Have you wondered what muscles that deadlift works out? The best answer is that it works out all of the. In this article, we are going to go over all of the benefits of doing deadlifts and the main muscles they workout.
I used to not do deadlifts. I thought they weren’t for me. But as soon as I incorporated them into my routine, my results shot through the roof. I will admit, it wasn’t just the addition of the deadlift. It also was the first time in my life that I was eating at a caloric surplus.
For those that don’t know, if you want to build muscle, you must be eating at a caloric surplus. You cannot build muscle during a caloric deficit. There is no way around this fact. Some gurus will try to convince you otherwise.
The reason that people refuse to believe that they have to be at a caloric surplus to build muscle is because society as a whole is overweight. And people would prefer to lose weight over building muscle.
That is fine and all, but you have to choose one or the other. It is great to lose weight first, and then start bulking up muscle.
Let’s get back to deadlifts. First, let’s discuss the 2 main types of deadlifts.
Different types of deadlifts
If you are just starting out, I would definitely start with the traditional deadlift. This will be a great start for your gains, and it is what I used for the longest time. I will explain further as we go.
Traditional Deadlift
Both the traditional deadlift and the hex bar deadlift workout the same muscles. But they just use different bars to support the motions.
I recommend starting out with the traditional deadlift. You will find that it is very challenging, but it will get your muscles fired up.
Hex Bar Deadlift
The hex bar deadlift is sometimes referred to as the trap bar deadlift. Ask your gym manager if they have one. Sometimes they don’t, but if it’s a small gym, you might be able to convince the manager to order one.
I personally do not do traditional deadlifts anymore. Hopefully the gym purists don’t hate me for saying that.
When I discovered the hex bar deadlift, I was immediately hooked. It is better for your knees and lower back. With traditional deadlifts, you are leaning forward in order to prevent the bar from scraping your shins and knees.
With a hex bar deadlift, you are doing a more natural motion of up and down.
Muscles that deadlift works
Deadlifts are the absolute king of all exercises. If I was forced to do one exercise the rest of my life, and I was able to choose, it would be the deadlift. Why? Because it literally works out every muscle in your body.
Let me explain. You would think that deadlifts are working out your legs if you just look at the motions. But sure enough, every muscle group is hit.
We know that legs are the main one, but what about back? Yep, your back is hit too. While you are performing deadlifts, you want to keep your back as straight as possible. Your back is going to be working overtime to make that happen.
What about your chest? When you are squeezing as hard as you can to hold onto that bar, you bet your chest is being worked out. This is an often overlooked muscle group for deadlifts because it is not actively targeted.
Of course your arms and shoulders cannot be left out. Your arms are what is holding the bar and your shoulders are making sure that your arms stay stable.
We cannot forget about your core! Your core is what is holding everything together. Whether you notice it or not, your core is keeping all of your other muscles stable. You are most likely squeezing your abs to keep everything together.
Now you understand what I am talking about when I say that I can do deadlifts for the rest of my life. It is truly the swiss army knife of all of the exercises.
Let’s review the muscles that deadlift works. Legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders, and core! Is there a muscle group that I missed? That just about covers every muscle group in the body.
Supplementing with other exercises
Nobody is putting a gun to our head and saying that we need to be doing deadlifts for the rest of our lives. Therefore we can choose other exercises to do that supplement our deadlifts.
This is why most experts recommend a well rounded workout routine. If you are looking for FREE workout plans that will help you hit your goals, I recommend downloading our app All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play).
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If you don’t feel like downloading our app, take a look at our beginner bodybuilding routine for mass. You won’t regret taking your body to the next level.
We also understand that most people would prefer to just lose fat. Which is why we put together a list of HIIT workouts that burn the most calories.
Deadlifts are great. And if you only had the option to do one exercise, it should be the deadlift. But since we more than likely have many options to choose from, we should take advantage of that.
You can build an incredible body, you just need to follow some simple rules. Eating right, staying consistent in the gym, and doing it over a long period of time is the guaranteed formula for getting in epic shape.
Main Point: Muscles that deadlift works
By now, we all know the muscles that deadlift works. It’s all of them. And don’t come at me with “you’re not working out your scalp muscles,” or something foolish like that. Let’s just be fair. Deadlifts workout every MAJOR muscle group in the body.
You all now know my stance on deadlifts. If I could choose one exercise to do for the rest of my life, it would have to be deadlifts. I also know people that dedicate an entire gym day each week to deadlifts. I am not that dedicated when there are other options.
Even though I recommend starting with traditional deadlifts, you should definitely check out the hex bar deadlift if your gym has one. Just know that you won’t go to the Olympics if you do hex bar deadlifts. I don’t think that is a category.
All in all, if you are not doing deadlifts, now is the perfect time to start. Head to your gym, and find out for yourself the muscles that deadlift works.
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