You’ve heard it before—the deadlift is the king of all exercises. They work your core, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. They’re also a test of raw power, a move that sets a benchmark for your overall strength. Don’t think, though, that they’re a must for everyone or that they need to make an appearance in every lower body or back workout you crush.
If you suffer from back pain, then the stress that deadlifts cause on your lower back are probably not worth the hassle or risk. Or, if you have trouble getting into position, you’re better off skipping them than performing them with poor form.
Below, we tasked five trainers to provide seven safe, alternative moves for deadlifting.
Goal: Learn how to engage your deadlift muscles and transfer energy from muscle to muscle.
Why Do It: The hamstring curls prime your hamstrings so that they’re engaged and the deficit Pendlay row puts you in a deadlift position, so you’re forced to cue your muscles the same way you would before a big pull—lats locked down and belly flexed. Simply put: This superset is like a pair of training wheels for your deadlift. They allow you to feel the muscles that need to work in unison and when.
When to Do It: After your movement prep and before your deadlift.
Do It: Lay down in a lying leg curl machine and then curl the pad to your butt. After you perform 10 reps, begin your Pendlay rows. Stand on a raised mat or a 45-pound bumper plate with a bar resting against your shins. Drop your hips, with your back straight, and pull the bar as you would for a deadlift. Once it’s at your knees, pull the bar, leading with your elbows, and row it to your stomach.
Sets x Reps: 3-5 sets of 10 reps each
Expert: Andy Triana is a competitive strongman and the owner of The Performance Vibe, a coaching community for strength athletes.
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Ian Spanier / M+F Magazine
Glute-Ham Raise
Goal: Increase your hamstring size and strength.
Why Do It: This knee-dominant movement will challenge the hamstrings differently compared to deadlifts and will also develop your calves, as they aid in knee flexion (during the up phase of the movement) and your glutes, which maintain a neutral back.
When to Do It: Perform this single-joint exercise after you do all your compound lifts.
Do It: Get into a glute-ham raise apparatus with your feet pressed against the metal base and your knees resting on the pads. Lower your torso forward until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, and then raise yourself back up trying to use just your hammies.
Sets x Reps: 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps
Expert: Jon-Erik Kawamoto is the owner of JKConditioning in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
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Pavel Ythjall
Bulgarian Split Squat
Goal: Build muscle and strength in the quads and glutes.
Why Do It: The Bulgarian split squat, or rear foot elevated split squat, is a fantastic exercise for developing not only your quads and glutes but also hip stability in the frontal plane (side to side), due to the stability required to squat with one leg elevated.
When to Do It: Perform this exercise after bilateral squats and deadlifts.
Do It: Stand in front of a bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Rest the top of one foot on the bench. Squat until your rear knee is near the floor.
Sets x Reps: 2-4 sets of 6-8 reps
Expert: Jon-Erik Kawamoto is the owner of JKConditioning in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
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Jacob Lund / Shutterstock
Snatch-Grip Deadlift
Goal: Broaden your upper back.
Why Do It: This is still a deadlift, yes, but widening the grip will place the focus on the traps, rhomboids, and lats. When performed with a controlled eccentric it not only improves the core stability needed for a better conventional deadlift, it is a great muscle builder. Also, you’ll have to use lighter weight, so it’s easier on your joints and spine.
When to Do It: As the first lift on a strength day or as an assistance exercise for higher reps.
Do It: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart in front of a loaded barbell. Grip it with a wide grip, and then drop your hips so your knees are bent and your back is straight. Pull the bar up and drive your hips forward to lift the bar off of the ground.
Sets x Reps: 4 sets of 8 reps
Expert:Jeb Stuart Johnston is a lifestyle transformation specialist based in New York City.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Hang Power Clean
Goal: Become more explosive.
Why Do It: Olympic lifts are great for improving your ability to produce force, but they’re complicated to learn compared to most exercises. Performing a hang clean, which has you start with the bar at your hips as opposed to the floor, makes the move easier to do. As a result, you’ll still benefit form the explosive hip drive and trip extension (that is, extending through your toes, hips, and back) required to get the bar up to the front rack position, but with less room for error.
When to Do It: I like to perform these at the beginning of a strength session to prime the central nervous system (the connection between your brain and muscles respond better when primed).
Do It: Stand holding a barbell at arm’s length in front of your thighs, with a shoulder-width overhand grip and your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart. Dip down into roughly a quarter squat, then immediately pull the bar up your body to full extension at the hips, knees, and ankles. Dip under the bar, catch it in a squat position, and stand all the way up with it. Let the bar fall back down to the start position (in front of your thighs, arms extended), and repeat.
Sets x Reps: 5 sets of 2 reps
Expert:Jeb Stuart Johnston is a lifestyle transformation specialist based in New York City.
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Panumas Yanuthai / Shutterstock
Straight-Arm Rope Pulldown
Goal: Build strength in the lats and stability at the shoulder joint.
Why Do It: The lats and shoulders play an immense role in the deadlift—that is, stabilizing the spine and locking your arms into position. This exercise will help you retain strength in the lats and stability in the shoulder joint.
When to Do It: Perform these after your compound movements.
Do It: Attach a rope attachment to the top pulley of a cable station and grasp a handle in both hands. Bend at the hips a bit to feel a stretch on your lats, then pull the rope to your hips with your arms straight.
Sets x Reps: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
Expert: Matt Pudvah is the head strength and conditioning coach of the Manchester Athletic Club in Manchester, MA.
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James Michelfelder & Therese Sommerseth
Cable Pull-Through
Goal: Strengthen the hips, hamstrings, and glutes
Why Do It: The pull through is an excellent accessory exercise that trains the hinge pattern, same as a deadlift, but in a more back-friendly fashion.
When to Do It: Toward the end of your training session.
Do It: Stand facing away from the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab the ends of the rope between the legs and walk out till you get desired tension. Hinge at the hip with control and reach behind as far as you can. Maintain a minimal bend in the knees, a slight arch in the lower back, and a long, packed neck. Explosively extend your hips and straighten your knees to a standing position. Squeeze your glutes at the top and pause for a count of two.
Sets x Reps: 2-4 sets of 12-20 reps
Expert: Brandon Smitley is the owner of THIRST gym.
