What’s the exercise that I’ve used that has added serious muscle to my back, hamstrings, and glutes? The deadlift.
Long before I was a pro natural bodybuilder, I used the deadlift in my early training programs. The main problem was that my form was bad, and I did not know what in the blue sky I was doing in terms of using the deadlift to build my backside. I thought the deadlift was only about trying to lift the heaviest possible weight every single time I did deadifts, which was very frequently at that time.
My deadlift equation at the time was not good. Heavy weight + bad form + frequent deadlifts = I was burnt out with a consistently sore lower back.
Deadlift Growth
Over time as I improved my form in the deadlift, I started to notice a shocking (sarcasm) side effect: my back, hamstrings, and glutes were responding with new muscle growth.
During my first run in natural bodybuilding, from 2010-2014, my deadlift grew. 315lbs, which was heavy to me in 2008 and 2009, turned into 405lbs. And 405lbs eventually turned into a max deadlift of 465lbs at a bodyweight of 162lbs in 2015. My best deadlift for reps is 405lbs x 8. Not bad for a sprinter turned natural bodybuilder.
I rarely do 1 rep maxes anymore, but I’m proud of the fact that I was able to work up to 465lbs.
Make It Harder
How do I make deadlifts harder and more effective for even more muscle growth? I stand on an elevated platform when I deadlift. How do I raise the intensity even higher to take a set of deadlifts into the 9th dimension? I add a pause 💀.
When you do deadlifts, on an elevated platform and with a pause, you will unlock your posterior chain growth 💯. Also note that adding these intensity techniques and doing the deadlifts near the end of your workout will force a drop in the weight you can lift. Drop your ego and embrace the pain and then the gains.
Conclusion
Deadlifts are an all-time, hall of fame exercise for building muscle and strength.
You can make deadlifts harder by standing on a platform and adding pauses. You will not enjoy the pain during the set, but you will enjoy a bigger and more muscular backside.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman
