Women will do anything for statuesque midsections, hips, bums and thighs. This week I find myself asking a poignant question, which as a fitness professional rocks the very foundations of the industry that puts chicken breasts on my dinner table each and every evening: Are colourful bands, tubes, and fancy machines really the best way to go? When certain female athletes stepped onto the platform last weekend at the World ‘single-event’ Powerlifting Championships in Antwerp, the hundreds of male spectators who packed out the venue went weak at the knees.
Certainly none of us in the Maltese contingent had any idea just what the sport of powerlifting is capable of doing to the female body. Abs, hips, and bottoms looked carved out by none other than Michelangelo himself. Thighs were tight, shaped, and toned to perfection both front and rear. Posture was tall, proud, and oozing in confidence. While many women talk about female emancipation at the office or over dinner, these women are personifying it.
Hollywood scouts in search of the next onscreen superwoman would do well to extend their search to international powerlifting events. One particular member of the Ukrainian national team looked like she had been designed by comic book artists at Marvel, and we were all flabbergasted to find she was well into her 40s. When these vixens hit the platform, I don’t know if it was their appearance or the fact they were lifting over a hundred kilogrames a piece, but silence fell and flashlights illuminated the hall.
I train among a small but highly dedicated team of powerlifters. Our sport consists of three events: the squat, bench press and deadlift. Just like in triathlon, where athletes swim, cycle, and run their way through a multi-disciplinary test of ultimate human endurance, powerlifters must master three different lifts that push full-body raw strength to its limits. However, just like gymnasts typically specialise in one or two of the events that make up a gymnastics competition, many powerlifters typically have that one favourite speciality lift they like to develop to freakish levels. At the World ‘single-event’ Championships, powerlifters have the opportunity to compete in just one lift, and take it to extremes.
The deadlift has always been my favourite. Indeed, it was my initial attempt at mastering it nearly five years ago that encouraged me to get into the sport of powerlifting in the first place. I’ve always told my teammates that if and when I ever become a deadlifting world champion I will feel qualified enough to write an article about it.
Last weekend, in Antwerp, this dream came true when I nailed 235kgs competing in the 75kg weight category. So now, without further ado, with my head still spinning and the dust barely settled, it is a source of enormous pride for me to finally put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and present my long overdue article on a lift that has taken me half way around the world over the last few years and transformed my life and body: the deadlift.
Like any resistance training exercise, deadlifts serve an aesthetic as well as functional purpose, hitting an impressive quota of musculature. Virtually every muscle in your body is engaged in raising the bar, particularly the ‘posterior chain’. The posterior chain muscles are basically all the large muscles on the back side of the body, collectively. These include the lower back (or spinal erectors), the butt (or gluteals), and the hamstrings. These muscles serve to extend the hip joint and together provide the ultimate source of strength and athletic power. Practically all powerful movements in sports such as jumping and sprinting come mainly from this muscular chain.A strong posterior chain means functional strength for a wide array of practical physical tasks such as getting up out of a chair, picking things up off the floor, bending over while doing your cleaning or gardening, lifting shopping out of the boot of your car, and the list goes on.
Aesthetically, it means good posture, a tight, lifted butt, and shaped rear thighs. To deadlift, simply pick the weight up off the floor and stand up with it. Your arms should just act as ropes hanging onto the bar. Sounds easy enough, but good technique can mean the difference between lifting 20kgs or 120kgs, and achieving injury or success. Volumes have been written about technique, but try to keep things simple with three minimal mental cues: hold your back straight and tight; shift your weight on your heels; and keep the bar as close in towards your body as possible.
As you approach the bar, get up as close as possible so your shins are in contact with it, feet hip-distance apart. Bend over at the hips, with only slight knee flexion (as seen from the side, your hips should be only slightly lower than your shoulders). Grip the bar with your hands, shoulder-width apart or slightly further out. Remember the three mental cues, and lift.
Deadlifting heavy in the region of one to five repetitions per set will result in increases in functional strength. Deadlifting moderately heavy weights in the region of six to 20 repetitions per set will alter your body shape by stimulating growth in the target muscles. Finally, deadlifts can even be performed in excess of 20 repetitions as part of a circuit or interval training workout to burn fat and improve cardiovascular fitness.
So whatever your goals, deadlifts can provide an invaluable contribution to your training efforts.
Source: The Sunday Times, October 19, 2008