Should You Deadlift for Bodybuilding??

[@DanielHeredia]

Deadlifts are good for the soul if anything

[@StrengthShowcase]

And for the difficult.

[@connorking984]

What does that mean, they are hard but that's not a good thing in a vacuum​@@StrengthShowcase

[@StrengthShowcase]

@@connorking984 It's part of the gospel of m'lord Kyriakos "Grizzly" Kapakoulak. 🙏🏻

[@mcpartridgeboy]

i got squats for that

[@ZekeFilms]

Deadlifts are good for deadlifts

[@JPeakman96]

Gotta keep in mind this is for people with a strictly bodybuilding goal. For anyone else who's just looking to feel fit and healthy and strong Deadlifts are fantastic for strengthening your back & legs and have a great crossover to daily life, especially as you get older.

[@Shon52]

Exactly

[@kidbrown2010]

The deadlift is also great for people who don't have a lot of time at the gym. Mike is right, that locally every part has a better counter movement.. but if you are looking to train 3 hours a week because you have a busy life.. you are just not gonna able to train everything separately at a high intensity.. so the big moves are a great compromise. Every newbie that can't pull 200 pounds off the ground should also probably stick to those big compound because they don't have the work capacity to be doing all these different moves. Once you become intermediate and/or have the time for a more time-consuming approach, dropping or reducing the deadlift is a good option.

[@staystrong4309]

True. But you assume all intermediates and advanced lifters need an hour to workout. Yes, youd benefit from it. However, you only need 2 to 3 exercises per body part. Sometimes even just 1 exercise. Therefore, there is no need to add the deadlift if your goal is hypertrophy, even if your time is limited, or even very ​limited, because the non-compound movements still work great. And again, if you only use 1 or 2 different ones per muscle group, then you won't pass your time limit. @@kidbrown2010

[@Ghostface-1393]

My back surgeon buddy’s wants everyone to deadlift as much as possible

[@B05SxBrennan]

I agree, but with the caveat that I think if it's just for strength in your job or day-to-day life, you should primarily be training deadlifts with a controlled negative instead of dropping. There aren't many situations outside of the gym where you have to lift a huge amount of weight and just get to drop it to the floor without any control or risk of damaging property.

[@craighambling]

" It's very uncomfortable, but the wealth alone keeps me comfortable" 😂😂😂

[@OriginalPuro]

It wasn't that funny. Also, isn't it weird that young people start out learning to type properly, but end up not being able to type, and just spams emoticons?

[@igloboy]

Ye it was funny xD

[@alexandrosandreou8585]

​@OriginalPuro who took a shit in your coffee? Cuz I Wana thank them you prick

[@elijahknox4421]

​@@OriginalPurowhat is wrong with you? If you don't like it just move on. You don't need to force your opinion when there's nothing good that can come from you just asserting your indifference

[@dnguyen69420]

ppl jus make it that deep 😂😂😂

[@CamERon-i6t]

Y’all are so hollow headed. This dude is a bodybuilder, he aims to educate other bodybuilders, he’s not saying they aren’t a good strength exercise. They just do not do a good job of targeting a specific muscle or muscle group in the context of hypertrophy

[@user-ht9mh4cm3f]

Nah Dr. Mike said something that goes against what I think so he's wrong and fuck him and everyone's he's ever met. Just kidding, fuck deadlifts. Not putting myself through that much fatigue just to work my glutes more

[@josepmariasebastian8886]

@@TryveumPoint flew over your head. There's exercises that stimulate those muscles more with less fatigue.

[@Lazar-hl8jd]

@@Tryveum the hamstrings stretch when you extend the knee, so they literally even can't contract to produce force to assist the glute max and adductor magnus in extending the hip in a conventional deadlift since you're extending the knee at the same time.

[@Tryveum]

@@josepmariasebastian8886 No there aren't, not if you do them RDL style.

[@khanhasnaan5901]

​@@Tryveum Mike literally said Conventional Deadlifts so your RDL argument just proves his point.

[@jakederecki9922]

They’re good for the nervous system. When I’m strong on deadlift I feel strong everywhere else

[@elladarko6851]

This is true. Ever since incorporating deadlifts I haven’t been as nervous

[@KillerSkullX]

Wym?

[@leroycrosby9987]

@@KillerSkullX Deadlifts & squats are incredibly taxing on your nervous system, in a good way. If you want to regulate your nervous system, tax it in good ways.

[@richardly1543]

@@leroycrosby9987 or you can just work harder on your other lifts

[@KillerSkullX]

@@leroycrosby9987 wym by regulate it??

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

RDLs are frickin sweet though, hard to beat

[@wasteddude]

I LOVE the sorness that my hamstrings get from RDLs.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

@@wasteddude yeah buddy 💪🏼

[@soroushm2498]

@@wasteddude the same goes for deadlift for me

[@Bane1Mirin]

@@wasteddudefacts

[@qsanchez95]

@@wasteddude i mostly feel deadlifts in my hammies anyways so i just do deadlifts. love em

[@STIXAHOY]

I used to have back pain when I lifted heavy objects......off the ground..... After I started deadlifts......no more pain.......

[@tyronecawley3959]

Nice

[@frezywizard]

isn't it supposed to be the opposite

[@_koschwarz]

I agree. If you absolutely do not ego lift and do perfect form, deadlift is an excellent exercise for strengthening your back, lower back, glutes, hamstring, and you learn how to lift heavy objects and have a good posture. Problem is 95% of lifters fuck up the form, use too much weight, and use very low reps, and they ditch deadlift.

[@BungieStudios]

@@_koschwarz I have an injured back, long legs, and can't reach the bar without arching my back or falling over. I cannot do them safely and recognize that limitation. I learned quick that deadlifts are very easy to ego lift with bad form and it leads to risk of injury without some humility and discipline.

[@Broodjemetbeleg]

Lol how? Deadlifts strengthen your lower back ​@frezywizard

[@DanielBotelho-ok8df]

Gonna raise my deadlift by 10 kg tomorrow because of this video

[@evillaughinthebackground5732]

How did it go?

