6 Reasons Everybody Should Deadlift
Deadlifting is an exercise that many think should just be used by powerlifters and those that strength train. I would like to make the argument for why deadlifting should be performed by all members of our society. Here are 6 reasons why deadlifting is important. Make sure to read reasons 5 and 6, as these are the some of the most important!
1. Deadlifting improves overall strength and muscle mass. According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, participants who performed deadlifts twice a week for 10 weeks increased their muscle mass and strength in both their upper and lower body (1). This is incredibly important because as we age, we lose muscle mass. In fact, we lose about 3-8% of of muscle mass per decade after the age of 30! It is said that this involuntary loss of muscle mass and strength can be a leading cause of disability in the elderly (2). The best way to avoid losing too muscle mass is to start weight training and put on more muscle mass to begin with.
2. Function! Deadlifting promotes functional fitness. The deadlift mimics everyday movements such as picking up a heavy object off the ground, making it a functional exercise that can help improve overall athleticism and reduce the risk of injury (3). No matter what age we reach, we always want to be able to independently bend down and pick up objects off the ground. Whether we’re lifting up a bag, a shoe, or a grandchild! Deadlifting mimics the positions we need to be able to get into to lift up objects.
3. Deadlifting can burn calories and aid weight loss. As a compound exercise that recruits multiple muscle groups, deadlifting can burn a significant number of calories and be a helpful tool for weight loss (1). If you look at a deadlift, we have to move all parts of our body from our ankles, knees, hips, to our shoulders and upper body. This is a way to perform an exercise that uses much of our lower body and upper body, and more compound lifts can burn more calories.
4. Deadlifting can be adapted for any fitness level. Deadlifting can be done using a variety of different equipment and can be scaled to suit any fitness level, from beginners to advanced athletes. Not everybody is going to get underneath a barbell and deadlift hundreds of pounds. You can start with a simple hip hinge and partial range of motion, and progress to utilizing dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell without any additional weight. As you get stronger and are able to work through a further range of motion, then you can add more weight to increase the challenge on your body. The back is incredibly resilient and should be strengthened, even if you are starting off with little to no weight!
5. Deadlifting can help prevent/treat low back pain! You heard us right! Many people are fearful of deadlifting because it is thought to be a dangerous exercise. Granted, if you do any exercise with careless and improper form, it could become dangerous. However, if done correctly, it can help strengthen a small muscle called the multifidus.
The multifidus is a segmental muscle in the spine, meaning the multifidi (multifidus in plural form) connects each two-three vertebrae. The multifidi creates a bit of rotation in the spine, assists in keeping us with upright posture, and mainly works to create stability of the spine. Weakness in the multifidi has been linked to low back pain and neck pain! (4-6) There are also studies showing that there is small cross-sectional area of the multifidi on the same side as patient’s low back pain (7). One study showed that multifidi atrophy can happen within 24 hours after onset of back pain! (8) Multifidi strengthening may be key in treatment of low back pain.
Hides performed a study in which patients with back pain were placed into two groups: standard medical management vs multifidus specific exercises. After four weeks, 90% of all the patients improved, because as you know (if you have back pain) it ebbs and flows. However, at one year follow up, 84% of those in the standard medical management group had a recurrence of their low back pain. Of those in the multifidus specific exercise group, only 30% had a recurrence of their back pain after one year (9). Now, 30% recurrence of low back pain is still higher than I would like, but consider that this is just with multifidi specific exercises – no manual therapy, no dry needling, no manipulation, no strengthening of surrounding muscles, no education on sleep or nutrition or lifestyle modifications, it was only one intervention. If we could add multiple modes of treatment, I can guarantee that there would be significantly less patients with a recurrence of their low back pain.
The multifidi are active in most activities that we do, and while you can still strengthen your multifidi with squats, lunges, and general weight training, deadlifting is a great way to be a bit more targeted with your multifidi strengthening. Not only can this help treat your low back pain, but also assist in preventing that pain from returning.
6. Grip strength! Try deadlifting and you’ll realize soon that while you’re getting a great lower body and back work out, your forearms will be on fire! This is because grabbing a heavy barbell, dumbbells, kettlebell, or whatever else you may be using, requires a strong grip.
Grip strengthening should be standard in our society, and grip strength is an important biomarker for longevity! There is evidence to show that grip strength is a predictive link for all-cause mortality (death), future function, bone mineral density, falls and fractures, cognition, depression, and other traits that are crucial for a high quality of life (10).
While all of these are alarming, the one we will focus on is the most severe: the predictive value of weak grip strength and mortality (or death) rates. The predictor of grip strength and death has been studied since the 1980’s, and there have been multiple studies observing this phenomenon (11-17). This has also been studied across multiple countries and there has been the same conclusion: weak grip strength is a predictive value for death!
