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Origin's Lifting Series: The Deadlift
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Love them or hate them, a lower body workout wouldn’t be complete without a deadlift or a deadlift variation. However, we are aware that they are more complicated than they look and the pressures to perform them correctly are high (cue the gym floor form police).
To help you on your way to performing top class deadlifts, we speak to the Head Coach at Dedicated by Design Callum Barney. Callum is a strength coach who works across England, Scotland, America, Taiwan and France. He knows a thing or two about the deadlift.
Callum has nearly 10 years’ experience as a coach, coaching athletes at a variety of levels. He has also competed to an international standard in powerlifting, winning three world champions in a row… impressive!
Callum now runs one of the largest coaching brands in the UK – Dedicated by Design (DBD). DBD was formed around the idea of always prioritising the athlete experience. Callum and the DBD team give the most detailed and highly communicative coaching possible. He also manages a facility that houses a coffee shop, beauty therapy rooms, ShapeMaster suite and performance gym called Thrive. Thrive includes strength and conditioning equipment from Origin.
So it’s safe to say, Callum has a wealth of worthy knowledge on the beloved Deadlift.
Going back to basics...
The deadlift is a compound exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted from the ground. The person should bend over at the waist and hips and drive through the floor to lift the bar up. The lift is complete when until the torso is upright.
It is important to maintain a braced, neutral spine throughout to reduce the risk of injury:
“To keep it simple, a deadlift is quite simply loading a barbell on the floor and finding the most efficient means possible to pick it up with as much weight as you can. The movement inherently is about learning to hinge, so this just means it’s a very hip dominant movement”.
“What’s a compound exercise?!” we hear you ask. Callum divulges that an exercise that is considered a compound movement refers to the amount of musculature involved.
“Anything that uses several muscle groups and different changes in joint angles is a compound exercise. Anything that utilises just one muscle/ muscle group is an isolation movement.”
Why Deadlift?
Although deadlifts can be complicated in terms of getting form correct, they are one of the exercises that can be performed with minimal equipment. They can be performed in almost any space in the gym.
How many times have you walked into a gym and every squat rack is taken? The good thing about deadlifts is that all you really need is a barbell, bumper plates and some space. (as long as that space has the correct flooring!)*.
Deadlifts also have a low risk of injury. It is one of the best compound exercises to do when you are training alone as a spotter isn’t required. You can comfortably perform your one rep max attempt, as if you fail you can usually safely drop the weight without risking injury.
You still need to be mindful to have the correct form. Remember to use collars so that if you become unbalanced, the weights don’t slide off.
An age old debate: Conventional vs. Sumo
If you enter any gym, you will find at least one person with a strong opinion on deadlift stances.
“Sumo is cheating!” is one that comes up quite frequently. But Callum explains the truth. Although each individual tends to have a preference, people will find that they are more proficient at one style or the other.
He continues:
“The main two differences in the stances are to do with limb length. More often that not, sumo is considered a highly skilled but shorter distance movement. Whereas a conventional deadlift is a longer range. Which is why it is considered a truer strength movement across multiple sports”.
Improving your deadlift
Deadlifting is an art form. It seems like no matter how hard you try, there are always little tweaks that can be made to improve. Callum has shared his top tips to improve your deadlift, no matter if you are a beginner or have been deadlifting for years!
“Two things that are vital for anyone, take your time and create tension. You may have seen people do this exercise and pull on the bar as hard and fast as possible. This is what can often lead to both mechanical breakdown as well as injury. You want to make sure you are in full control and in the best position is possible. The strongest pulls are often by the most skilled lifters.”
The biggest deadlift mistake that Callum has seen as a coach is people wanting to push as hard as possible and ‘max out’ often. But he notes that good progress is made with sensible work. To improve your deadlift and increase your one rep max, you must commit to a longer process.
Deadlifting myths
“Be explosive” – Callum’s top deadlifting myth is that you have to be explosive in your deadlift. Despite this suiting some people subjectively, the athletes who are most successful are the ones with superior control over the movement.
“Sumo is easier” – This has been debunked above. Although some people regard the sumo deadlift stance as easier, it is actually considered a highly technical variation. It takes a lot of practice.
"Deadlifting is bad for your back" – Quite the opposite. If done properly deadlifts have a variety of health and strength benefits. Saying this, we are referring to a perfectly healthy back. If you have previous back issues it’s always best to consult an expert. They will be able to tell you if deadlifting is right for you.
Origin team deadlift pros!
Kathryn - Strongwoman
Kat, our Bids and Tender Coordinator, competes in Strongwoman. She has competed this year in Scotland’s Strongest Woman where she placed 4th. However, this isn’t good enough for Kat, who is eager to beat this position next year.
She has an upcoming competition in October 2022 called Battle of the Nations, where one event is the Deadlift Ladder. She will be lifting weights from 100kg-160kg and the fastest to complete this wins the event.
Deadlifts are a staple exercise in strongwoman/strongman and are used consistently to increase strength in multiple muscles groups. Kat trains deadlifts regularly as deadlift events are common in a strongwoman competition. Mostly conventional deadlifts at high reps and heavier weights feature in Kat’s training program. Accessory deadlift exercises also occasionally feature such as deficit deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts & axle bar deadlifts.
Kathryn’s proudest deadlift moment is puling 180kg for a personal best in May. Mind blown!
Sarah - Bodybuilding
Sarah is Origin’s resident bodybuilder, and our Order Fulfilment & Supply Chain Team Leader. She has her first competition fast approaching in September this year, competing in figure at a first timers bodybuilding show.
To body build, Sarah uses deadlifts and their variations to target an array of muscles. This is needed to build a solid physique for the stage. She splits her training out to focus in on differing muscles. Sarah utilises Romanian Deadlifts to target her glutes on glute focused training sessions. On back focused days she trains conventional deadlifts for 1-2 sets where she aims to progress weekly.
When Sarah started her fitness journey, a 60kg one rep max was a big achievement. Now Sarah is repping nearly double that for sets. Extremely impressive especially as she is in a calorie deficit as her competition draws closer.
Beth - Powerlifting
Beth is our Digital Marketing Executive and powerlifter. She has been competing in powerlifting since 2019. She has recently been building her deadlifts with no other than Callum from Dedicated by Design for her international competition in November.
In powerlifting, deadlifts are one of the three exercises that are performed on competition day. They form a large part of Beth’s training and she deadlifts twice weekly.
To be a legal lift in powerlifting, deadlifts have to be performed as one smooth movement. The bar cannot go down and up during the pull and feet have to stay planted. You cannot rest the bar on your thighs. Beth has a sumo deadlift stance. Since being coached by Callum, she has quickly realised is far more technical than meets the eye.
Beth has a deadlift world record for the under 44kg weight class. She is most proud of her most recent form work on deadlifts and knows she has a lot more to give.
Deadlifts are a well-known, go-to lift for a large amount of the gym population from complete beginners to competitive athletes. Despite this, many people can get them wrong. Throughout this article, Callum has helped us uncover what a deadlift is. Additionally, he elaborates on how to perform one properly and busted some deadlift myths. We hope that this article has educated and inspired you to persist with your deadlifts. Here's to many new PBs!
Are you looking to add a deadlift station to your home gym or facility? Contact our friendly sales team for advice.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Callum, and Dedicated by Design on Instagram.
*for advice on flooring, refer to our Flooring Buying Guide.
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