the importance of a deadlift variation to the development of your legs. So here it goes!

  Deadlift's get a bad wrap from the everyday gym go-er.  Most people think it's only for BIG guys, or that it's an exercise that will only hurt their back and leave them paralyzed.  The name DEADLIFT even sounds a lot more intimidating than other exercises like the "sissy squat" or the "chest butterfly" for instance.

  True, you can slip a disc (or worse) if you perform the deadlift with a curved spine; but if you correctly perform a deadlift or any of its variations, there's no better exercise you can do to strengthen your posterior chain .  Here is a list of just some of the benefits of performing a deadlift, outlined by renowned strength coach and competitive powerlifter Eric Cressey in this article.

1.)  "The posterior chain is of paramount importance to high-level performance; watch the best sprinters run, and you’ll see that they seem to just “float”—and it’s because they’re running with their hamstrings and glutes. In contrast, watch a guy who runs with his quads, and you’ll see that his hips are bouncing up and down; there’s a lot of wasted movement. The glutes and hamstrings are all fast-twitch fibers with a lot of strength, speed, and size potential—potential you’ll never realize without deadlift variations."

2.) "Strengthening the posterior chain with closed-chain movements like deadlifts also reduces injury risk. Weak hamstrings are a serious risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, patellofemoral pain, and a host of other problems at the knee, hip, ankle, and lower back."

3.) "Deadlifts have a better functional carryover to real world performance than leg curls, glute-blasters, and all the other silly machines out there."

4.)  "Deadlifts can be a tremendously valuable corrective training exercise if coached correctly. I’ve used them in the correction of IT [iliotibial] band friction syndrome, lower back pain, lateral knee pain, groin pain, and a host of other torso and lower extremity problems. The secret rests with the proper execution of the exercise. "

If you are still skeptical, don't be.  Just get out try it and see for yourself. After your done catching your breath, tell me how it went.

If you are nervous about performing the correct technique, stayed tuned for part 3. where I will demostrate how to properly execute a deadlift, and a squat.