[@mann8098]

​@@evillaughinthebackground5732threw his back out 😂

[@Switcheroo1]

@@evillaughinthebackground5732he was twerking the bar up

[@iLLuzion1st]

I PRd on DL today! 225# @8x3

[@Velhotin]

@@evillaughinthebackground5732 No back.

[@jordanduran1726]

As someone who primarily works out to be bigger but also wants to be strong, I love deadlifts. I do a modified push,pull,legs, where one of my days is back, hams, forearms and biceps, specifically because I always felt the posterior chain works together on so many exercises.

[@schwibz]

Sounds interesting, can you elaborate a bit more please

[@jordanduran1726]

Happily, but I'm not sure specifically what you are asking. Do you want to know about the day I do posterior chain work or how the rest of the program is structured? Obviously this is something tailored to me and it's focused on bringing up what I believe are the weak points in my physique while maintaining enough workload to grow or at least maintain the other body parts.

[@schwibz]

Yeah just the overall split, I do PPL also but try to modify it a bit so I have more of an arm focused day. Also feel like my hams need more work and didnt think to hit then on pull day. I love bb rows and deadlifts which engage them a bit, but normally do my deads on leg day

[@EmpiricalPragmatist]

I also do PPL based on the workout frequency made possible by my busy life schedule. Where do you guys fit shoulders into that? I currently do anterior delts on push day, and mid and posterior on pull day, but not sure if this is right...

[@jordanduran1726]

@@schwibz I would first off agree that deadlifts are primarily a lower body exercise, though obviously the back is heavily involved. I used to do a PPL split where on one leg day I would barbell back squat and the other I would deadlift and that split worked well for me. Like I mentioned this is specific to me, but the plan is essentially this. Day 1: Calves, Quads, Abs, Medial Delts. Day 2: Posterior Chain, Biceps, Forearms. Day 3: Calves, Chest, Medial Delts, Triceps. Day 4: Rest, Day 5: same as Day 1, up to Day 7. Day 8 would repeat the cycle. There are things within each day that I am prioritizing as well, such as on my chest day I lean heavily to target the upper chest, and like you I target my hamstrings the most on my posterior day as my back and glutes are probably my most developed body parts. I personally also had an issue with my arms lagging but luckily, I was able to remedy that with better exercise selection and a slight increase in volume. I don’t have any serious injuries and being in my thirties I still use mostly free weights. I have started elevating my heels on Quad day to get more knee drive, this has meant that I can move less weight, but the strain has been taken of my back, hams, and butt when I squat so I am fresher for the posterior work the next day, the other exercises are a hack squat, and leg extensions. My gym also has a belt squat where the weight is anchored to the hips, but barbell squatting is my favorite exercise and I haven’t been able to give it up completely, though I may end up using that belt squat with elevated heels which I feel could make this even more effective. My posterior days start with lat pulldowns and single leg hip thrusts to warm up. Then the deadlifts warm up to 3 working top sets, after which I superset my back exercises with glute/ham. Pullups with Bulgarian split squats, RDL’s with Low Row, Single leg standing leg curl with T-bar row, hyperextensions with single arm preacher curl, adductor with single arm cable curl, then I end with forearm exercises. Hope this helps!

[@61pwcc]

There's definitely a thickness of the back, especially in the Erectors that come from heavy deadlifts, which would be hard to match with Isolation work.

[@soaring_fps]

you can do back extensions and isolate them but I feel like deadlifts are more of a "therapy" type of lift also for some people it trains traps really well and ofc the erectors too, but if you want to isolate the erectors do straight back hyperextensions

[@aminlogory4684]

Barbell squats also beefs up the erectors

[@61pwcc]

@@soaring_fps you will NEVER get Deadlift thick Erectors from Back Extensions. Would you do just Flyes for Pec thickness?

[@shizamza]

Deadlifts are fun for pushing yourself and doing something that’s fucking hard. Teaching your whole body to exert that much force is awesome. For hypertrophic purposes, yeah not the greatest but for a functional lower back or if you have a job where you have to pick shit up all the time or if you ever have to move move furniture, it’s good to have done this movement. It’s a great lift, just gotta make sure it’s pros are aligned with your goals

[@prcodes3479]

I stopped doing conventional deadlifts for bodybuilding but RDL/SLDL are fantastic for the hamstrings.

[@hurpaderpp]

We are talking about bodybuilding though. Most bodybuilders dont want gigantic hamstrings do they?

[@dylh7559]

​@@hurpaderppofcourse they do

[@TomoHawKzZ]

​@@hurpaderppthey want gigantic everything that's the point

[@hurpaderpp]

@@TomoHawKzZ in open bodybuilding yeah. that shit looks awful

[@mackwhite374]

​@@TomoHawKzZeverything but obliques. Gotta keep them cut for the slim waist to make the shoulders look even wider

[@Matrim42]

Counterpoint: deadlifts are the tits.

[@Halbared]

Succinct.

[@beepboop9848]

what the fuck does this mean lmao

[@peterk.2108]

@@beepboop9848breast

[@akocwol9019]

Explain

[@rockyevans1584]

Theres no fat in this rebuttal. Well done

[@shabbydabbydo314]

For a fraction of the fatigue, maybe. For a fraction of the fun, yes. For a fraction of the time, no way. 😊

[@HagakureJunkie]

I agree that deadlifts can trash your whole CNS but for overall “Whole body working together” compound lifts are just fantastic

[@alexm.s4000]

My deadlift is my strongest lift. Its ego. I feel good lifting my heaviest, and why shouldnt i? My goal is to eventually join the 1k club so i need it for that... Also i feel my lower back, but in a good way. My hamstrings have also developed nicely because of it.

[@Fixed4Philly]

You wanna deadlift 1000lbs?

[@alexm.s4000]

@@Fixed4Philly no lol. 1k total deadlift, squat, bench

[@Fixed4Philly]

@@alexm.s4000 im unfamiliar with this. Is 1k of all those things totaling 1k in one workout? Is it 1k each, spread throughout a few workouts?

[@alexm.s4000]

@@Fixed4Philly so you have your one rep max for these three exercises. The goal is to be able to lift in total 1000 pounds (453.5kg) over the three exercises. So lets say 400 pound deadlift, 350 pound squat and 250 pound bench press is in total equal to 1000 pounds.

