The Deadlift Prepares Your Entire Body to Produce Maximum Power on the Bike
Three. Two. One. Jump out of your saddle and unleash your sprint!
Now freeze and have someone take a picture of you, butt back, back flat, pushing into those pedals like you’re trying to knock the Earth off its orbit.
Photoshop out the bike and put a stacked barbell on the floor and that stance looks a whole lot like you’re readying to do a deadlift. That’s why knowing how to do a deadlift is crucial for strength training days—it’s a hero exercise for your hamstrings, and also helps build strength and stability in your glutes.
And that’s the beauty of this one-move wonder: The deadlift prepares your entire body to produce maximum power on the bike.
“The deadlift is as close as we can get to a full-body exercise,” says Menachem Brodie, C.S.C.S., head coach at Human Vortex Training, USA Cycling expert coach, and USA Triathlon coach. “It strengthens the posterior chain; develops your core and spine stabilizing muscles, and trains the upper, middle, and lower back to work with the glutes and hamstrings.”
All of that adds up to power and stability in the saddle. “With all your muscles working together and your legs pushing off a stiff, solid platform, you’ll be able to climb faster and sprint better,” Brodie says.
The postural stability deadlifting gives you also protects against pain and fatigue, Brodie adds. “Being able to maintain proper posture with your chest lifted and shoulders back helps prevent neck and back pain, especially on long rides.”
But it’s important you know how to do a deadlift before going straight into your workout—or trying any type of variations. Sacrificing form can lead to injury and will make the move ineffective.
How to Do a Proper Deadlift
The Set-Up:
If you’re using weight, Kenny Santucci, certified personal trainer and owner of Strong New York. recommends a hex bar, especially for beginners. But if you don’t have access, you can use dumbbells. As an alternative, Santucci prefers kettlebells, because the handle is higher off the ground, which makes it easier and teaches you to slide hands down your legs and touch knees, creating the hip-hinge motion, Santucci says. You can even use grocery bags if you’re adding weight to the move at home, as the height of the handles comes up to knee height.
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The Deadlift:
With weight in hand, stand tall with feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, a microbend in knees, shoulders back, and chest proud. Slowly send your hips back to hinge from the hips while keeping your back straight, abs tight, and chest lifted. Engage hamstrings and glutes to resist the downward pull of gravity as the weight lowers toward to the floor. Lower as far as you can until you feel a pull along the backs of legs. Push hips forward to come back up to standing. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Once you’ve learned how to do a deadlift the right way, there are plenty of variations you can do to mix up your workouts.
Deadlift Variations
You could reap all these benefits by sticking to the classic barbell or dumbbell deadlift…unless you don’t have a barbell or a gym membership or get bored easily. Then what you need are options. And you’re in luck, because Brodie has lots of options, because variety is good for your mind and your muscles.
“The idea behind strength training is challenging your body, so it’s forced to adapt. The best way to do that is to change what you’re doing on a regular basis, changing the loading scheme—sets, reps, and weight—or the exercises themselves,” he says. So once you’ve mastered the move, here are 12 deadlift variations to keep your results coming.
How to use this list: Review the moves below. Each is demonstrated by Roman Siromakha, certified personal trainer, CrossFit coach, and cyclist, so you can learn the perfect form. The Romanian deadlift is demonstrated by Santucci, with dumbbells so you can learn proper technique, then move on to a barbell. Use any of these exercises as a substitute for a classic deadlift in your regular routine. There are variations to help you perfect your form, variations to help you correct imbalances, and variations to activate sleeping glutes, so choose the ones that meet your needs.
Romanian Deadlift
All the deadlift variations require the same basic form: Start with feet hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in. Hinge at the hips and send your butt back as far as possible, allowing a micro bend in your knees as you lower the weights toward the floor. Maintain a neutral spine—don’t hunch forward or crane your neck. Push the floor away with your feet as you return to the starting position. Stand tall, keeping your spine neutral. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
If using a barbell, stand with the barbell over the center of the tops of your feet. Hinge at the hips and send your butt back as far as possible, allowing the knees to bend naturally, about 45 degrees. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, arms extended, shoulders back and positioned over the barbell. Push the floor away with your feet as you lift the bar to stand tall, keeping your spine neutral. Repeat.
Note: You’re an endurance athlete, not a competitive power lifter. If you’re not able to reach the bar while maintaining a neutral spine, put the weight up on blocks so you can reach it without hunching over or breaking form. You’ll get all the benefits without the injury risk of performing the move with poor posture.
Wall Hinge
If you’re brand new to deadlifts, start here. By facing the wall, you’re forcing yourself to do a proper posterior weight shift (instead of leaning forward or squatting down) to get your butt back without hitting your knees or your face on the wall.
How to do it: Stand facing a wall with your toes close to the wall, feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides. Keeping your shoulders back, back straight, and chest up, hinge at the hips to send butt back, sliding hands down your legs until they pass your kneecaps. No part of your body should touch the wall. Press through feet to return to a standing position.
Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Landmine Deadlift
Landmine-style deadlifts are a great way to build up to a barbell deadlift, especially if you struggle to clear your knees with the bar because the barbell is between your knees.
How to do it: Using a landmine device in the gym (or if you don’t have one, use the alternative shown here), stand facing the weighted end of the bar, feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips and send butt back with a straight back and neutral spine, and grasp the end of the bar with your fingers interlaced around it. Push the ground away with your feet and lift the weight as you return to a standing position. Lower back down, keeping your back straight. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Banded Landmine Deadlifts
The band adds an extra challenge to this deadlift variation by providing resistance throughout the entire hip extension movement.
