I recently shared this video with my subscribers and want to share it here too! Listen, if you’re doing deadlifts wrong you could be moving toward an injury faster than to lifted, shapely buns and strength.
I love deadlifts (can you feel the but coming? Watch this…) AND I love that a little fear of injury could help you get MORE results.
Let me share a few simple tips so you can get a better butt without back pain using deadlifts as a tool. If you’re a give-it-to-me-quick girl, read the next three lines and then watch the video. Want the details? Take a few minutes and read all the way through as well as watching the video.
BTW, this video is on my YouTube channel. I share videos like this frequently. You can subscribe to see them first. Of course, I reserve full length workouts for my students and clients but you’ll find a host of tips to support you there too!
- The #1 tip to avoid doing deadlifts wrong is to have less range of motion.
- The goal is not touching the floor. Never was, never will be. If you have to have an “end zone” you’re going to need a step or an ottoman.
- Start in the upright position.
Avoid Doing the Dead Lift Wrong
You’re more likely to injure if you:
- Start with your weight on the floor
- You’re stiff legged without any flexion in the knee
- Allow weight to be primarily on the ball of the foot
Deadlifts can be performed with a bar, dumbbells, and kettle bells. They can be done with different stances including two legged and single leg. Doing single leg deadlifts you can hold the weight in the opposite or the same hand as your weight bearing leg.
What you’ll see me do and what I teach if and when I use deadlifts is a single leg, opposite arm deadlift. It encourages use of a lighter weight. It mimics the pattern you use in walking and running.
How to do the single leg deadlift:
- Pick your weight up from the floor or a rack before you begin your exercise, not as a part of your exercise. Lift using your legs not your back.
- Position the weight in the hand opposite your weight bearing foot.
- Shift your weight on your heel.
- Hinge at your hip and maintain a slightly bent knee when you move forward. (the knee is not responsible for the movement)
- Move 20-30 degrees in flexion, maintaining weight on your heel and a long spine.
- Pause, press the heel into the floor and fully extend to standing again.
- Repeat 10-15 repetitions or stop when your technique flies the coop.
Flips:
- If during the exercise you feel tension in the lower back reduce your range of motion. (Yes, more is not better).
- Ready to take it to the next level? Try it barefoot.
- Choose a “Goldilocks” weight: not too heavy not too light. If you’re shoulders are pulled into a rounded position and you can’t correct, lighten up. If you don’t feel the bump “on” go a little heavier.
Remember that a better butt is not just a vanity goal. Strong glute muscles reduce the strain on your lower back. They help you go faster or lift more safely so you can get the intensity that hormone balancing exercise requires.
Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you.
Have you watched my TEDx talk?