Overall, deadlifting is a great exercise to improve everything mentioned. Along with being able to improve muscle mass, function, and lose weight, it’s very important to mention deadlift’s efforts in strengthening the multifidi which can help limit and prevent back pain, along with improving grip strength. Add deadlifting to your exercise routine to live a long, healthy, and functional life!
References:
1. Schoenfeld BJ, Ratamess NA, Peterson MD, Contreras B, Tiryaki-Sonmez G. Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Jul;29(7):1821-9. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000970. PMID: 25932981.
2. Volpi E, Nazemi R, Fujita S. Muscle tissue changes with aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004 Jul;7(4):405-10. doi: 10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2. PMID: 15192443; PMCID: PMC2804956.
3. Contreras B, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ, Beardsley C, Cronin J. A Comparison of Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, and Vastus Lateralis Electromyography Amplitude for the Barbell, Band, and American Hip Thrust Variations. J Appl Biomech. 2016 Jun;32(3):254-60. doi: 10.1123/jab.2015-0091. Epub 2015 Dec 22. PMID: 26695353.
4. Zheng Y, Ke S, Lin C, Li X, Liu C, Wu Y, Xin W, Ma C, Wu S. Effect of Core Stability Training Monitored by Rehabilitative Ultrasound Image and Surface Electromyogram in Local Core Muscles of Healthy People. Pain Research and Management. 2019;2019. Available:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612403/ (accessed 29.1.2022)
5. ↑ Goubert D, Van Oosterwijck J, Meeus M, Danneels L. Structural changes of lumbar muscles in non-specific low back pain. Pain physician. 2016;19(7):E985-99.
6. Karlsson A, Leinhard OD, Åslund U, West J, Romu T, Smedby Ö, Zsigmond P, Peolsson A. An Investigation of Fat Infiltration of the Multifidus Muscle in Patients With Severe Neck Symptoms Associated With Chronic Whiplash-Associated Disorder. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016 Oct;46(10):886-893. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2016.6553. Epub 2016 Sep 2. PMID: 27590177.
7. Hides J, Gilmore C, Stanton W, Bohlscheid E. Multifidus size and symmetry among chronic LBP and healthy asymptomatic subjects. Man Ther. 2008 Feb;13(1):43-9. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2006.07.017. Epub 2006 Oct 27. PMID: 17070721.
8. Hides JA, Stokes MJ, Saide M, Jull GA, Cooper DH. Evidence of lumbar multifidus muscle wasting ipsilateral to symptoms in patients with acute/subacute low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1994 Jan 15;19(2):165-72. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199401001-00009. PMID: 8153825.
9. Hides JA, Jull GA, Richardson CA. Long-term effects of specific stabilizing exercises for first-episode low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001 Jun 1;26(11):E243-8. doi: 10.1097/00007632-200106010-00004. PMID: 11389408.
10. Bohannon RW. Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker For Older Adults. Clin Interv Aging. 2019 Oct 1;14:1681-1691. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S194543. PMID: 31631989; PMCID: PMC6778477.\
11. Bae E-J, Park N-J, Sohn H-S, Kim Y-H. Handgrip strength and all cause mortality in middle-aged and older Koreans. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(5):E740.
12. García-Hermoso A, Cavero-Redondo I, Ramírez-Vélez R, et al. Muscular strength as a predictor of all-cause mortality in an apparently healthy population: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from approximately 2 million men and women. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018;99(10):2100–2113e5. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.01.008
13. Milne JS, Maule MM. A longitudinal study of handgrip strength predicts incident dementia in older people. Age Ageing. 1984;13(1):42–48. doi: 10.1093/ageing/13.1.42
14. Oksuzyan A, Demakakos P, Shkolnikova M, et al. Handgrip strength and prognostic value for mortality in Moscow, Denmark, and England. PLoS One. 2017;12;9:e0182684.
15. Rijk JM, Roos PRKM, Deckx L, van Den Akker M, Buntinx F. Prognostic value of handgrip strength in people aged 60 years and older: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2016;16(1):5–20. doi: 10.1111/ggi.12508
16. Sasaki H, Kasagi F, Yamada M, Fujita S. Grip strength predicts cause-specific mortality in middle-aged and elderly persons. Am J Med. 2007;120(4):337–342. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2006.04.018
17. Wu Y, Wang W, Liu T, Zhang D. Association of grip strength with risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer in community-dwelling populations: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. J Am Med Direct Assoc. 2017;18(6):551e17–551.e35.