Which bodypart does the deadlift target most?

[BigTallOx]

Originally Posted by butterZ83

Which bodypart does the deadlift target most?

Seeing the word "deadlift" next to the word "target" feels about like hearing finger nails scraping on a chalkboard.

[5kgLifter]

First time I did deadlifts, I PM'd Steve about the resultant aches, for one reason.

• Totally new to deadlifts, so was able to feel what they'd targeted.
• Sufferer of TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome), so tend to feel weight loads affect the back muscles more than others do.

From my initial experience, and any deadlifting after a long break, the entire back from the traps to the lower ribs gets whacked, well and truly; that much I know for sure.

Obviously it targets other muscle groups as well as seen in the pics above, but I have a slightly unique perspective, due to the TOS, for being able to know what area of the back most definitely has to work when deadlifting.

[Kyle Aaron]

It works your whole body. And it's cardio, too. Do a set of heavy deadlifts, you'll be puffing.

Different stages of the lift work different muscles. The first impulse from the ground comes from the quadriceps. Then as you extend your flexed hip, the glutes do the extension, while the hamstrings hold things tight. But you can't do any of this without bracing, without your lower back muscles and abdominal muscles contracting.

When you lock out, the calf muscles which cross the knee contract, too.

As well, men have deadlifted over 400kg, and women over 250kg. Why don't their shoulders pop out of their sockets? The muscles of their upper back contract to hold them together. So you find that good deadlifters have well-built trapezius muscles.

And then of course your grip has to be strong to hold onto the bar, which means your forearm muscles are all worked.

So really if all you did was deadlift and do an overhead press, you would work basically every muscle in your body.

All that said, for a beginner lifter, whatever their ultimate goals, they're better off thinking of training movements, not muscles. If you have the three basic movements of doing a deep knee-bend, picking something heavy up off the ground and putting something heavy overhead, you will in any case work every muscle in the body.

For example, if all you do is deadlift and press, what you find is that your deadlift stalls after a bit, somewhere around your bodyweight x1-1.5. If that's enough strength for you, fine - and for general health and wellbeing, it probably is. But if you want more than that, you'll need to squat. A stronger squat helps deadlift, deadlift doesn't seem to help squat a lot. So you end up with three movements - doing a deep knee-bend (squat), picking something heavy up off the ground (deadlift) and putting something heavy overhead (overhead press).

Later when you're at an advanced level of bodybuilding or training for some sport, you can worry about individual muscles getting bigger or stronger. As a beginner or intermediate, if you focus on movements not muscles, the muscles will all come into balance anyway.

[Trevor Ross]

It targets everything, that's what makes the lift awesome.

[IronManlet]

It does almost everything. Literally. No exaggeration.

It is the #1 lift, in my book. Heck...I squat so I can Deadlift more.