The hinge is a basic human movement pattern involving deep flexion, extension at the hip, and minimal knee bend. Examples of hinging exercises are deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, swings, cleans, snatches, and jumping. The hinge is a strong movement pattern that allows us to lift heavy loads and represents the safe and sound approach by which any object should be lifted from the ground.
Undoubtedly, the king of the hinging movement patterns is the deadlift — a CrossFit staple.
CrossFit adopted the deadlift because it produces incredible results. Whether your goal is to increase strength and muscle mass, rehabilitate your back, improve athletic performance, or maintain functional independence as you age, the deadlift delivers.
Increased Strength
If you want to get stronger, improve your deadlift. This simple, effective movement builds head-to-toe strength by working every major muscle group in your body. The glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps are prime movers as the weight is lifted off the ground. At the same time, the abdominals, obliques, and spinal erectors are taxed heavily to maintain a stable trunk throughout the movement. The lats and upper back are also utilized to keep the bar tight to the body and the shoulders active. Over time, for the best results, an athlete can progressively work toward the common benchmarks of a bodyweight, double bodyweight, and triple bodyweight deadlift. When athletes have achieved a double- and triple-bodyweight deadlift, they have built sufficient full-body strength to support almost any activity.
Increased Muscle Mass
With so many muscle groups engaged simultaneously to lift relatively heavy loads, deadlifts provide a great stimulus for muscle growth. As an athlete gains competence in the deadlift and the weight they lift with proper form increases, they’ll notice increased development in the back, including lats, traps, and spinal erectors, as well as in the glutes and hamstrings. The heavy weights lifted combined with the full-body nature of this movement pattern result in a strong neuroendocrine impact that promotes muscle gain.
Decreased Back Pain
While many believe deadlifts are bad for your back, the opposite is true. Deadlifts protect the back from potential injuries from sports, life, or the ravages of time. By creating stress on the vertebrae and muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the back, the deadlift induces these structures to adapt and strengthen. This results in a back more resilient to compressive forces and the flexion and extension many daily tasks require. Properly performed deadlifts also improve glute and hip strength, allowing these muscles to become the prime movers in lifting heavy loads and shifting the emphasis off the spine. Finally, the hinge movement pattern of the deadlift reduces pain and improves function by taking the structures of the back through their intended range of motion.
Improved Athletic Performance
The deadlift strengthens the muscles that help athletes run faster and jump higher: the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and spinal erectors. The added muscle mass built when training with adequate load and volume in the deadlift allows athletes to better receive and deliver contact in sports like football, hockey, basketball, and fighting. The ability to transfer forces into the ground or from the ground, through a strong core, into an external object such as a ball, bat, or racket is an essential athletic trait the deadlift trains well by stressing and strengthening midline stability. Regarding conditioning, both heavy, low-rep sets and lighter, higher-rep sets of deadlifts are great tools. Last but not least, the deadlift develops hip extension necessary for elite athletic performance and is the driving force behind most athletic movements.
Do Your Deadlifts!
Deadlifts should be included in your fitness program on a regular basis. Consistently spend time refining and mastering your technique in warm-ups and warm-up sets. We recommend deadlifting at near-max loads every week or so and maybe one other deadlift session in the week at lighter loads that are insignificant at low reps but pack a powerful cardio punch at high reps. Deadlift regularly, and you’ll enjoy tremendous improvements in strength, low back health, athleticism, and overall fitness.
About the Author
Stephane Rochet is a Senior Content Writer for CrossFit. He has worked as a Flowmaster on the CrossFit Seminar Staff and has over 15 years of experience as a collegiate/tactical strength and conditioning coach. He is a Certified CrossFit Trainer (CF-L3) and enjoys training athletes in his garage gym.
The Deadlift