[@Fixed4Philly]

@@alexm.s4000ohhhh! Got it! That’s a new goal for me too then! Except I don’t bench. I’m at 420 for the dl & 330 for the squat.

[@charlieross4674]

My traps grew more from deadlifts than it has from anything else, including all types of shrugs. It's so depressing that my lower back is chronically fucked up meaning I can't go as hard or heavy as I would so love. Those who can deadlift with serious intensity, count your blessings...

[@Haganenno121]

I had a disc protrusion and can still deadlift 1.3x-1.4x my body weight pain free while being quite weak and just starting out. Work on your lower back with stuff like back extensions. Do em to failure. That helped me immensely.

[@terminaldeity]

Bro, just do RDLs.

[@BungieStudios]

I can't do deadlifts safely. My form is shit and my body is weird. Wearing a needlessly heavy backpack on accident since middle school built my traps. (Probably stunted my growth too. lol) My brother was showing me his kit and backpack he had to wear while in boot camp and it was like nothing. 😂 So I think backpacks definitely work as an alternative to try. I have a fugged up lower back from car accidents. Back extensions really helped me strengthen lower back and reduce pain.

[@Haganenno121]

@@BungieStudios Can you hinge without bending your back? I have a friend who can't hold his back straight when hinging, which makes safe deadlifts impossible. This would probably indicate a problem in the hips, resolving which would also help back pain. If that's the case, then back extensions are somewhat compromised, too. I personally carry big backpacks since forever and it is becoming more and more tiring.

[@charlieross4674]

@@BungieStudios wth did you used to carry in your bag that made it so heavy? Every single schoolbook you had!? I did that in the first couple of weeks of secondary school here one England lol before it was made apparent I didn't need all of them on any given day. Sorry to hear about your back issues. I have chronic back problems. I've done physio. The only thing that has helped is when I started doing 5 minutes of intense running before my workouts. On the morning after the second run, my back didn't feel like I'd been battered throughout the night! I first got motivated by how it transformed my skin to be so smooth and blemish free so quickly but the benefits for the back will keep me going. Apparently runners have stronger spines.

[@sorkeror]

Deadlift is one of the most useful lifts in real life.

[@FizzyCape]

For the exact reasons they’re bad for bodybuilding. General full body non targeted strength is gonna help you a lot more in day to day life than like giant calves will

[@ludvig3242]

Not really, most people don’t even need to go to the gym for a healthy life

[@FizzyCape]

@@ludvig3242 you don’t need the gym, but it’s an easy way to incorporate consistent full body excercise into your life.

[@gimmetreefiddy891]

This is what I tell people all the time. How else would you train to carry bodies? But seriously, I think for a casual, non-competitive gym goer who wants to get fit, it is a very good exercise.

[@askerzie]

It is no more useful than squat or bench press. The most useful exercise is farmer carry, by far margin.

[@devincapela4656]

As a physical therapist, I love the floor press. I give it to my patients who need to lift heavy, but can’t yet tolerate end range load intensity. I don’t do the floor press myself, because I can get a better load through full ROM with other pressing forms.

[@jjhbball]

I'm a basketball player. I periodically go through a hypertrophy phase where I don't deadlift and I'm not playing much bball. When I'm back "in season" (playing several times per week) I deadlift with high load and low volume to maintain. Very efficient.

[@Beardsan]

One bad day and your ball career will be over. I'm pretty sure there's much better lifts that'll carry over to your sport than doing deadlifts for a non-contact sport.

[@RagingRugbyst]

​@@Beardsanoi, smooth brained fuck, you do realize the hundreds of max of plyometric movements he demands of his body each game have a much higher chance of snapping his shit than the almost nonexistant chance of fucking your back deadlifting? For one there isn't an opponent that can be there to mess your landing and thus disintegrate your knee for life. Never seen a video of someone snapoing their shit on deads. Herniations are also so normal in your back people mostly DON'T EVEN FUCKING NOTICE HAVING THEM. You know jack shit mate. Don't care if you have a degree, your statement was objectively retarded if nor for the fact that you agreed with Oberst, who's an absolute idiot.

[@sammyttheg412]

Clown 😂​@@Beardsan

[@Aiolosz]

@@Beardsan 100% also his fatigue ratio would drop and maybe play better ball too

[@Beardsan]

@@Aiolosz you'd think athletes would know better but nope. They do dumber shit than genpop at times.

[@BungieStudios]

This is why I moved back to machines. I was taught to avoid them with disdain in favor of free weights, but I quickly learned that I can get better form, more weight, and eccentric control with the machines. I still love free weights, especially for strengthing stabilizers and improving coordination, but I no longer fear or hate machines irrationally. I was taught compound movements like the Deadlift work everything and are more efficient. But I have long legs and can't squat without falling over, needing an incline under my feet. I also tend to round my back because I can't reach the bar, requiring me to stack plates underneath, further limiting my range of motion. I'm grateful for Dr. Mike and co. for teaching me the effectiveness of Full ROM, in addition to proper form with manageable weight that helps protects me from injury. It might have been my car accident, but I think I bent my T1 vertebrae by doing weighted squats wrong. Either way, with my damaged back and multiple car accidents (not at fault), I have to be extremely careful when weight lifting.

[@erickellar5867]

I used to also be biassed thinking machines were trash but now a days most my lifts are with machines and I noticed a significant improvement in my workouts

[@jeremiaha5167]

I loved deadlifts when I used to lift/do BB. My fantasy was always to have one of those hexagonal bars where you sit in the middle and a deadlift that's a bit closer to a squat

[@patrickmcdonagh539]

You mean a trap bar.. Great for quads.. Doesn't do much for your back

[@WaddyMuters]

I do deadlifts because I think it’s a good functional exercise. My idea is it probably trains a lot of smaller stabilizing muscles that get neglected by isolation exercises.

[@richardtonkin8981]

Wrong you'll degenerate your disks

[@erickellar5867]

@@richardtonkin8981 not with proper form. I switched to sumo and receive 0 back pain at all from the lifts. I can focus much more on my quads, hamstrings and glutes lifting sumo vs conventional that just hurt my lower back

[@shakehandswithdanger7882]

Ronnie, always lifting light weight baby!!!!!

