The Deadlift: Muscles Worked, How To Do It, and Benefits

The deadlift is a primal movement pattern; hinging at the hips and lifting an object off the ground is as functional as it gets, and humans have been doing it since the beginning of time. Although the deadlift appears to be straightforward, it’s a complex movement because so many different muscles have to work in tandem to do it well. 

The deadlift is the one of the best back exercises, but it’s not just your upper back that’s targeted. The deadlift is a compound exercise that involves the entire backside of your body, or the “posterior chain,” in exercise-science speak. If you’ve got a barbell and some plates, you’re ready to go, and we’re here to show you exactly what you need to get started.

What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work?

Curious to know which muscles deadlifts work? 

Deadlift muscles worked include most of the body, TBH. Here’s a closer look at the muscles you’ll be training during your next deadlift session.

Glutes

The glutes are considered one of the primary muscles that help you reach full hip extension, locking out your hips at the top of the lift. When performed properly, you’ll be squeezing your glutes tightly at the top of the deadlift, and trying to use them throughout the lift helps ensure your hips muscles are doing the work, rather than your lower back.

Hamstrings

Along with your glutes, your hamstrings help pull you upright into the lockout position of a deadlift. When you set up for your lift, the tension along the back of your thighs lets you know that your hamstrings are engaged and ready to pull.

Quads

Even though you may associate quads with squats and deadlifts, they help extend and straighten the knee, which is critical at the beginning of a deadlift movement. They might not be the primary muscle group at work, but they’ll certainly lend a hand, especially in the initial pulling phase of the exercise.

Lats

The lats are the large muscles in your back, typically associated with pull-ups, rows, and lat pulldowns. However, proper deadlifts involve bracing all the muscles throughout your back to keep a tight posture, and you’ll engage your lats while keeping the bar close to your body so it doesn’t drift too far forward.

Traps

Similar to the lats, the traps help maintain proper posture, particularly around the shoulder joint. The deadlift will be pulling on your arms, and in order to avoid having your shoulders completely round forward, your traps can help keep them securely in place.

Erector Spinae

These are the smaller muscles that run alongside your spine to help keep you upright. Even though they’re a smaller muscle group, research surprisingly shows¹ that the erector spinae and quads show more muscle activation than the gluteus maximus and hamstrings during a deadlift.

Abdominals

Finally, we have the abdominal muscles. You won’t be using them to create spinal flexion, the way you would during a crunch, sit-up, or leg raise. However, they’ll be bracing hard to keep your back straight, and if you’re deadlifting properly and getting stronger over time, there’s no doubt you’ll be building a stronger core, too.

RELATED: 14 Functional Core Exercises

Deadlift Benefits

Some say the deadlift can be used as the ultimate test of strength, and we don’t disagree. It’s the culmination of lower-body power paired with back strength. If that’s not a full-body feat of strength, then what is?

If you’re still not sold, here are a few reasons you should consider adding deadlifts to your training routine.

Deadlifts Train Multiple Muscle Groups at Once

One of the main benefits of the deadlift is how efficient this one movement is at recruiting everything on the backside of your body, from your hamstrings to your traps, all at once. It’s hard to think of an exercise that trains so many aspects of your strength, including hip hinging, core strength, spinal stability, and grip.

Deadlifts Have Practical Benefits

When thinking about strength training, it’s also a practical movement to train. Whether you’re moving furniture, assembling a squat rack, or simply want stronger glutes and hips, you’ll never regret getting strong at the deadlift.

“In terms of functionality, deadlifting is probably the most important lift,” explains Greg Panora, seven all-time world record holder in the sport of powerlifting who got his start 20 years ago at the renowned Westside Barbell under Louie Simmons. “We should all be good at picking up weight off the floor.” 

Deadlifts Build a Strong Posterior Chain

The deadlift is hip-dominant exercise, requiring the most activation from the legs by way of the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. However, to perform the deadlift correctly (and protect your back), the muscles in your upper body have to stabilize the entire length of the spine and the shoulder joints so the legs can do the work of pulling the bar off the floor. This makes the deadlift a staple for building a strong backside. 

Matt Dustin, CSCS, PN1-NC, GGR Senior Staff Writer and certified strength and conditioning specialist, loves including deadlifts in training programs.

“A lot of people start working out by training the muscles they can see in the mirror,” he explains. “So many people spend a lot of time on their chest, arms, and abs, without doing much training for the back of their body. A deadlift is a great exercise for nearly everything along your back, which helps maintain structural balance in your physique.”