How to do it: Using a landmine device in the gym (or if you don’t have one, use the alternative shown here), stand facing the weighted end of the bar, feet hip-width apart. Secure a looped band around the end of the bar, and then loop the rest of the band securely underneath your feet at the arches. Hinge at the hips and send butt back with a straight back and neutral spine, and grasp the end of the bar with your fingers interlaced around it. Push the ground away with your feet and lift the weight as you return to a standing position. Lower back down, keeping your back straight. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Double Kettlebell Hover Deadlift
This move activates muscles in the groin area more than a typical deadlift, which is especially good for cyclocross enthusiasts who use those muscles every time they dismount and remount.
How to do it: Place two kettlebells side by side on the ground in front of you, handles running parallel to each other. Straddle the weights with toes turned out slightly. Hinge at the hips and send butt back with a straight back and neutral spine. Grasp the weights and push through feet to lift the weights and return to standing. This is the starting position. Hinge hips back with a straight back and neutral spine, this time only lowering the weights about halfway to the floor. Hover there for 2 to 8 seconds. Squeeze the glutes to return to a starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Russian Kettlebell Swing
This variation of the classic kettlebell swing is great for cyclists, triathletes, and runners because it optimizes the hip hinge movement to build powerful glutes.
How to do it: Position your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and stand more than arms’ distance away from a kettlebell on the ground in front of you, handle running horizontal to your body. Hinge hips back with a straight back and neutral spine and reach forward for the weight. Let your shoulders relax slightly and contract your lats. Hike the weight back between your legs (thumbs to butt) then squeeze your glutes and thrust hips forward to swing the weight up in front of your body stopping at eye level. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Back-on-Bench Hip Lift
This horizontal hip hinge move isolates the glutes to maximize your neuromuscular connections and fire those often-underused smaller glute muscles.
How to do it: Lie faceup with upper back resting on a bench, feet flat on the floor about hip-distance apart, knees bent to 90 degrees, arms crossed over your chest. Bend knees to drop hips toward the floor with back straight. Squeeze glutes to lift hips back up to create a straight line from shoulders to knees. Pause, and then lower back down. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Single-Leg Back-on-Bench Hip Lift
We all have one side that’s weaker than the other. This move helps correct those imbalances and ensures that both sides of that posterior chain are pulling their weight.
How to do it: Lie faceup with your upper back resting on a bench, feet flat on the floor about hip-distance apart, knees bent to 90 degrees, arms crossed over chest. Bend knees so hips drop toward floor with back straight. Keeping your back straight, squeeze glutes to lift hips, lifting left leg (knee still bent) fully off the floor, creating a straight line from shoulders to right knee. Pause, and then lower back to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps. Switch legs.
Cable Pull Through
This move adds extra challenge to the hip hinge because your muscles need to resist the weight pulling you back toward the machine throughout the exercise.
How to do it: Position yourself a few feet in front of a low pulley machine with a rope attached. Grasp an end in each hand and stand with your back to the machine, feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, arms extended in front of your body, pulley between your legs. Tilt your body forward slightly to counteract the pulling force of the machine. Hinge hips back with a straight back and neutral spine, reaching through your legs as far as possible while maintaining proper form. Squeeze your glutes and extend through the hips to return to start. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Sumo Deadlift from Blocks
This wide stance makes it easier to maintain a neutral spine, so it puts a little less stress on your back muscles. It also works your hips from a different angle and gives your quads an extra challenge.
How to do it: With the barbell propped on blocks or weight plates, position your feet under the bar with a very wide stance, toes pointed out slightly. Keeping chest lifted, hinge hips back with a straight back, allowing your knees to bend naturally. Maintain a neutral spine—don’t hunch forward or crane your neck. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, arms extended, shoulders back, and shoulder blades over the barbell. Push the floor away with your legs as you lift and skim the bar up your legs. Stand tall, keeping your spine neutral. In a controlled manner, lower the weight back down your legs, keeping your back straight.
Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Rack Pull
By limiting the range of motion to what is essentially the top half of a deadlift, the rack pull targets your upper and midback muscles more than classic deadlifts. The shorter range may also be beneficial for less flexible lifters and allows you to lift heavier weight.
How to do it: Set up in a power rack (or you can also set up between two boxes if no rack is available). Set the height of the weight to just below the knees. Position yourself close to the bar in the classic deadlift position, feet under your hips. Hinge hips back with a straight back, allowing knees to bend naturally. Maintain a neutral spine—don’t hunch forward or crane your neck. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, arms extended, shoulders back and shoulder blades over the barbell. Push the floor away with your legs as you lift and skim the bar up your legs. Stand tall, keeping your spine neutral. In a controlled manner, lower the weight back down your legs, keeping your back straight. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Single-Leg Deadlift With Eyes Closed
Single-leg deadlifts fire up your glutes and strengthen all those little stabilizing muscles, while tuning up your balance to boot. Closing your eyes makes the move extra tough—and effective. If you’re too wobbly, start with your eyes open and gradually work up to doing the whole move with eyes shut.
How to do it: Stand tall with both feet on the ground, arms at sides. Shift weight to right leg, hinge forward from the hips, allow right knee to bend slightly, and lower torso to the floor, as left leg lifts behind you. Hinge forward as far as comfortably possible while maintaining a straight back and proper form. In a controlled manner, return to the starting position. Repeat desired number of reps.
B-Stance Deadlift
This staggered stance deadlift is a supported single-leg exercise, so you can build balanced strength without worrying about toppling over.
How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a dumbbell by each foot. Place your right foot behind left with right toes near left heel, balanced on the ball of your right foot. Hinge your hips and shift your butt back, allowing your knees to bend naturally about 45 degrees. Maintain a neutral spine—don’t hunch forward or crane your neck. Grasp each weight with your arms straight. Push the floor away with your legs to stand up straight, bringing the weights to your sides as you do. Repeat desired number of reps.
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