[@papasauce234]

i agree that deadlifts from a bodybuilders perspective are both a waste of time and energy, however if youre just training for strength or a combination of strength and size then they're excellent (when performed correctly), along with barbell squat variations, but those are more useful for bodybuilding in general also if you're training for strength don't sleep on standing overhead strict press imo, it is an incredibly challenging exercise and very good in terms of it's ratio of building strength and size in my experience, and it's not really tiring enough to hamper other muscle groups that are involved beyond the chest and triceps

[@puissance]

I busted my lower back doing deadlifts. I haven't recovered from my previous workout and kept going... I very much regret it because I'm still having issues with my back now. If doing deadlifts, need to do them right and not overdo it.

[@realpolitik3169]

I herniated my L5-S1 deadlifting years ago. Oddly, deadlifting has helped me heal. I now live by a simple rule: "If you can't grip it... Don't rip it." Straps, mixed grip, and hooked grip allow you to pull more weight than you should. With a conventional double overhand, grip is the limiting factor, so you will pull sub maximally everytime.

[@Yyyyy77817]

​@@realpolitik3169 Snapped my back up when I wasn't using straps. Have had no issues deadlifting now using that I'm using straps. Fixed my form and recovery as well tho...

[@merogaro7197]

Do it once a week. You were greedy. I hope you fully recover

[@TrapKingz.]

Moral of the story = don’t deadlift

[@realpolitik3169]

@@TrapKingz. Squatting and Deadlifting are kings. Respect the kings and play them straight and you'll be richly rewarded... or fuck around and find out.

[@drmatt357]

Thank you for this. From someone who’s been training almost 5 decades and a practicing DC for 4,I’ll tell you deadlifts train the shitte out of the 5th lumbar disc to the point it explodes!😮

[@trevorthiessen6317]

When i played football in HS and college, we never did deadlifts. Squats and power cleans are what we did instead.

[@jcb4826]

Exactly Dr. Mike, it works everything. That's why beginners get the most benefit from doing them. Sure it's fatiguing but you get 80% of a full body workout from ONE LIFT! It also builds work capacity like none other, rivaled only by squats because if you can do a hard set of deadlifts then a hard set of curls ain't nothing. You can say it doesn't target one specific muscle group but that's the beauty of it because it targets many at the same time. Sure if you've been lifting 6-8-10+ years and have a truly advanced physique that's very hard to stimulate growth then yeah it might not be the best use of your time for hypertrophy but for beginners and many intermediate lifters, done right, it's the best bang for the buck lift known to man plus you'll be virtually guaranteed to not have any muscle or strength imbalances after a few months. Same reason beginners need to stand up when doing overhead pressing and learn to stabilize their entire body during heavy lifts because there's tons of crossover to get extra growth in areas that are not the "target muscle" when it's easiest to achieve growth and easiest to recover from because the muscle is smaller and doesn't have to repair as much plus work capacity is low. Bottom line is they should specify who this information is for because it can lead many down the wrong path.

[@taylorbee4010]

Strength and posture Gets testosterone up Trains like Everything all at once Can seriously shape legs and back/posture

[@JeffStark-e1o]

I agree with Mike on this.Great for people just getting started,or general strength.I'll do them occasionally just to break things up.

[@vincewarren1271]

They're great for overall strength and thickness. I'd never fuck with anyone who can deadlift 400-500+ pounds. That's a strong lad 💪

[@kayg5197]

As a powerlifter who is always exposed to elite athletes on social media: thank you for your comment. I somehow feel better now after reading it.

[@Korksbebig]

Thanks bro

[@Shon52]

Deadlifts keeping you big as hell

[@platinum295]

You can be like 120 pulling 405 and still look skinny asf deadlifts are mid at best

[@EverydayElixer]

Soyboys making excuses for weak pulls

[@AdamGold-ke4cu]

@@platinum295maybe not everyone wants to be big

[@platinum295]

@@AdamGold-ke4cu i was proving a point

[@justincain2702]

​@@platinum295It's possible, but if you can lift 405 skinny, you could keep going and lift 700 jacked.

[@sentinal0291]

This guy is a body builder meaning he is speaking specifically about hypertrophy, it doesn’t matter if deadlifts are a good move for building strength, or improving the CNS or injury prevention, none of those things matter on a bodybuilding stage and as far as that goes he’s completely right, deadlifts are simply not optimal for hypertrophy for the same reason why they are good at those other things

[@Zx6rBlue]

Deadlifts hurt my back, so I'm glad to hear Mike say this.

[@alphasaiyan5760]

Deadlifts train the posterior chain and the central nervous system to be able to handle more weight over all.

[@Savage_t_Saint]

Deadlifts and rack pulls have tripled my back size. Its a great lift. RDLs have doubled my hamstrings. My back really responds to heavier weights. My chest better with volume. It reaponds to GVT at 50% of 1RM. My quads to volume as well. It took me years to really figure this out. My workouts look insane to the average lifter. Everyone is different.

[@arod6689]

Deadlift is a strength movement. The muscles just aren't getting enough of a stretch/contraction to promote gains at the rate of any exercise that does stretch. But if you combine it with a movement that does stretch it'll allow you to get slow but steady gains.

[@pyeclam]

I like deadlifts because it builds good overall strength, but I feel it can be difficult to fit into a split since they are fatiguing. I think Justin Lee recommended a small change to fit it into a push pull so that there's more rest period.

[@merogaro7197]

Just do it once a week

[@chrisdonnell2575]

I got the Titan Squat Max MD so I can heavily train legs without squats and now do deadlifts as well. Best of both worlds and the fatigue factor NOT an issue anymore. Great for traps and forearms!

[@JSamad]

Deadlifts make me wanna go home immediately after I finish them. They're too taxing and really deserve a day on their own, but I don't have the time nor the energy to train 5 days a week.

[@Dan_K_Meme]

@@JSamadThis 100%. They are soooo tiring. Sam Sulek feels the same about them lol

[@jasontessler421]

This guy can talk me into an exercise and out of an exercise in the same damn video.

