Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | (0) Comments
When it comes to picking one “best exercise”, you will be hard pressed to beat deadlifts. Squats are a close second and maybe number 1 depending on your body type and preference. Either way, it is important to understand why these 2 exercises are so important in developing strength and size. The first reason is simply that they are the 2 exercises that allow you to lift very heavy weight relative to your size and body weight. Deadlifts and squats do need to be done properly to avoid too much stress on the lower back, but done right, they really work. The key is to find someone who knows what they are doing and get them to coach you on how to do them properly. Basically, you need to start out with pretty light weight so that you gradually build up the core muscles you need for these exercises. Jumping right in and throwing on a lot of weight is a recipe for injury. But done properly and progressively, you will strengthen you back muscles and find your strength going up dramatically. As this happens, all the rest of your body will grow as well since both exercises require a lot of other muscle groups besides back and leg muscles.
One good example of this is how well both work the abs. Squatting heavy requires a lot of ab strength because you have to hold the weight upright on your shoulders. Your back and abs work together to do this. So as the weight you are squatting increases, your abs will need to be proportionately stronger as well. The same holds true for deadlifts. To illustrate this, watch someone who is deadlifting a pretty decent amount of weight and if they are wearing a tanktop and shorts, you will see dramatically how many muscle groups are involved and how hard they are working.
So if you aren’t doing these 2 great exercises, plan on adding them to you weekly routine and you will see some great gains. Next week I will try to have some pictures of proper deadlifting technique for you…
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