When we talk about exercises that are just MONEY for building muscle, inevitably we throw deadlifting in there. Squats, deadlifts, bench, rows,etc… and I believe we sell it short.
I know that sounds weird, but we all know what a deadlift looks like. If you don’t, here’s a nice Lil video:
If we get really fancy, we’ll either do a trap bar, put the barbell on lifts or even do it one legged. That’s about it for deadlifts. Is it, though? I think what we’ve done is relegated this pretty great idea and exercise to the most obvious form. And that is sad.
If you have a stereotypical normal life, you deadlift things all the time. The thing is, you generally don’t do that in the fashion we train in. Usually it is at some weird angle putting boxes away or moving a dresser or even groceries. Sometimes I have to pick up Bruce (my pup) from the ground… there is no set up for that.
So, why don’t we practice that? It is possible people have never thought about it, but more likely, people just default to the “normal” versions of the deadlift. I’m going to give you a few different options to open up your training that will enhance overall training results.
People who deadlift a ton also may be at higher risk to develop hip and lower back issues and really don’t get the best use out of that hip joint, that works in many more ways than the traditional deadlift allows. When you open up the idea that a deadlift may not be one dimensional, things change within that hip and the health of the low back
Would you like to get more out of your deadlifts? Here are a few other options:
Half Kneeling Med Ball Deadlift
Allowing your hips to try to work slightly independently will give your hips more mobility and allows you to function better when you can’t set up a traditional deadlift stance in reality.
Half Kneeling Med Ball Rotational Deadlift
A slight change on the above deadlift in which you are moving the medicine ball from one side of the body to the other, to work in the transverse or rotational plane, where life occurs.
Kettlebell Crossover Deadlift
This is a great exercise because it makes your hips do two different things; one hip joint goes into flexion while the other goes into abduction, increasing the overall health and function of the hips and low back.
ViprPro Rainbow Deadshift
Exercises with the ViprPro can get much more dynamic because of the different hand holds unique to the ViprPro. Imagine doing this exercise with a barbell. It won’t happen. This is where athleticism and rhythm come into play.
ViprPro Anterior Flip To Lateral Deadlift
This is another more complex movement that works in coordination and deceleration. The higher demand makes this a much more metabolically challenging move than you would think.
ViprPro Anterior Deadlift With Step And Overhead Reach
Adding just a little complexity to forward movement can be a game changer in performance. This execute works shoulder stability as well as the whole backside of the body.