6 Deadlifting Variations You Need to Try

Losing weight, toning the body, and feeling great is something that can help to improve your fitness in a hurry.  Many individuals flock to cardio machines in order to attempt to burn off excess calories; however, resistance training is typically an overlooked solution.

Weight loss is best accomplished when individuals combine both cardio activities and resistance training and the key to your successful weight loss largely depends on performing multi-joint activities, which means moving as much of your body as possible.  The deadlift is one of the best multi-joint activities you can do to strengthen your body, tone your glutes, and burn calories.

Top Benefits of Deadlifting

Deadlifts are quite possibly the best exercise you can do to improve your fitness.  Why are they the best?  In a deadlift, you work the hip joints, the lower back, upper back, glutes, core, and hamstrings, which is ideal for burning as many calories as possible.  In addition, deadlifts can secondarily work the traps, forearms, inner thighs, calf muscles, and the biceps, making it an extremely effective and efficient exercise. Listed below is a quick brief as to what a deadlift can bring to your Scottsdale fitness program.

• Improves functional training. The big hype now is functional training, or the ability to apply your gains in the gym to real-life situations.  The deadlift is the best exercise for any real life situation, as it simulates picking something up off the ground that is heavy.  This is a movement that can cause serious strain on the body if not properly worked, so practicing the deadlift can really up your real-life scenarios a bit.
• Works more Muscles. As mentioned before, the deadlift works multiple joints at once.  When it comes to the deadlift, every individual looking to lose weight and tone up should do it because it simply works more muscles than any single exercise out there (even more than the squat, burpee, and mountain climber).
• Improves overall health. Yes, some resistance training exercises can cause you to work the cardiorespiratory system, which is another way to improve upon your Scottsdale fitness program.  Increasing your fitness can help to delay premature death, help you to live longer, and help to make your everyday activities that much easier.

Now that you have some insight on the deadlift, you will need to apply it to your program at the gym.  Listed below are a few variations of the deadlift that you need to try to tone the entire body and maintain your muscle mass.

6 Deadlift Variations you Need to Try

1. The Standard. Some may call this variation a rack pull, which really simulates pulling a bar off the rack or the ground.  This is the basic form of the deadlift that you should learn and master the form before trying other variations.  If you are new to deadlifts, you will want to start light (possibly no weight or as light as possible) and progress depending on your fitness goals.  Two sets is a great place to start and progress to three once you are comfortable with the lift.  Aim for about 10-15 reps with each set and make sure you feel challenged at the end of each set.
2. Sumo.  This is a slight modification to the standard deadlift, but the difference is your upper-half of your body should be more upright and your toes should point outward more.  This allows more benefit to the lower back muscles, core, and the inner thighs.  Similar to before, start light, and progress with more reps as necessary.  After you master your form, continue with three sets of 10-15 reps to challenge your entire body.
3. The Romanian Deadlift. This variation is slightly different than the standard.  The only change you will need to make is in your knees; where the Romanian deadlift requires more of a straighter knee joint than the standard.  Why a straighter knee?  This will focus more on your core and hamstrings and is typically harder to perform.  Start light and always keep your core and abs tight throughout to protect the lower back.  Aim for two to three sets of about 10-15 reps.
4. The Trap Bar Deadlift. The trap bar is a much safer option for beginners and for those with potential lower-back issues.  Using a trap bar (the hexagonal-shaped bar you see in the gym), you perform essentially the same exact lift as the standard.  Your feet are in the trap bar and your hands are very close to your legs (more so).  Consider two to three sets of the trap bar deadlifts and aim for 10-15 reps depending on your fitness goals.
5. The Deficit Deadlift. This is a great lift for anyone looking to add strength and range of motion in the glutes, hamstrings, and thighs.  To get a deficit, you will need to elevate your stance about an inch off the floor (so that you have farther to reach down).  Once you create this deficit, you perform a standard deadlift.  Aim for about two to three sets of 10-15 reps to increase your range of motion in the legs and hips and to add strength all over.  It is very important to support your spine with a tight core so make sure you are bracing your abs as best as possible and you are breathing throughout.
6. The American Deadlift. This is a great option for anyone looking to master the last-half of the standard deadlift or for anyone who struggles with the standard.  Consider two to three sets and if you are doing this lift, aim for only 10 reps each. Watch this video to learn how to perform it.

Try Them Out

Mastering a deadlift is not too challenging and in fact, you should take the time to learn your standard deadlift before moving on to any others.  Add in any of the mentioned variations to help your body tone up, burn calories, and maintain that important muscle mass.

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