How To Warm Up For A Deadlift

The way you warm up for deadlifts will vary depending on the day and your individual needs. It’s safe to say that the deadlift will require some amount of warmup due to the fact that so many muscle groups will be required to fire during the lift.

Kate Meier—a USA Weightlifting L1 Coach and former GGR Head of Content—suggests a few movements before the deadlift: Cherry pickers, banded marches, glute bridges, good mornings, and side planks. Your warmup is also a great chance for soft tissue work with a foam roller or massage gun on tight or sore muscles. 

How To Deadlift

Greg Panora, who now coaches a team of powerlifters online and at CrossFit Casco Bay in Maine, says the conventional deadlift is straightforward. He reports coaching the deadlift with a military cadence. “Conventional pulls go like this: Grab the bar; pull your scapulas back and down; straighten your legs to create the stretch reflex; drive your legs into the bar; then pull the bar back into your body.” 

It sounds simple, right? Let’s dive into the mechanics of proper deadlift form a bit more: 

1. To perform a deadlift, assume the starting position. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, the barbell should be positioned over the middle of your deadlift shoes and close to the shins. From this position, hinge at the hips until you can grab the bar and plant your hands in an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. 

2. Let your knees bend and push your shins toward the barbell. Now it’s time to lock in your upper body: Keeping your back straight, pull the shoulder blades back and down via your rhomboids, as if you could pull the shoulder blades into your back pockets. Keep your arms straight. 

3. Take a breath in and brace your core. To initiate the lift, start generating force from the floor by pushing into your heels. Without pulling with your upper body, use your legs and glutes to push the hips forward, rising to stand in an upright position. Keep the bar close to your legs (grazing the shins and quads during the lift) to keep the load close to your body. 

4. The final position is an upright body with full hip extension. This lockout position at the top requires a strong glute squeeze while keeping the spine neutral. 

5. To put the bar down, send your hips back, like you’re going to sit down in a chair, and control the weight until the barbell reaches the floor. As you get stronger, it’ll be harder and harder to control the weight on the way down, but try to avoid dropping or slamming it entirely. This is safer for you, the barbell, and any home gym flooring you may be deadlifting on.

RELATED: Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar Review

How Many Deadlifts Should You Do?

The amount of repetitions performed for a novice lifter is going to be different for someone with weightlifting experience under their belt. In either case, following a program or connecting with a personal trainer can help guide you on the right path for you and your specific goals. 

If your goal is to improve strength—including grip strength—and progress the weight on the deadlift bar, you’ll be performing lower reps to allow for heavier loads. If your goal is more about learning the deadlift or building muscle mass, your repetitions will likely be higher with lighter loads to allow for the appropriate amount of volume.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association² uses the table below to outline recommended repetitions. This table is based on your estimated one-rep max on deadlift. Even if you don’t know your one-rep max, the chart can give you a good estimation. 

The number of sets will change when taking your goals into account, as well. For strength, one to five sets is appropriate, since you’ll be lifting close to your one-rep max. For muscle mass, working in the three-to-six-set range can be ideal, since you’ll be lifting at 60 to 70% of your one-rep max.

Deadlift Variations

Deadlifts, much like the other two exercises that make up the “big three” barbell lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift), can be performed in a variety of ways. The deadlift is a hip hinge that primarily works the hamstrings and glutes. However, the deadlift works the back muscles, as well, requiring stability from the lats, traps, and erector spinae to maintain a neutral spine.

Plenty of deadlift variations exist to stimulate the muscles through different ranges of motion with different weight and reps. Here are just a few to consider:

Barbell Deadlift

The barbell deadlift can be performed in a standard hip-width stance or a wide sumo stance. Practicing the barbell deadlift from the floor, through the full range of motion, is the most standard way to perform the deadlift. 

Trap Bar Deadlift

A trap bar is recognizable by its hexagonal shape, which is why you’ll also hear it referred to as a hex bar. You stand inside the hexagon and grip the neutral handlebars. Trap deadlifts work your hamstrings and glutes like a straight bar deadlift. However, research shows³ that it puts less strain on the lower back than a barbell deadlift. The movement looks a little more squat-like, but is ultimately still a hip hinge.