[@channelname57]

The level of sarcasm this man dishes out is astounding. I love watching him talk

[@Cooowop]

People need to take this to heart man 🙏

[@AChunkyDog]

Oh okay cool. I was thinking deadlifts weren't benefiting me at all and only effing my lower back up. I'll do other stuff instead.

[@benj1b]

Deadlifts aren't great for bodybuilding, but great for strength training

[@aca347]

you are probably doing them wrong or too heavy if you feel them too much in the lower back but even if you do them correctly, I think stimulus-to-fatigue ratio isn't worth it from a pure bodybuilding perspective. whenever I do deadlifts I just feel tired in general. really can't think of a good reason to deadlift if you are not a powerlifter. if you still wanna deadlift, RDLs are just better.

[@michaelmanning7954]

@@aca347this. Strength/powerlifting, DL are necessary, but not ideal for body building. OP definitely isnt lifting right and thats from personal experience

[@nirvanafan500]

Deadlifts are great to become a good deadlifter. Keeping it short, I loved deadlifting..it was my passion. Everything about it. From technique to recovery. 1 back surgery later and I probably won't ever do them again . My lumbar spinal discs are battered with an MRI Showing it. I'm trying to spread the word and find out from other people who may have had similar problems. For reference I was a 600lb puller. If you do them please take it easy and If you think you're taking it easier, double check again, and then again. Because I did 99% of everything right and it still caused me the need or surgery.

[@AChunkyDog]

@@nirvanafan500 I'm only seeing that it's pretty unnecessary unless you're specifically a deadlifter. Longevity > proving something to myself as a fresh rookie strength trainer.

[@80077655]

For athletic performance, exercises that teach your muscles to work together are preferable to training them in isolation. Isolation exercises can be beneficial to improve the weak link in a more complex, multi muscle lift.

[@danski6694]

I was a big deadlifter 10-12 years ago. Got to a 545 pull. Not powerlifting numbers but still pretty good. My problem is that I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to be - a big strong guy, or look great. Deadlifting heavy leaves nothing in the tank for other stimulus which will more likely improve your overall physique. That is the “problem” with focusing on deadlifts. Oh and yea - no matter how good your form is, when going for a PR, you WILL screw up your technique, which will lead to lower back issues. I have since switched to squats and occasional RDL’s now in my mid 40’s and my back is the most pain free and healthy its ever been since I began seriously training 25 years ago

[@reportteemo4690]

ive literally never tried 1RM on deadlifts.. but thats because im still not 100% sure about my form, not even close. i do like 3 sets of 150kg X 6. 3 years of gym so far. deadlifting is hard

[@danski6694]

@@reportteemo4690 Keep the bar close to your body as you can. Literally ride the shins up. Try not to round your back. Thats bad. Sit back into the lift when initiating- although that depends on your height/build. But you want to initiate the lift with legs as well as back

[@reportteemo4690]

@@danski6694 i think my problem is not being able to lower hips low enough and be able to push with legs from that position, every other thing u mentioned is good i feel like. thanks

[@alexwolff9395]

@@reportteemo4690 found a great queue is not thinking of lifting the bar off the ground. instead grab it, lock in and think of pushing the ground away with as much force as you can. always felt my legs more when I deadlifted like this

[@JPeakman96]

@@danski6694 so basically you got sucked into the trap of over reaching your capabilities and acquiring niggles because of it. Don't blame the deadlift. If you consistently tried to go for pr's and such on a chest fly I'm pretty sure you'd pick up some injuries too. Treat it like any other lift and you'll be a-ok.

[@avgsanchez]

Deadlifting moderate weight with a controlled technique till failure is one of the best workouts that can be incorporated in your routine, period.

[@DJ_Force]

Deadlifts are great at training deadlifts, and are a lot of fun. Also, a great introduction into the world of physical therapy and back doctors!

[@nirvanafan500]

From a former lover of deadlifts. It was my passion. I second this.. pains me to say.

[@JSamad]

This is misinformation

[@ThePhilpacs]

They are great for power and functional strength. It also is great training for balance, recruitment and the nervous system in general.

[@DG19835]

I have been working out for about 20 years, doing all sorts of various workout routines including a vigorous big 3 rotation. Squat, bench, deadlift. Now. I have not touched deadlift in about 3 years, also the best I have looked ever in my life. I have found targeting a specific muscle is far more effective then full body type lifts.

[@12what34the]

I think deadlifts are so dumb and I am glad to hear others say they are less than ideal.

[@PetterNe]

So you’re saying compound exercises like bench and lats aren’t effective in terms of hypertrophy?

[@DG19835]

@@PetterNe no, just deadlift. There are more effective exercises.

[@BeginnerMoto]

It sounds like you built solid physique and transitioned to things that would suit you at your level. That doesn’t mean that they are worse for the majority of people who don’t have your experience level.

[@BillHesse]

I enjoy the blend of embracing and fearing the deadlift.

[@Rully30]

Powerfatties punching air right now

[@RSE-2020]

Competitive bodybuilders often avoid the deadlift exercise for a few key reasons: Risk of injury: The deadlift is a technically demanding lift that puts significant stress on the lower back, which is a common area of concern for bodybuilders trying to avoid injuries that could derail their training and competition prep ..

[@ryanfletcher4054]

I love deadlifts, absolute favourite exercise! That being said I'm recovering from knee surgery and just getting back into training so I've left them out of my program for the first time in forever

[@382u3uuej]

I love deadlifts for bodybuilding, but the difference in how I do them compared to most people is: - I train it once every 10 days (I learned that from Eddie Hall). - The deadlifts are on a deficit rather than conventional - I do a lot of sets rather than 3 (I work up to 8 sets as the mesocycle progresses) - When I get too weak to do more than 5 reps I take some weight off (a down set, this happens after 4 sets). Using all of these things makes it good for bodybuildng and I always make progress, the first session of the meso I do less reps, the second session I match my previous numbers and after that I progress, I haven't been stuck so far, If I was doing 3 sets of conventional deadlifts with very low reps then it wouldn't be as useful. Also regarding lower back pain, most people don't stretch their lower back at all and they don't decompress it, that is their issue rather than the exercise.

