Don't let the Deadlift Become One

There are many lifts you won't see in a big-box gym. Just about anything that requires some degree of skill (and therefore some potential for injury) is typically shunned inside the walls reserved for the chrome and fern crowd. Things like the front squat, deadlift, clean and press are becoming a rarity in training halls.
This is unfortunate for several reasons:

1)These lifts are an integral part of our lives. You will have to go from sitting to standing at one point in your life. You will have to pick something up off the ground at least once before the dirt-nap. Nobody invented these movements, they simply are.

2)There is no more efficient way to move and manipulate an external object. The principles you learn while under the barbell will carry over to anything you may find yourself confronted with. Learning basic lifting mechanics transfers to any object.

3)Big movements=big strength. There is simply no greater way to improve your base level of strength. Learning to co-ordinate your body to act as a unit against an object can not be learned piece-wise on the butt-blaster/adduction/leg curl machine.

4)Fun! Moving weight is fun! Moving more weight is more fun (thanks to Jim Schmitz for that one)!

5)Learning to lift demands your attention and focus. You can not engage in it mindlessly.



So keep practicing those big basics. They are everywhere. Don't let this stuff become a thing of the past.

-Boz