OMG DEADLIFTS...

​Seriously, deadlifts are my absolute favorite thing to teach women how to do. I love seeing the “lightbulb” moment when they learn how to shift their hips back in space and pick up whatever weight (or object) is sitting on the ground in front of them.

but deadlifts "aren’t safe"!?!?

Actually, they aren't safe...  ONLY if you do them wrong, just like ANY exercise. The three things you need to remember with deadlifts (in order to do them safely) are...

1. ​stick that booty out
2. don't let your shoulders round
3. keep your back flat

And believe it or not, that’s about all you need it know.

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how I coach deadlifts

As I said before, deadlifts are my favorite. They are a key exercise to learn and build so much strength in areas that the average person lacks.  If you came to me never having heard of a deadlift, I would explain it as simply picking something up off the floor CORRECTLY.  Because when it gets down to it, that’s all you’re doing: setting yourself up for a lifetime free from your back “going out” due to picking up a kid or laundry baskets with bad form.  After explaining this, I'd give you a simple demonstration without weight, pointing out the fact that I keep my back straight, chest up, shoulders back and knees soft (as seen in the video below).   

Maybe you would be one of the few people that magically “get it” on their first try.  Or, maybe you wouldn't get it on the first try (like the majority of people).  If that would happen, we would walk over to a wall for some "brain training". I am sure you know how to do a squat, so your first deadlift ever will probably look something like a squat.  That's ok!  Everyone does this.  There is a difference to them, and to learn that, all I would have you do is stand close to a wall, facing away from it.  Then, you need to "search" for the wall with your butt ONLY. This might confuse you at first, but I promise there will be a that lightbulb moment as soon as you find the wall.

After the confusion is gone, you'll be shocked about how far back you have to send your hips to hit the wall!  The wall is there to give you faith that you won’t fall over, and when you finally hit it, you WILL feel the weight in your feet transfer into your heels (as opposed to the ball of your foot), a key of deadlifting.  In my video below, you will notice that I almost "rock" back onto my heels.

something to note:

The video below demonstrates ONE type of deadlift VARIATION.  There are many types and those specific videos/posts are on my list to discuss!  For today though, we will work on a "Romanian" or "straight leg" deadlift, the kind that is most easily performed (due to flexibility restrictions).

Once you've done your "hip hinge" experiment from above, it's time to play with flexibility.  ​As you see in the video, my back stays straight and my butt stays out the ENTIRE time the bar is traveling up and down.  This means that I let the bar go down only as far as I can while maintaining that good form.  This means that when you perform a deadlift, as SOON AS you reach a point that causes your back to curl or your shoulders to round forward, it's time to stop!  The point that you just reached is how far down you should go.  Let me reiterate: I would much rather you do a "shallower" deadlift and build up flexibility over time rather than compensate your form just to get closer to the ground.

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finally:

Once you've mastered the hip hinge and keeping your back straight, it's time to add some weight!  Start off with dumbbells and slowly progress up.  The key with a Romanian deadlift is to test your flexibility with each rep...  Each stretch you feel is the stuff that will give you "leg day soreness" the day after!