[@emanuele6610]

Damn the last part, I used to have intense low back pain and stopped doing deadlifts, then I bought a bar to hang at home every day, started hanging daily, especially after deadlift (and squats) and now I never have pain, I love hanging so much, it also fixed a good part of my shoulder pain

[@derekrodrigues6890]

@@emanuele6610how long do you hang for? I’m dealing with this issue from deadlifts too

[@emanuele6610]

@@derekrodrigues6890 I used to hang at least 3 mins a day, usually in sets of 1 minute or more(depending if I wanted to train the grip while decompressing the spine), and keeping the core relaxed, if you engage it it's not gonna stretch so kinda useless. I still hang daily but not as much as when I had pain. I'm no med tho so I can't promise it's gonna help, but in my case it definitely helped a lot

[@derekrodrigues6890]

@@emanuele6610 I’ll try this out

[@PetterNe]

The last part here about stretching your lower back… I’ll try it out - and if it helps, you’ve changed my life!

[@moeyalawn]

I love how we got so many alternatives for deadlift in this short.

[@danielnoonan6191]

Everything in my head says to stop doing them. But I just enjoy them sooooo much. 🤷🏼

[@fabriciooliveira3720]

Deep squats and goodmornings has a better stimulus to fatigue ratio, but the king to me is Bulgarian Split Squats, it has all the benefits from squats and DL while also correcting imbalances, squat and DL strenght doesnt translate to BSS, but BSS translates to squats and DL, ideally i do legs twice a week, one day focusing on single leg exercises and other on half bottom deep squats

[@X3MCTZN]

As a Bulgarian I have a naturally build intolerance towards BSS 😢 hahha but booi I admit these the only ones that can fire up my legs!

[@jg5004]

No amount of other excises that “stimulate a muscles as much as deadlifts” will ever replicate the feeling of holding 500+lbs in your hands after you deadlifted it off the ground and your body is screaming from the sense of pain and orgasm at the same time.

[@AndreaAustoni]

Yes that's good for the ego but does that grow muscle more than other exercises? That's the point of the video.

[@gitarooman2995]

Literal ego lifting

[@godlikemachine645]

@@gitarooman2995 yes, but it's safe with proper technique. so if people want to stroke their ego, deadlifts are the best way to do it, IMO

[@doctorgorgomel]

@@AndreaAustoni mechanistically? deadlifts are far from the best. However if one enjoys doing them and this improves adherence to the program (or just training in general), then deadlifts are great. If one dislikes doing 6-8 isolation exercises for a workout, they're not going to do it for long. This is something a lot of people forget. Perfect is the enemy of good and good is infinitely better than nothing. I don't think Ronnie Coleman would have enjoed training and become one of the GOATs of bodybuilding if he could not go heavy.

[@feedandseed5632]

Not the ego lifting!11!1 -120lb science based lifter

[@aamirh3567]

If anyone wants to work lower back, just do hyperextensions, job done. Dont need to deadlift. Back squats alone will build a big lower back. There is no reason to deadlift at all unless for powerlifting reasons.

[@slamsuperslam]

I finish my workouts with deadlifts on pull days. If I’m not already exhausted, they demolish me and I love the feeling.

[@nostalji93]

Isn't it risky to do deadlifts and potentially injure yourself while already exhausted? I think it could be better to start off with deadlifts and fatigue urself with more targeted exercise.

[@henrikgostomski286]

@@nostalji93 it's not risky if he goes controlled and lightweight, but it probably doesn't grow a lot of muscle or strength if he is already fatigued and has tired forearms. It probably would make more sense to end a push day with deadlifts, since none of the posterior muscles or forearms are being worked and the fatigue on a push day is usually less compared to pull or leg days, atleast for me.

[@matversion2]

Same principle as doing squats last in your leg day, your legs are already fried so you don't have to use anywhere on the same level of weight to finish your legs with them, and your limiting factor likely won't be your back anymore, which will limit injury risk and axial (systemic) fatigue. You'll end up using half the weight of they follow rows, vertical pulls, and whatever other stuff, and likely mostly fry your erectors.

[@slamsuperslam]

@@nostalji93 I keep that in mind and don’t go too hard. Just enjoy frying my lower back and hammies after targeting upper/mid back earlier in the workout.

[@nostalji93]

@@slamsuperslam I think the keyword here is you "enjoy" yourself. And if it works for you it works. But if you want to optimise your hypertrophy training this might be an idea to play around with. There are obviously excercises that target your lower back and hamstrings more directly. I hope I don't get banned here for saying this but: Obviously not everything needs to be optimal hypertrophy training :P Take care of yourself, stay healthy and may the gains be with you!

[@tobiasmccallum9697]

Narrow grip floor press, with a slight skull crusher dip at the end is one of the single best tricep exercises for hypertrophy Atop thinking about bench as a pec exercise only

[@amy3458]

As a figure athlete, I had the best body of my life doing deadlifts and straight-legged deadlifts on leg day. Wednesday, every week. LOVE ‘EM!!!

[@connorking984]

Stuff legged deadlift brought me to a higher plane of hamstring development, it's just, they're not great at targeting one muscle. Which doesn't matter unless that's what you want

[@TempleoftheSon]

The deadlift trains the central nervous system and confidence. Both of which are very important if you plan on getting really strong in other lifts.

[@roki4414]

Deadlift is one of the best exercises. Also this exercise is given for elder people or people after surgery to get back in shape, because it triggers almost every muscle and it is basic!

[@mons1117]

is not one of the best exercises. it is not basic at all as it requires tons of technique and practice. what makes you think you know more about exercise than this guy?

[@connorking984]

​@@mons1117"this guy" aka Dr Mike is a huge fan of deadlift it's just that they aren't great for getting "big". Great for lifestyle, strength, fun to do. But not for muscle size.

[@tractor7937]

@@mons1117deadlifts are very simple. It’s not like you’re learning how to figure skate or throw a discus or a fucking fast ball. It’s super simple. It is however one of the hardest exercises on the low back.

[@tractor7937]

@@connorking984I mean if you don’t control the eccentric to some degree or you don’t do enough volume, then yea it won’t work that great for hypertrophy. The same way that a concentric-only pin bench press for 3x3 at 85% won’t grow your chest.

