How to Prepare for Your Deadlift Workout
We are doing deadlifts this month , and I would love to hear how everyone is doing at the moment. (I already did one workout and will try to do two next week.) But if you are new to this or if you find this step intimidating, we have some tips on how to get ready.
First, plan your workout: when and where will you do it? What equipment will you be using? Will you do the deadlift first thing and then move on to something completely different, or do you have a whole day for your legs to include?
Second, set aside your space. In some gyms, it is difficult to find deadlifts, let alone the space to use them. Look for extra bars hanging from the back of the squat rack, leaning against the wall in a corner, or tucked under the machine against the wall. If in doubt, ask.
If you can’t find a suitable place to set it up, consider coming to the gym at a less busy time and creating your own space: move the bench with weights to the side or do deadlifts in a strength cage.
Finally, warm up. This isn’t technically necessary if you do a few warm-up sets of light, light lifts before starting your work sets. But if you want to do a dynamic warm-up, this option is perfect:
In the video, you can see five exercises that work and slightly stretch the hamstrings and glutes: dog down, dog up, inch worms (step forward on tiptoe, hands on the ground), side lunges, lunge over the fence. stretching and touching the floor with one foot.
This dynamic stretch is better than static pre-exercise stretch because doing the stretch can temporarily reduce your strength . Static stretching is great if you like the way it feels, or if you’re working on flexibility, but do it after you’ve finished heavy exercises for the day.
So how does the deadlift go? Have you tried your first deadlift in a long time or your first ever? Do you use barbells and plates in the gym, or are you looking for alternatives at home? This week I did medium deadlifts during my morning gym session when I didn’t have to fight anyone over a bar or floor space. Good luck to you.