The deadlift is one of the most fundamental exercises you can include in any strength program, but is it killing your gains? In this video, I react to the recent interview Robert Oberst did with Joe Rogan on the JRE podcast in which the world champion strongman stated that unless you were a competitive deadlifted, you should avoid the movement all together in your workouts because the risk reward ratio is not worth the potential injury particularly if you are a professional athlete.
I think it’s fair to start by saying that I have been known to bury a few bad exercises in my iron graveyard. Specifically, I believe that the upright row and behind the neck shoulder press are two of the worst exercises you could ever include in your workouts and should be avoided at all costs. Not only are they highly likely to lead to injury but there are superior alternatives that nullify even doing them in the first place.
That said, the deadlift is not one of those exercises that I would suggest not doing. I believe it is one of the most fundamental movement patterns for not just our training plans but for every day life. The need to perform it correctly however is magnified due to the fact that the loads capable of being lifted on this exercise exceed what may be able to be done on any other single exercise.
I do think it’s helpful to apply some context to what Robert is saying however. He is coming from an experience set that demanded he lift as much as he possibly could in order to win whatever competition he was competing in. The difference between first and second place could come down to lifting a weight or not. If a compromise in form was needed to do that, so be it. The end result however was that along with some titles came some unwanted body breakdown that could lead to regrets down the road.
The comments made about the reality of pro sports weight rooms are very true. I can tell you having spent a great deal of time in professional sports training athletes that these guys are not often the best lifters. They got to where they are because of their incredible innate talents and physical gifts. Often times, they learned poor lifting technique at an early age and their ability to compensate through it makes it difficult to spot as they make their way up through college and to the pros.
Forcing these athletes to perform lifts that are supposed to be good for them when their bodies may not be prepared for them properly, could lead to repercussions that could cost them their careers and the purpose of why they are where they are in the first place. This is especially true when you realize that there are other exercises like the power clean and hang clean that can give a training effect with fewer side effects if they are dealing with deadlifting limitations.
This all underscores the importance of redefining what strength really is. It is not simply adding more and more plates to the ends of the bar. Instead, it is realizing that strength is founded on stability. The ability to keep your body free from compensation and lift a weight as mechanically intended without subjecting areas of the body to stresses they shouldn’t normally incur. This doesn’t always manifest itself as blatantly bad form. As discussed in the video, it can be a lot less obvious.
The bottom line is, the deadlift is an important exercise that I believe should not be avoided. It should be learned and learned early however. If you’re looking for programs that teach you how to do this important lift the right way and program it into our day by day workout programs, be sure to click the link below and pick out the ATHLEAN-X program that best suits your specific goals.
For more videos on how to deadlift and the best deadlift tutorial, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at the link below and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.
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Is every thing kill my gains?
It's ok to do once in a week
How abbout those who say hat you shouldnt dead lift, squat or bench press when over 40 years? So they say yo ushould wuit all compound lifts when over 40. The best lifts ever, odesnt make any sense to me. I would actually say something opposite.
Yeah yeah everything kills your gains
HOW MUCH MORE STUFF CAN KILL YOUR GAINS 😂😂
Saying” killing your gain” is killing your gain
Deadlifting is the biggest bro lifting exercise. So many people hurt themselves or stop their progress cause of ego dead lifts.
Some say Jeff taught The Stig how to drive
How??????
I don’t dead lift because it makes my butt cheeks spread apart making me really vulnerable
Jeff is so good and articulate I love hearing him.
7:37 I felt that in my back
THERE IS NO REASON TO BE ALIVE IF YOU CANT DO DEADLIFTS!
Hey Jeff, I have leg length discrepancy , can you make a video about alternatives to deadlifting please.
Deadlifts are killing your gains…. so what do I want you to do??. Practice stable deadlifts
Is it a yes or no?
Never saw much point in doing deadlifts. I always did the Romanian Stiff Leg deadlift instead.
On your Flat Stomach in 22 days, how much time is there between reps for rest.
Trap bar deadlift gives you explosive power
That’s incorrect by that guy. Jalen hurts place for the Philadelphia eagles just did a video where he was dead lifting 650 pounds. So this guy doesn’t know shit about the NFL. Stick to what you know. If not doing deadlifts worked for you than awesome but don’t say the NFL players don’t dead left because I have video proof that you’re lying. And let me be clear I don’t dead lift I do rack deadlifts , Dorian Yates style who had one of the greatest backs ever
6 REASONS TO DO NOT BENCH, SQUAT OR DEADLIFT IN 2021!!! DONT MISS!!!https://youtu.be/UNxgDWId5dk
Awesome! I saw a guy who weighed 60kg in the gym and he developed spinal stenosis, because the Personal trainer said " at your size, you should be able to deadlift 2.05 times your weight on deadlift, approximately 130kg and your squat should be 110kg and no less, as it is not enough stimulus " safe to say the guy caused this beginner to have some form of incontinence. He frequently lost control of his bladder and bowel movements which won't go away after 1 month of bad handling. The guy, in question who was 60kg was only 24 years old. Now he is messed up in his confidence, doesn't really exercise at all and has every right to be pissed. This was in the local gym. Why do so many PT's suggest men should be lifting double your bodyweight first time? Yeah, the guy was a first time gym goer trying to better himself. Now he don't even try and lift or do exercise. Which in my opinion, why a gym is not the be all and end all. Actually can be a hindrance, If you have these types of PT's. Why would you expect perfect form with too heavy a weight? Can someone explain the theory behind this. As I've always said, form comes before chasing numbers. How can you build form, if you were 60kg and being told your size should happily lift in the or above 130kg region for a deadlift? When you are clearly lifting too heavy, Why would a PT not mention your form? I believe, his stenosis was caused by this entirely wrong " your size should be lifting x+x " I can also see, why it puts people off. 1 bad experience is often enough. Amazing video's, by the way.
Watching ATHLEAN-X channel kills your gain
The thing is, a lot of exercises/movements (especially deadlift) are performed outside of the gym depending on what your job requires you to do
Never done a deadlift in my life
If you can't do deadlift there is no reason to be alive
I think dead lifts are good but if you lift to heavy it’s like to dangerous
People take their backs for granted. It’s not worth it. There are other exercises that are far safer and just as effective
You shouldn’t go too far with deadlifting if it’s not competitive, but there’s nothing wrong with incorporating this great exercise into your workout.
Talks about risk to reward then talks about Olympic lifts, bruh
Jeff at Joe Rogan: “DMT is killing your gains”
Is there anything that is NOT killing my gains? 🤔🤔🤔
im 27 and never done a deadlift. I never even went in a gym until 21 i was kinda a nerd. I want to learn deadlifts, but ive had abdominal hernia surgery so ill prolly be the guy lifting like 2x 25 plates working on form and stability vs large weight. thats one of the only excersizes ive never tried because im scared ill rip my abs back open. Ill look up jeffs tutorial. Any other recommendations for beginners?
This stability thing is real and more than enough to hurt many gym bois ego. I can do lat pull down with heavy weights but deep down I know I can't do a pull up properly, deep down i know I can't jump off a bench properly even tho i can do squats, I can't even control my body if i fell from 2 mt. Stability is the thing we tends to ignore
Deadlifting is the best workout, but you have to do it correctly. Thanks Jeff for your valuable advice.
Honestly in my opinion more so consistently deadlifting heavy and to often is what fucks people up, but deadlifting moderate weight and not to heavy atleast once to twice a week is actually extremely beneficial and I’ve put on a decent amount of muscle and strength from including more deadlifts in my workout routine
you are the best
Me: Inhales
Jeff:your breathing is killing your gains