[@mons1117]

@@tractor7937 if its so simple then how come so many people mess it up? a bicep curl is simple. deadlifts are not, you need to learn technique if you dont want to injure yourself, meanwhile with most exercises you can just start doing them and get results

[@StuartHollingsead]

Set a goal and work towards it. Mine is the 1000 lb club. Deadlift 500, squat 300, bench 200 Or any combination that adds up to 1000.

[@simpsonjayhawk]

Risk to injury is too high, paraphrasing, but a former NFL vet said you won’t find anyone doing deadlifts in an NFL gym

[@miderwr9363]

It's too high for someone with a million dollar contract to perform in a sport where the benefits of the deadlift is very minimal for the sport. It's not too high for anyone else who wants to learn how to do them properly and work their way up.

[@onurbole7921]

It is a valuable piece of information, 10 years ago it was "unless you deadlift you are not even training." Not downplaying the exercise, but thousands of casual gym goers have probably got chronic injuries for life because of this advice on the internet, without even looking like they lift.

[@jamestemple5687]

⁠​⁠@@aaronlc7948Look up Barbell Medicine. Two fully qualified doctors with a huge amount of experience of coaching professional powerlifters and are pretty elite level lifters themselves. It’s not random advice that deadlifting isn’t dangerous or that a risk to reward ratio exists. It’s just a lift like any other and the determining factors of injury risk are related to intensity and dosage. Which you can get wrong on any lift and become injured as a result. The ideas that deadlifting is dangerous is based on outdated research and evidence. Sure, if you want to be as huge as possible, you should spend time doing other exercises than deadlifts. That’s fine and good advice. But to call deadlifting ‘ego lifting’ is dumb. And to say you’d rather listen to multimillionaire athletes is also dumb. Go find legitimate sources of information instead of watching those “HOW I TRAIN X ATHLETE TO BE THE BEST NFL PLAYER IN THE WORLD”.

[@MrLuna109]

Deadlifting isn't dangerous. The stronger you are on deadlift, the less likely you are to injure your back. As far as athletic performance, there are exercises that will make you even faster and able to jump higher than deadlifts, but it's still good

[@jamestemple5687]

@@aaronlc7948 Thinking that your doctor would have the relevant expertise and authority to speak on if deadlifting is dangerous or not is laughable. They don't teach that stuff at medical school.

[@alantyndall85]

Working all those muscles takes time, however. If that's more important than fatigue then it's a great choice for strength and size.

[@Broaclese]

How's Ronnie's back doing these days? Rhetorically asked by a fella with titanium holding his spine together

[@alexdelarge5703]

His form was bad and he overstrained so he's fucked

[@camakaze1330]

I think Ronnie’s back stuff was made a lot worse with botched surgery sadly

[@kakefisk]

​@@alexdelarge5703messed up surgery and not taking any time off to actually rehab after surgery will mess up EVERYBODY

[@timothyflorio9867]

​@@camakaze1330he also never listened to his doctors trained while injured and used chiro as treatment...

[@camakaze1330]

@@timothyflorio9867 that won’t have helped either 😂

[@mikenromero7409]

Out of my 9+ years of lifting out of all the people this is one of the guys who makes sense the most for all you beginners and people trying to learn listen to this man, please

[@spencerc32]

To get all the definition required to go pro sure...just to be a jacked beast deadlifts are a go to

[@MrFaiton]

You have a better exercise for every muscle but how much time you have my boy. Manhood and strength good reasons to do it also.

[@gonnfishy2987]

Continental clean n' press was the best phrase I heard ever.

[@dwn2573]

Dead lifts (and squats) fixed my chronic back pain.

[@merogaro7197]

It will fix your back problems only if you have the perfect form and technique. Also never overtrain.

[@marinetankbuilds]

I am an electrician, and we have to pick heavy shit up off of the floor all of the time. That lift helps mobilize and train that range of motion, which makes risk of injury on the job much less because I am used to it in the gym. As long as you were strict on your form and do not allow yourself to get sloppy, you will not get hurt. it is when you start to ego lift and start bending your back to try and accommodate heavier weight than you can pick up when you get hurt

[@Simlatio]

I prefer my lifts alive.

[@michaelholder98]

Dr Mike’s never ending argument of how he justifies in his own head how and why it’s better never to do things that are the hardest and most challenging to do when training

[@JonTift]

Deadlifts and squats produce a WILD testosterone/growth hormone response. For that reason alone you should do them.

[@Mizoturi]

I do deadlifts just because it feels good, IDK why but that feeling when you lift heavy af in that movement feels satisfying

[@sscswimmer1]

Baffling to me how you can list so many benefits to training a deadlift then get to the conclusion that they're bad.

[@zoli11]

It's a compound exercise. He's saying that for each component there are better, targeted exercises. He's talking for advanced level lifters here, with enough time on their hands, not average dudes.

[@JBravoRebel]

He didn't say "bad" just "not as great."

[@ytdiury]

Yeah, doesn't really make sense. What he seems to miss somehow is that while there might be better isolation exercises for each muscle you'd need to do way more of those isolation exercises to compensate for not doing deadlifts and therefore the overall fatigue would probably end up being about the same in the end.

[@fortnex9972]

The problem is the risk of hernia. Specially now since Cross fit made a trend of that excercise. I saw 17 y.o. girls doing it the second day at gym with the worst technique.

[@warrenb243]

Don’t trust anyone saying deadlifts aren’t good for strength

[@nokiamobilrau]

Did you even read the video title?

[@MultiNudelauflauf]

He never said anything about strength so idk who you are talking about

[@sethputnamsghost]

I would definitely recommend deadlifts bodybuilding or not.👍

[@zakxtoten]

Another question, what 's the benefit bodybuilding? Train for functionality and athleticism, keep deadlifting.

