In the late 1800s, a simple exercise called the health lift — the original lift — was believed to provide the only physical fitness a man needed. The health lift was a very simple exercise. Pile heavy objects onto a machine, and then lift it. Workout completed, fitness and health improved — instantly.
Today we have another name for that exercise: the deadlift. And it's still king for developing total-body strength and muscle. But most 21st-century men avoid deadlifts because we've been told, rightly so, not to lift with our backs. Sure, you can lift without your back, much like you can speak without your tongue. But it's not very efficient or effective.
The deadlift works wonders on your physique for the exact reason the move's opponents avoid it: It requires a team effort from hundreds of muscles, including those in your lower back. As a result, you become more proficient at a basic human movement. Need to pick your kids off the floor? Deadlift. Taking out the trash? Deadlift.
Make the original lift for optimal health and longevity a staple in your workout. Use our safe and effective plan to master this simple and time-proven move.
Do the Potato-Sack Squat
There's a subtle difference between deadlifts and squats when you're learning how to do them. Typically, when you hold the weight down in front of your body, the move is a deadlift. When you hold it across your shoulders, it's a squat. An exercise called the potato-sack squat is a sort of hybrid, and it helps you get comfortable using your back to lift weights. You can do this move with a dumbbell, luggage, or, yes, a bag of potatoes.
Stand holding a dumbbell — use a 20- or 30-pounder to start — with both hands under the top of the weight and your arms hanging straight down in front of your body. Keep your chin and chest up and your shoulders back. Next, lower your body until the weight touches the floor. Then stand back up.
It takes longer to explain than it does to master. You should get the hang of it within three or four repetitions.
Sit Back and Relax
Once you've done a set of potato-sack squats, try another set, but this time slide two 10-pound weight plates under your toes so the balls of your feet are on the plates and your heels are on the floor.
Doing the exercise this way stretches your hamstrings and calves, and, more important, trains your body to stay upright. Men have a tendency to let their weight creep forward over their toes, and that's when back injuries often occur. By keeping your weight on your heels and pressing into the floor every time you do the deadlift, you'll reduce your risk of injury.
Prepare for Bigger Muscle
This next move can help you attain all the hip and hamstring flexibility you'll ever need. You're going to do the potato-sack squat once more, this time on an elevated surface. Stand with each foot on a box that is about 6 inches high, or on a pair of 45-pound plates. An aerobics step will work, too.
Now perform the potato-sack squat. When you touch the dumbbell to the floor, your hips will drop deeper than they did before, so you'll expand your range of motion and your muscle-building potential.
Build Strength in Seconds
Now you're ready for the deadlift. Place two 45-pound plates on a barbell and do what comes naturally: Pick it up and put it down. Then see the workout plan at right to increase the amount of weight you can lift fast. Keep these cues in mind.
Keep your arms straight, elbows locked
Drive your chin toward the ceiling as you lift the weight
Press down on your heels
Elevate your chest
Experiment by holding the barbell with an overhand grip (palms facing you) or an alternating grip (one palm forward, one palm facing you), with your hands placed at shoulder width or out toward the ends of the bar. Variations help you improve faster.
Bigger and Stronger in 6 Weeks
Week 1 (Five days a week)
Do the potato-sack squat.
Perform two to five sets of two to five reps.
Week 2 (Three days a week)
Perform the potato-sack squat with your feet on weight plates or an aerobic step.
Do three sets of five reps in your first workout.
Do five sets of three reps in your second session.
Perform five sets in your third workout: Start with five reps, and then subtract a rep while using the next-heaviest dumbbell in each subsequent set.
Week 3 (Twice a week)
For your first workout, do three sets of the deadlift. Perform seven reps in your first set, five reps in your second set, and three reps in your third set. Rest 2 minutes between sets, and increase the weight by 10 pounds in each set. That's one "wave." Next, do another wave, but add 5 pounds to your starting weight.
In your second deadlift workout, perform 10 sets of three reps using the weight you lifted for five reps in the second wave of your first workout. Rest 1 minute between sets.
Week 4 (Twice a week)
In your first workout, do the same progression you did in session one of week 3, but perform two waves using one less rep in each set. So you'll do six reps, four reps, and two reps, resting 2 minutes between sets. Increase your starting weight accordingly, and add 10 pounds every time you drop reps.
For your second workout, do the second session from week 3, but reduce your rest periods to 45 seconds between sets.
Week 5 (Twice a week)
In your first workout, perform the same deadlift progression that you did in Week 3 and Week 4, but decrease the reps again. So you'll do 5 reps, 3 reps, and 1 rep in your three sets, resting 2 minutes between sets and increasing the weight in each set.
For your second session, repeat your second workout from Week 4, but reduce your rest to 30 seconds between sets.
Week 6 (Twice a week)
Return to the workout you used in Week 3, performing seven reps, five reps, and three reps in your three sets, with 2-minute rest periods. But use the loads that you lifted in your first workout in Week 4.
In workout two, choose the heaviest amount of weight you can deadlift five times and perform 10 sets of three reps, resting1 minute between sets.
