Are deadlifts unnecessary?

Bodybuilding in part is all about choosing the right exercises that work for your body type. Some people respond well to the barbell bench press while others find that they prefer dumbbell flyes to develop their chest. Ultimately the whole practice is a numbers game. The more experience you have with different exercises the better you’ll understand what works best for you.

When it comes to first getting your training off the ground, you’re more than likely to utilize the big three exercises to make your initial gains. The aforementioned bench press, the squat known as the king of all exercises, and rounding out the three is the deadlift. It’s a staple of weight training and can be found in most bodybuilder’s routines. It truly is a great exercise, but there’s one catch. It’s not the best exercise to build muscle.

That may sound misinformed, that may even sound down right ludicrous. The fact of the matter is that as a tool for back and leg development, it’s not the best exercise of the many that exist out there. It sounds pretty much like a matter of opinion, but when you stop to look at the facts then you’ll notice that it isn’t the greatest where building muscle is concerned. Here are some things to consider.

For a thicker back?

As we said before, deadlifts do have a place in your training routine and it is possible that it will help you gain muscle, but the development won’t be as explosive as you’d expect. The exercise doesn’t stimulate the lats as much as other back exercises. Deadlifts will improve your back in small degrees, but they won’t give you that larger back that you seek. Instead try some rows, wide grip pull ups, and lat pull downs to specifically grow your back.

For bigger Legs?

Some people will claim that deadlifts will give you some major leg development. It may help a bit, particularly where building your glutes are concerned, but in terms of adding size to you quads and hamstrings there are better alternatives out there. There’s still no arguing against the fact that the best exercise for building up your legs has been and will always be the squat. Its a versatile exercise that’s going to stimulate growth in the legs as it focuses more emphasis on generating momentum from pushing up with your legs.

What does it do best?

So it sounds like we’re bashing the deadlift. If you truly think that then you’re dead wrong. You shouldn’t take deadlifting out of your routine, but you should know exactly what they should used for. The specific benefit for performing deadlifts is to increase your strength. Deadlifts are going to make you more explosive and ultimately improve your strength in other lifts as well. If you specifically want to sculpt muscle without worrying about strength then deadlifts aren’t necessarily a must for your weight training program. But if you’re looking to both look strong and actually have functional strength then you should definitely have deadlifts in your regimen. Bodybuilding is all about finding the exercises that work the best for development. Knowing exactly how each exercise will affect you workout is half the battle.

Are deadlifts a staple of your workout? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.