Hi gang. It’s been a sunny start to the week down here in Somerset so I’ve enjoined a relaxed afternoon in my garden. During this down time I’ve pondered my next blog, I think it’d be good to focus on a strength aspect of exercise in this blog that’s so often overlooked.

For the purposes of this blog we are going to focus on torso and leg strength exercises, there are obviously hundreds of other specific strength moves but let’s focus on the below.

I’m a big believer in compound strength moves to aid my cycling, I always have been. Heck, remembering back when I first started doing triathlons over 15 years ago, I began incorporating certain exercises into my regime even then. Strength has been a weekly staple to my training ever since and really does add to your cycling performance. Sadly, they don’t make me a faster cyclist (if only), what they do do is make me a more supple one. There are 3 main strength exercises for your torso and legs that myself and many seem to focus on, those being Squats, Lunges and Deadlifts. Just for clarity, there are variations on these exercise (split squats, reverse lunges etc) for the purposes of this blog we’ll just focus on one of them – the standard deadlift move and it’s benefits.

Deadlifting, in my opinion together with the Lunge is the most important strength exercise you can do as a cyclist. The Lunge replicates cycling in its mechanics so the ‘carry over’ benefits are clear, but what deadlifting does is activate the specific branch chain muscles way more effectively. How does deadlifting do this? It’s a compound move just like the Lunge, but your basically able to lift more weight in a deadlift, thereby forcing your muscles to adapt much more quickly.

But let’s put it out there, deadlifting isn’t just great for cyclists, it’s an amazing exercise for everyone to add to their regime. Done well, It can also actually help alleviate certain types of back pain by building muscle. Anyway, let’s get back to the move, how you should do it correctly and more of it’s benefits.

The history of deadlifting?

Going off piste a little, I may need correcting here (please do in the comments if so), but I remember an old client of mine once told me a story on deadlifting being the oldest recorded strength exercise in literature. Back in Roman times, soldiers came up with deadlifting as a way of lifting dead soldiers off the battlefield. They worked out that by keeping straight and using your glutes and leg muscles, you could lift someone easier and increase your strength, hence the word ‘deadlift’ was born!

Back to the nitty gritty! So how should you deadlift to get maximum benefit. It’s important to remember that when you deadlift it’s not a squat! Squatting with weight, whether that’s holding a barbell across your shoulders or dumbbells in your hands, is when you basically bend your knees down to 90 degrees or further, this is called ‘breaking parallel’. Deadlifting is totally different, it’s focused on a shorter and more powerful drive upwards utilising a huge range of muscles working together.

How to deadlift

To do it well, you want to focus on starting standing tall with feet shoulders width apart. Now, bend your knees to around a 45 degree angle, tilting your hips backwards and upper body forwards with your weight down your heels. Holding the bar down the inside of your knees, you want to look down at it and it should be in line with your chest. Send another message to your back here, it should be convex, just like you were stood up with that nice curve in the lower back. In this position, held correctly, you should start to build a little pressure in the hamstrings NOT the back. Your now all set up in the start position. Just remember that throughout the WHOLE phase, keep that back convex.

The deadlift is a compound move, this means that your using lots of muscles to perform it. It is NOT a leg exercise. As you pull the weight up from the floor, activate your mid and lower back by driving your hips through and extend the knees to a standing position. Don’t forget, it’s all done together, the drive and extension, also thinking of your chest pushing outwards too. At the top, pause for a split second, then return the weight to the ground in exactly the same reverse procedure.

It looks like a lot to remember when you see it written down, it’s much easier to gauge when you see it performed. Most of what you need to remember is that it’s a COMPOUND move. The whole body works together to complete the exercise, don’t arch your back, bend your knees too far or do anything that makes you isolate one part of your body. If you want a great demonstration of how to deadlift, look up how it’s performed by top level strength athletes. You should see they use their whole body to leverage the heavy weight upwards and return it safely.

The good old deadlift helps build muscle in your back, glutes and legs. Evidentially it is a great exercise for anyone to add to their regime, from top athletes to weekend warriors. It can help alleviate pain so could also potentially be a great exercise to treat certain conditions and allow day to day tasks to become easier. I’m a big believer in strength and fitness, it really should be more widely prescribed by doctors for certain conditions rather than pills. Just imagine it, a stronger and more healthy society achieved naturally without the need of any drugs!

A word of warning

Do get in touch if your thinking of adding in specific strength moves like these to your regime. They really can make the world of difference if done CORRECTLY. Proper demonstration, a tailored build up phase and correct form must always be adhered to, don’t jump in at the deep end and buy a 100kg barbell and wreck yourself! Ouch. Do you have prior injuries or any postural implications that may mean deadlifting is a bad idea right now? If so, get that second opinion first if your planning to give it a try. Good luck!