Maximuscle's five simple steps to a better deadlift
The deadlift is one of the best but most underrated movements for adding muscle mass to your entire body. The exercise involves many different muscle groups,and is perfect for adding thickness and size to your lower and upper back, hamstrings, forearms and quadriceps. It's one of the most complete single movements you'll find.
With deadlifts, the poundage is important. But not at the expense of proper form. Here are five simple ways to improve your deadlift...
1. Use a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance. Keep the bar close to your shins at the beginning of the movement. If you find that the bar brushes your shins as you lift the bar, try wearing a pair of thick, long socks.
2. Don't jerk the bar off the ground. Stay in control of the movement.
3. Concentrate on lifting with your legs. One way to do this is to imagine pushing your feet down through the floor. It sounds a bit strange, but many top powerlifters use this technique to lift massive amounts of weight.
4. Don't round your back at the beginning of the lift. Doing so will place your back in a fragile position where it's susceptible to injury. Instead, keep your back in "neutral", where the aim is to maintain the natural curvature of the spine.
5. Lower the bar under control. If you feel it dropping, then you're probably using too much weight. Keep the bar close to your legs on the way down as well. Let the bar come to a rest on the floor, pause for a second, then repeat the movement.
Because it uses so many muscles, the deadlift is very physically demanding. After a set of heavy deadlifts, you should be breathing hard. You'll probably want to sit down. But try and keep moving, even if it's just by walking to the water fountain.
Because it's such a hard exercise, most people don't include the deadlift in their training programme. If you want to try the deadlift, but find it hard to summon up the motivation and energy to train with full intensity day-in and day-out, try using Viper Extreme. Take one serving of Viper Extreme, and within 15-20 minutes you'll experience a rapid "rush" of energy. Viper Extreme's unique and exclusive blend of herbal extracts, amino acids and carbohydrates ensures that you avoid the energy "dip" that usually follows. Many Viper Extreme users also report an increase in mental focus, heightened alertness and a reduction in fatigue.
Whether you're training hard, dancing, working late, driving long distances or even studying late into the night, there are very few products that compare with Viper Extreme. Once you've tried it, not even the deadlift will worry you!
