These warm-up exercises will help boost your monster deadlift.
We all know about the deadlift, this massive exercise that is part of the big three powerlifting trio. We’ve felt that enormous weight under us as those neck veins pop, our faces tighten as we brace that weight, and how our hands scream as they stay curled around the bar.
But this is while we’re in that lift. Too often do we forget that a valuable warm-up can enhance all areas of our lifts and drive us home as we seek the best for our training, performance, and gains. Whether you are going up to a 1 rep max, or doing volume work, doing a few reps before we jump into the big weight isn’t going to yield the best results and a good warm-up routine can give us that priming and blood flow so our gains never falter.
Let’s take a look at some of the best deadlift warm-up exercises to get our bodies ready for some serious weight. The deadlift should be in your routine somewhere for the many benefits it has on our training and performance and looking to the best warm-up exercises for some pre-workout guidance can really enhance all of our gains to new heights.
Why Perform The Deadlift?
The deadlift is an exercise that works almost every muscle group and allows for serious muscle activation for growth. As an effective exercise for increased balance and stability, the deadlift is certainly one exercise to have in your routine.
Benefits of the deadlift include:
- Increase strength and size: By working many muscle groups, you leave your body no choice but to grow. This can also aid in functional strength for those everyday activities and movements (1).
- Enhance grip strength: With an emphasis on having a solid grip, the deadlift is one of those exercises that can work to benefit your overall grip strength in your fingers and forearms (2).
- Balance and stability: This lift requires a high degree of core strength and will work to keep you as grounded as possible while also maintaining solid balance.
- Injury prevention: By working on strengthening your muscles, as well as your joints and tendons, this lift can provide great support to alleviate any potential injuries that may arise (3).
Best Deadlift Warm-Up Exercises
Let’s take a look at some great deadlift exercises to get you primed for that big lift.
Supine Leg Extension
This will work to stretch your hamstrings and give your quads some movement. Laying on your back, extend one leg on the ground and bring the other to a 90-degree angle. Holding your hamstring just below the knee, bend your knee back and forth in a controlled motion.
Glute Bridge
A great exercise for getting your glutes primed, the glute bridge is a solid warm-up (4). Laying on the ground, bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. Slowly raise and lower your hips, really giving a good squeeze at the top.
Bird Dog
This is a solid core activation exercise and with your core playing an important role in stabilization, you can’t go wrong with this warm-up. Start on all fours and brace your core. Slowly extend one arm in front of you while doing the same with the opposite leg. Hold for a brief pause and repeat with the opposite sides of each arm and leg.
Goblet Squat
While this is predominantly an exercise, doing this with bodyweight or a lighter weight can work to warm-up your legs and get your body ready for some weight. With your feet around shoulder-width apart, hold your chest up and have your shoulders back. Lower into a squat and pause at the bottom before coming back to the starting position.
Lateral Lunge
The lateral lunge will work your glutes, quads, and adductors which are all vital for the deadlift. With your feet under your hips, take one step out with your right foot and lower into a lunge. Drive through your heels to bring that leg to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.
Other Tips
For getting ready for the deadlift, doing some form of light cardio can work to raise your body temperature and really warm those muscles up. That, mixed with some dynamic stretches, will prove to be very effective in getting your lower body muscles primed for this lift. As you start to perform the actual deadlift exercise, work to increase weight in smaller increments as you work your way up to heavier weight.
Featured Supplement
While these warm-up exercises are great for allowing us to see a real increase in our strength and size, looking to high-quality supplements can also work to increase our gains. A pre-workout supplement is perfect for increasing blood flow, providing for great muscle pumps, and enhancing our energy so we see those gains we want most (5).
Transparent Labs PreSeries BULK
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Wrap Up
The deadlift is a great exercise to help tackle any and all needs of your strength gains, as well as other benefits like balance and stability. Performing some of these deadlift warm-up exercises will give you the best deadlift warm-up to prove to be worthwhile as you get your body primed for that serious weight. Don’t neglect a good warm-up for you deserve to have your body ready to go for whatever weight you seek to tackle. Plus, you won’t be disappointed by the results you see.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Transparent Labs and Envato
References
- Wenning, Matthew R. (2014). “The Deadlift and Its Application to Overall Performance”. (source)
- Lee, Julia-Ann; Sechachalam, Sreedharan (2016). “The Effect of Wrist Position on Grip Endurance and Grip Strength”. (source)
- Berglund, Lars; Aasa, Bjorn; Hellqvist; Michaelson, Peter; Aasa, Ulrika (2015). “Which Patietns With Low Back Pain Benefit From Deadlift Training?”. (source)
- Neto, Walter K.; Soares, Enrico G.; Vieira, Thais L.; Aguiar, Rodolfo; et al. (2020). “Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review”. (source)
- Kedia, A. W.; Hofheins, Jennifer E.; Habowski, Scott M.; Ferrando, Arny A.; et al. (2014). “Effects of a Pre-workout Supplement on Lean Mass, Muscular Performance, Subjective Workout Experience and Biomarkers of Safety”. (source)
