12 Important Deadlift Benefits Everyone Needs to Know

These Deadlift benefits will remind you exactly why this hugely important exercise needs to be an important part of your training program and life in general.

“The deadlift is more functional in that it’s very hard to imagine a more useful application of strength than picking heavy **** up off the ground.” – Mark Rippetoe

This article will look at the physiological and psychological Deadlift benefits that will help you optimise your health, fitness and body.

Before we start, let’s turn to multiple time world’s strongest man and Icelandic legend Jon Pall Sigmarsson for one of the most well loved Deadlift quotes of all time.

“There is no point in being alive if you cannot do Deadlift”

Deadlift Benefits

These are the reasons why you need the Deadlift in your life.

1. Deadlifts Build a Strong, Injury Resistant Back

A strong back is essential for all humans.

A weak back can lead to pain, injury, poor posture, an unstable spine, other health problems and poor athletic performance.

In general life many people sit for 8+ hours a day. This is obviously less than ideal for the human body, which is designed to move and run and squat and be active.

Source: Stevie D Photography

Adding Deadlifts into your routine will help to counter the negative effects that a sedentary lifestyle can cause. They will also lessen the rick of back pain in later life.

As Mark Rippetoe explained above, the Deadlift is an incredibly functional exercise with numerous real-world applications. This means that tasks like loading a car or lifting firewood will become easier and less likely to cause injury.

2. Deadlifts are an Excellent Way to Stimulate Muscle Growth

When it comes to hypertrophy, the Deadlift is a perfect exercise.

It stimulates full body muscle growth and is one movement where you can push to your absolute limits.

This also considerably taxes your central nervous system and forces your body to adapt (grow more muscle) in order to cope with the new stresses.

The Deadlift should be a part of every muscle building program.

3. Deadlifts Create Strong and Powerful Legs

The movement requires a lot of work from your lower body, focusing on your glutes, hamstrings and quads.

This equates to strong and powerful legs. You will feel the Deadlift benefits carry over to other leg dominant exercises such as the Squat as well.

Deadlifts increase rapid torque capacity in the knee extensors and flexors as well.

4. Deadlifts Work the Entire Body

Alongside the lower body Deadlift benefits, there are multiple positive impacts for the upper body as well.

Deadlifts work and engage the upper and lower back, traps and core. These muscles stabilise and power the movement.

Additionally, the Deadlift is an effective pulling exercise that will strengthen the biceps. 

5. Deadlifts Activate the Hip Extensors

The hip extensors include the glutes and hamstring muscle groups.

These are tremendously important for human movement in general (any hinging motion). The exercise will increase muscle mass and strength.

Source: CrossFit Inc

6. Burn Calories

Deadlifts work a huge number of muscles. In turn, this burns a higher number of calories during the workout.

Deadlifts also build muscles mass. This will, over time, raise the BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) of any lifter.

BMR is the total number of calories that you burn whilst at rest.

Strength and hypertrophy training in general will increase the BMR.

7. Deadlifts Release Anabolic Hormones

Deadlifts will positively influence your hormonal makeup. They will stimulate higher levels of testosterone and HGH (Human Growth Hormone).

The benefits of these include faster recovery times, strength, muscle mass, enhanced libido and expanded energy level.

8. Deadlift Benefits – Enhanced Core Strength

Deadlifts (along with Squats) are one of the most effective core exercises that exist.

The movement relies a great deal on the lifter’s ability to stabilise the load as it is lifted. The core must also work hard to maintain a straight spine.

At the heart of a decent deadlift is a strong core, braced properly by effective breathing methods.

A steel core has enormous carry over to other exercises as well. Think about how your body must work to control every movement from a 1 rep max Overhead Squat attempt to a golf swing.

9. Deadlifts Make Your Bones Stronger

Humans inevitably lose bone density over time. It is a natural part of aging.

This loss of bone mineral density can lead to osteoporosis, which in turn makes the likelihood of broken and fractured bones more common.

Deadlifts can help to counteract or even reverse these effects.

Source: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc

When it comes to increasing bone mineral density through strength training, the important principle is that the body should be progressively overloaded with exercises that work the entire body.

Compound barbell exercises are some of the most effective in regards to this aim.

10. Deadlifts Improve Posture

Deadlifts force the body to work with a straight and strong spinal position.

This is an important position for posture in general. Deadlifts “grease the groove” for good posture by practicing this position at all times. They teach the body how to keep a neutral spine and squeeze the shoulders back.

They keep the hips, shoulders and spine in alignment

11. Deadlift Benefits – A Vice Like Grip

With Deadlifts you will be shifting some serious weight. This both requires and develops grip strength.

As you get better at Deadlifts and are able to lift more weight, so too will your grip strength get stronger to accommodate the new loads.

You can experiment with different grip variations (mixed or pronated) in order to test and improve this aspect of your fitness.

On the other hand, if your grip becomes the limiting factor of your lift then you can always use straps as well. Remember that lifting straps will not improve your grip strength so make sure you don’t use them all the time.

12. Less Risk with Failed Reps

The Deadlift is easy to train alone, without a spotter.

A failed lift will simply result in the bar returning to the ground. In contrast to a Squat or a Bench Press where a failed rep can leave the unprepared or unexperienced lifter in an awkward or dangerous position, the Deadlift is relatively safe.

If you train alone without a spotter then the Deadlift is an outstanding choice that still allows you to push beyond your limits and train as hard as you can.

Deadlift Benefits

I hope that now you feel confident that the Deadlift deserves a consistent place at the heart of your training program.

“The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver.

Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend.

It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.”  Henry Rollins

If you found this article useful then learn about Muscle Memory how to build big arms with the Zottman Curl.