The Deadlift

The deadlift is probably arguably the most important exercise of the 5 we have given you. This exercise works the "back side" - back, glutes, and hamstrings. The back, glutes, and hamstrings are often neglected muscles that are surely addressed with the deadlift. The key to not injuring yourself is to not arch or hunch your back. Your back must stay flat. How do you do that? Activate the core muscles! Start simple with the two legged romanian deadlift with dumbbells in each hand. Work on your deadlift posture. Once you are comfortable there, progress to the single leg romanian dead lift. Same thing there-work on your correct posture. Then move on to the deadlift with the bar. Again, if you feel any pain in your back, STOP! Refer to a staff member for help.



Key points:

* Keep your back flat- do not round or arch your back

* Progress slowly to ensure correct form as well as building the strength in order to progress

* At any time, if you feel pain- stop! Seek help from a staff member



ROMANIAN DEADLIFT-We introduced this in the previous post "5 key exercises" but it is worth putting here again as this is the starting point. In this video we have just a dowel- add dumbbells to each of your hands for increased difficulty.

SINGLE LEG DEADLIFT WITH DUMBBELL: Sports require movement predominantly on one leg? So we should train on one leg- makes sense right? Well the single leg deadlift is a fantastic exercise that both incorporates single leg training as well as working the "back side" muscles. You can put the dumbbell in the opposite hand of your foot that is on the ground to start but to make it more challenging- switch the dumbbell to the same side your foot is down.

DEADLIFT WITH BAR: Now that you have worked the Romanian deadlift and the single leg deadlift- you have the form down perfectly! You have a nice flat back, core is activated, breathing!, and your strength is getting better. Now lets move onto the deadlift with the bar/plates. There are two grips- one with your hands over the bar (knuckles out) and the other is opposite grips, one over the bar and the other hand is with palm out. Do what feels comfortable for you. I have posted the alternate grip one to show you but if you like the traditional grip- go for it!

SUMO DEADLIFT: This lift changes your leg positioning to a wider "sumo" position. This targets the adductors (groin muscles) Again, keep your back flat with this lift. Choose the grip that is most comfortable for you. Refer to a staff member if you have pain or difficulty with this exercise.

Quick Update on Comments Section of Blog

I have gotten some good feedback from athletes and staff that they like the new BSC Sports Medicine blog. One comment I was receiving was they could not post comments/feedback on the blog entry. I have finally gotten it squared away and have fixed this technical glitch. You should now be able to now post a comment on the blog entry. So with that said........ I look forward to your comments and feedback on the blog itself. Keep checking back- I have posted the squat and lunge variations and the deadlift, push up and pull up are coming in the next week to two weeks.

Enjoy!!

Lunge Variations

On to our second "key exercise"- THE LUNGE. The lunge is an exercise that is important in helping to train for acceleration, quick changes of direction, and deceleration. It is a challenging movement as both the upper body and lower body have to work together yet independently in achieving the movement in a balanced manner. Hip tightness and poor core stability can cause great difficulty with the lunge exercise. As with all exercises, correct form is imperative. If your form is off due to the difficulty of an exercise- scale back to an easier version or come see a sports medicine staff member so we can evaluate the problem.



Important tips for a safe lunge exercise-



* DO NOT LET YOU KNEE GO OVER YOUR TOES

* DO NOT LET YOU KNEE COLLAPSE INWARDS

* KEEP YOUR BODY UP- DON'T FALL FORWARD

* KEEP GLUTES, LEG AND CORE TIGHT THROUGHOUT THE EXERCISE



WALKING LUNGE-This is the basic lunge with a continuum of motion. Works on power and strength of the glutes, hamstrings, and quads as well as works on core

ALTERNATING LUNGE WITH MEDICINE BALL-Great core exercise as well as lower body and shoulder exercise. There are two variations to this- the first is to hold the med ball out in front of you with arms straight out at chest level and the second version is more difficult and activates more core is to have med ball over head with arms straight. Both exercises you must make sure you are not arching your lower back and you are keeping a nice tight straight core.

BACKWARD LUNGE WITH TWIST- This exercise can be used as a movement prep exercise- an exercise you do to warm up and stretch out. It is also an exercise that can challenge your balance. The reason I put this in here is because what it primarily stretches out is your hip flexors, quads and front of the core- areas that are typically very tight. You will feel this through your entire back leg all the way up to your hips, abs and up to your lats. If you want to make this a bit more challenging for your core and balance- put a med ball in your hands and keep your arms above your head and perform the exercise.

ALTERNATING LUNGE WITH ONE DUMBBELL: This is an exercise that is meant to challenge your core. In sports you constantly have outside variables that throw your center of gravity off and you have to balance these out to remain effective. The use of one dumbbell in your hand will challenge your core in a similar way. Make sure you have a heavy enough weight to really challenge your core. The goal is to remain in an upright position despite the weight pulling you to one side.

SPLIT JUMPS: This exercise is one that will challenge your core as well as improve your power and explosion in your hips and legs. The key is to keep your balance and torso upright and stable when you land. To start off with this exercise, land in the same position as you took off from. To progress to a more difficult version, look at the second video here to a cycled split jump where you switch legs in the air and land in the opposite lunge position than when you took off.








SLIDING BACKWARD LUNGE: This exercise is a good single leg exercise that incorporates stretching, strength, and challenges you balance. To perform this exercise you need a surface you can slide on- a slide board (available in AT room), a sliding foot disc (also available in the AT room), or you can use a towel on a smooth surface such as the gym floor. To make this even more challenging you can put your front foot on a step for greater range of motion in the dip.

STATIC LUNGE WITH MEDICINE BALL THROW: This exercise is performed with a partner or against a wall. It is a great exercise that works on both strength and core as well as the trunk rotational core that sports require. Have your partner stand on a plyo box or bench. Find the spot where you can bounce the ball off the ground to your partner and mark this spot. Your goal with this exercise is to maintain the lunge position with your back knee off the ground and keep your hips facing forward so only your shoulders rotate to pass the ball to your partner. Start this exercise with 10-15 repetitions and work up to 30-40 repetitions each side consecutively.

LUNGE ON HALF FOAM ROLLER: Saved the toughest for last.!!This is a challenging exercise that if you are not ready to do- DO NOT!!! You need a foam roller or two dyna discs- both available in the AT room. Position yourself next to an object you can use to help with you balance to get on the roller and as you need during the exercise as you will see Steve does in the video with another foam roller.