[@TheDagon12]

The benefit is to look the best, not necessarily at the cost of functionality, but to prioritize the look of the muscle over its functionality

[@narutofan2010san]

I found deadlifts pretty beneficial when picking up heavy boxes from the ground. The leg drive and core bracing technique helps a lot. However, for bodybuilding purposes its not entirely necessary. Bent over rows and good mornings are also great for back muscle growth

[@maximkuleshov8852]

Did you actually watch the video before typing your comments? One more time - DL doesn't work muscles through their full ROM, which limits benefits. "YoU jUsT dEaDlIfT wRoNg" Lifting heavy with DL demands perfect form - slip up, and you're fucked. Just do RDL and GM instead, Jesus. Full ROM and nobody's fucked. "DL mAkEs Me BiG aNd StRoNg". Your dedication and consistency makes you big and strong (good job btw), not you stupid choice of exercises. Even less-than-ideal workouts can lead to gains if you're committed enough. Imagine how big you would be if you do the right thing. But yeah, I know, how else can you casually drop that you can lift a small car?

[@jamesevansen5246]

Obviously Dr Mike is an expert and has offered us extremely good advice over the years, and even has a point here. However, keep in mind this advice is for the already jacked (or for the jacked up). Also for counter points, see Eric Bugenhagen.

[@Denserbytheday]

Romanian deadlift supremacy 💯

[@jemand8462]

I would argue the stretch in glutes and hamstring in deadlift are as good as they get. And it’s been shown it’s the best trap workout, too, even though I have my difficulties understanding why as it’s isometric

[@joemurray6522]

You don’t have to do deadlifts you just have to do 10 other exercises in their place

[@josh2711]

10 other exercises that you would be doing anyway

[@brandoclark8055]

Thank you so much Dr.Mike

[@danielsalmeron4283]

The fuck with the bots in the comments 😭

[@Shon52]

Bots keeping you big as hell

[@Greshgore]

I prefer the new ones to the ones constantly asking you to look at their profile photo, but they're still annoying.

[@AdaptiveMK1]

I know they’re fun but imo they just cause more injury than anything, you’ve gotta lift heavy to actually have benefits while training but if you lift too heavy then enjoying lower back pain for a while

[@paytonj2620]

I hate deadlifts. The risks to reward isn't worth it, and you get bigger with other lifts.

[@Verziroo]

Deadlifts are a strength exercise. I don’t know why people compare deadlifts to things like shrugs for instance, completely different objectives. Deadlifts undeniably grow your spinal erectors… better than other movements? Perhaps not, but in that case you should stop doing OHP and do lateral raises only instead. OHP and deadlifts are strength movements, bread and butter of IRL carry over along with farmer’s walks.

[@aca347]

you'd get crucified for saying this like a decade ago on the internet. back then nobody trained arms and everyone just did compounds. bodybuilders shaped their programs around deadlifts. also machines were regarded as the ultimate evil. now it's all about the deep stretch, controlled and technical isolation movements, being mindful of fatigue management, etc. I always said bodybuilders should stop training like powerlifters and got shat on for saying that. "bro you gotta lift heavy to get big, you can't lift heavy with lateral raises bro why don't you just do OHP for shoulders bro leg curl is for pussies bro" (I still do OHP btw but like 4 sets a week in total). 5x5 programs for people who are training for aesthetics, those were the days lol

[@michaelmanning7954]

This shows you dont know how tonlift DL properly. But, your last statement is correct if your goal is body building and not strength

[@goncalopereira8267]

Men just watch strongdeadlifters back density,its crazy

[@MRM.98]

@@aca347 agreed 100%. It’s about being able to lift till your old. As you get older you start to weigh the risk to reward with certain compound movements especially if you’re still trying to progressively overload. Mind you I still do majority of compound movements but not as frequent as I used to.

[@michalmilko8347]

after deadlift i feel very good, basically best exercise to compensate sitting office job.

[@Literallyheretotalkshi]

Deadlifts are more of a CNS builder to me. We used to incorporate them into training for rock climbing. I might be wrong about that, but it’s how I’ve always treated the exercise.

[@simonstarmans1655]

Soleus gastrocnemius triceps deltoids rhomboids layissimus dorsi hamstrings seratus anterior pectorals major etc..

[@scottyk1763]

Damn it Dr Mike your double blink got me again.

[@soumilsingh2047]

Hey, I do think that there's some truth that we can train each muscle separately for more stimulus however we can't say there would be less fatigue because to train each muscle separately we need a hell lot of exercises for ex to replace deadlift you would have to do 1 RDL for hams glutes , for quads you would need another exercise, for overloading traps with weighted stretch you will need another exercise and for lats mid back another exercise and for core too sure you could do all these exercises for more stimulus but fatigue of doing all these exercises would be greater than doing deadlift alone . So for greater stimulus we would require more fatigue ( I'm talking about Overall fatigue on the body weekly fatigue) So there's no best answer do what you like if one has less time sure do deadlifts until you're mentally dead .

[@calebnewell5032]

No, you’re incorrect. What Dr. Mike said is absolutely true. You don’t get much systemic fatigue AT ALL from hamstring curls, leg extensions, calve extensions, shrugs, or back extensions. You get a decent amount of fatigue from leg press, but still not quite the amount you’d get from deadlifts and you can squeeze a lot more juice out of them and dial in on the quads and glutes. The accumulative fatigue from doing literally all of those exercises in one workout, probably still wouldn’t even be the same as if you’d just done deadlifts and nothing else. If your goal is to build muscle, you want to minimize systemic fatigue as much as possible, so that you’re only waiting on the targeted area to heal, rather than the entire body. This is why body builders typically break up their training into splits, such as: push, legs, pull. Breaking up your training into a split optimally limits systemic fatigue, because your body’s healing is staggered throughout the week. I’ve anecdotally cut deadlifts completely out of my mesocycles, and traded them for leg curls (because I was doing stiff legged dead lifts for my hamstrings). The trade off is that I can optimally target hamstrings on the same day that I put everything I’ve got into leg pressing, or hack squatting. Even still, there’s never been a single leg day, that’s prevented me from being ready for back day, the following day. If I conventional deadlifted, I’d probably need at least 2 rest day, plus my overall output would be noticeably limited, on anything else I tried to do that week, much less that day, until my entire body recovered.

[@danielkinney5451]

I love how you break into humor. Animals gold platinum...no diamonds hahaha

[@KG-jh4on]

Same reason something like ring push ups with feet elevated can tear up your chest, huge deep stretch on your pecs at bottom