Romanian Deadlifts (RDL)

We love the RDL for practicing the hip hinge and working the hamstrings, glutes, and core. The movement starts in the standing position and you will lower the weight just below your knees, rather than bringing the weight through full range of motion. Because you won’t put the weight down and reset your movement, the core stays engaged to keep the back flat and braced.

Dumbbell & Kettlebell Deadlifts

The dumbbell and kettlebell deadlifts can be great ways to perform the hip hinge with a lighter load in order to fully master the movement pattern. Depending on the weight and your hamstring flexibility, you may be bringing your hips through a full range of motion, putting the weight back on the floor, and resetting. Dumbbells and kettlebells can also be great for performing a partial range of motion, like an RDL.

Single-Leg Deadlifts

Single-leg deadlifts not only challenge your hamstrings and glutes, but they also engage your core because they require so much balance. The single-leg deadlift can be performed with your own body weight, or a dumbbell, kettlebell, or a barbell once you’ve mastered the movement. We recommend starting with bodyweight and placing your hand on a wall, tall box, or dowel for improved stability. 

Stiff-Leg Deadlift

In the stiff-leg deadlift, you’ll use a light to moderate weight to perform the hip hinge movement, but you’ll keep the legs straight throughout the exercise. This will put more of a stretch on the hamstrings. The stiff-leg deadlift is similar to the RDL in that you’ll start in the same position, standing straight and gripping the barbell. The main difference between the RDL and the stiff-leg deadlift is that you’ll work the hamstrings through a larger range of motion.

Deficit Deadlift

A deficit deadlift is performed while standing on a slightly elevated surface, like a large weight plate, and running through the movement. By doing this, you can increase your range of motion, which can help increase strength. Aim for a surface that’s a maximum of 4 inches tall to perform a deficit deadlift.  

Deadlift Alternatives

The deadlift is a versatile movement, allowing you to change weight, repetitions, range of motion, tempo, etc. However, throughout the lifetime of your lifting career, you may want to venture away from the deadlift—perhaps for an injury or the need for novelty—but still want the ability to strengthen the hamstrings, glutes, and back.

Hamstring-dominant alternatives for the deadlift include the kettlebell swing, glute bridges, cable pull-throughs, good mornings, and the reverse hyper. Back-dominant alternatives include the bent over row, back extension, and farmer’s carry.

Sumo Vs Conventional Deadlifts

The sumo deadlift is, essentially, a wide-stance deadlift. With feet wide and toes pointed out, arms grip the bar inside of the foot stance and the torso adopts a much more upright position. 

What muscles do sumo deadlifts work? The sumo deadlift is popular among powerlifters because it shortens the distance of the bar path, relies more on quadriceps and adductors (in addition to hamstrings), and is (typically) less taxing on the back. 

So, when do you pull conventional and when do you do sumo? It depends on your individual goals, hip mobility, and hamstring flexibility.

Common Deadlift Mistakes To Avoid

According to Panora, a common mistake he sees—from beginners to elite powerlifters—is neglecting the correct scapula position. 

“[Our team] had two 2,000-pound totallers tear their biceps deadlifting,” he says. “If you’re pulling your scapulas down [in the correct position], then bending your arm is impossible.”

Improper positioning of your shoulder blades and upper back can produce a ripple effect of other issues, including back rounding, excessive pulling from the arms, and not starting with enough weight on the heels. Other common deadlift mistakes include  incorrect hip positioning and pulling with your upper body instead of pushing with your lower body.  

Proper form is crucial for the deadlift; incorrect form can increase your risk of injury, including lumbar, or lower back, pain. 

Final Verdict

Here is what we want you to know about the deadlift: It’s the ultimate full-body strengthening tool. It can help you build a strong back and absolutely diesel legs. There is a variation to suit your needs and your goals, too. We recommend the novice lifter start with light weights. Hiring a coach or having a buddy around for a form check is never a bad idea, either!

What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work?: FAQs

References

1. Martín-Fuentes, I., Oliva-Lozano, J. M., & Muyor, J. M. (2020). Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PloS one, 15(2), e0229507. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229507
2. National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). (n.d.). https://www.nsca.com/
3. Camara, K. D., Coburn, J. W., Dunnick, D. D., Brown, L. E., Galpin, A. J., & Costa, P. B. (2016). An examination of muscle activation and power characteristics while performing the deadlift exercise with straight and hexagonal barbells. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(5), 1183–1188. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2016/05000/An_Examination_of_Muscle_Activation_and_Power.2.aspx