Are Deadlifts Necessary for Size and Strength?

“There is no point in being alive if you cannot do the deadlift”

Jon Pall Sigmarsson (4x World’s Strongest Man champion)

Obviously Mr. Sigmarsson felt strongly about deadlifting. But, are deadlifts necessary for size and strength?

No, deadlifts are not strictly necessary. But, they are one of the best and most reliable exercises to develop lower body strength and back thickness. If you dedicate yourself to learning proper technique, there are few exercises which will be as effective as deadlifts for size and strength.

But, who should deadlift? What are the benefits? Let’s dig into the facts about deadlifts to get answers to these questions and more.

Pros and Cons of Deadlifts

Pro – Deadlifts Are One of the Best Hamstring Exercises

In particular, the RDL (Romanian deadlift) and SLDL (stiff-legged deadlift) variations have been shown to be especially effective exercises for targeting the hamstrings.

A study from 2014 in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared electromyographic (EMG) activity between four different hamstring exercises: leg curl, good morning, glute-ham raise, and RDL. The researchers found both the RDL and glute-ham raise elicited greater overall hamstring activation than any of the other exercises. (1)

Another study compared three different exercises to assess EMG activity in the hamstrings between them: the leg curl, SLDL (stiff-legged deadlift), and back squat. Both the leg curl and SLDL produced similar EMG activity in the hamstrings and both elicited more activity than the back squat. (2)

So, we know from these studies both the RDL and SLDL variations are excellent at activating the hamstring muscle. This is even more of a pro due to the increasingly heavy loads you can lift with deadlifts (as opposed to leg curls, which are more limited).

Speaking of which…

Pro – You Can Lift HEAVY Weight With Deadlifts

Most lifters can deadlift more than they can squat or bench press. Conventional strength standards for the bench press, squat, and deadlift are as follows:

• Bench press: 1.5x bodyweight
• Squat: 2x bodyweight
• Deadlift: 2.5x bodyweight

Now, this can sometimes change as a lifter progresses into the advanced and elite stages. But, for the average lifter, the proportionality of these numbers will be more or less accurate.

So, what?

Being able to move heavier weight has two distinct advantages:

1. The more weight lifted, the more muscle is needed to move said weight
2. The more weight you can add to the bar, the more opportunities you have to make progress

Targeting more overall musculature means you will be breaking down more muscle fibers, which will lead to more growth.

Take the barbell biceps curl vs the weighted chin-up as an example. You may build your biceps to an equally impressive degree with both exercises. But the chin-up will also work your lats, rhomboids, and rear deltoids.

So, exercises which target more muscle will result in more growth, generally speaking.

I’ve written elsewhere more in-depth about the concept of progressive overload. But, simply, progressive overload is the idea that you must continually increase the stress on your muscles in new ways in order to stimulate growth (hypertrophy).

And the most effective way to do this is by adding weight to the bar.

Pro – Deadlifts Build BIG Backs

A systematic review and meta analysis of the deadlift and its variations found both the erector spinae and quadriceps muscles elicited greater activation than the gluteus maximus or biceps femoris (muscle in the hamstrings). The researchers also found the RDL resulted in the lowest amount of activation for the erector spinae. (3)

Unfortunately, the erector spinae is not targeted directly by many exercises.

And when most people think of back training, they think of training the lats. Rows and pull-ups are effective here. These exercises are necessary for complete back development, but they won’t hit the erector spinae the same way deadlifts do.

Finally, there’s Ronnie Coleman, 8x Mr. Olympia champion. He was known for having python-like spinal erectors. And he was a huge fan of deadlifting:

Pro – Deadlifts Teach You the Importance of Lifting Technique

It took me at least three years before I really had the deadlift down pat. Now, I was a little stupid (and reckless) when I was younger, so I hope it won’t take you as much time.

But, the fact is the deadlift is an incredibly technical lift which takes a long time to learn and master.

This may seem like a waste of time, but it’s not. The ability to teach yourself proper body mechanics during the deadlift will spill over into your ability to learn technique with other exercises.

Think about it like this: if you can master the deadlift, you can master pretty much any exercise.

For those who are serious about mastering the deadlift, I recommend these three old, but excellent articles by Eric Cressey:

• Mastering the Deadlift – Part 1
• Mastering the Deadlift – Part 2
• Mastering the Deadlift – Part 3

Reading these really catapulted my deadlift game to the next level. And hopefully it will do the same for you.

Con – Deadlifts are Hard on the Body and can be Injury-Inducing

I don’t think the deadlift is as dangerous as many people claim it is. But, because of the loading and torque on the spine, there is greater risk than with other, smaller exercises.

A cross-sectional study from 2018 investigated the prevalence and consequences of injuries associated with powerlifting exercises among Swedish sub-elite powerlifters. The researchers found the following:

• 43% of injuries started while training the squat
• 27% of injuries started while training the bench press
• 31% of injuries started while training the deadlift

From this alone, we can see the deadlift isn’t necessarily more injury-prone, and in fact had 13% less injury association than the squat.

However, the researches also found a “significant positive association with a lumbopelvic injury occurring during deadlift training”. (4)

The lumbopelvic region is the area where the lumbar spine moves in conjunction with the pelvis. And, given the excessive loading on the spine and core, it isn’t surprising there’s a higher rate of injury.

Beyond that, deadlifts are just super taxing and take a lot of time to recover from. Smart programming and proper technique is key to making them work.

Check out my article on how to program the deadlift into an upper lower split here

Con – Deadlifts can Cause Excessive Lower Back Fatigue

We know the deadlift targets the erector spinae muscles to a high degree. We also know researchers found a positive association with injury in the lumbopelvic region.

A study from the Journal of Human Kinetics compared the squat and deadlift in terms of lower body strength and power training. Participants were split into two groups: one squat group and one deadlift group. Three participants from the deadlift group had to stop due to developing lower back pain. (5)

So we know the lower back is going to take a lot of punishment in the deadlift.

Additionally, the high amount of weight lifted will add to the stress on the lower back. And it’s easy for form to break down, especially under heavy weight. All of this can lead to a sort of chronic fatigue in the lower back. Unfortunately, this lower back fatigue can effect your performance in other lifts like the squat and bent over row.

This is why programming the deadlift into your routine can be tricky. You need to make sure you allot enough rest time in between squats and deadlifts so you don’t blast your lower back into oblivion.

Getting enough rest is critical for training the deadlift long term and avoiding chronic low back fatigue. You can’t just deadlift heavy weight week-after-week and expect your lower back to recover. So, planning a proper deload from the deadlift is crucial in avoiding this.

Do You Really Need to do Deadlifts?

Like I said, you don’t need to do deadlifts.

You can build your back with rows, pull-ups, and pulldowns. You can build your legs with squats and glute ham raises. But, if you want to become as strong and big as fast as possible (and I’m assuming most of you do), then the deadlift is crucial.

Here’s the honest truth: most people want to avoid doing the deadlift because it’s hard. Hard to learn and hard to perform. But, the fact that it’s hard, in this context, actually means it’s going to yield great benefits.

My recommendation is to spend a long time working on your technique with low weights, not even coming close to approaching failure.

Take video of your sets and assess your form. Read the articles I linked above. And most importantly, practice, practice, practice. If you do all of this, you will be stunned at the results you can get from the deadlift.

FAQ

Q: Are deadlifts necessary if you squat?

A: No, not strictly. There’s a lot of crossover between the two exercises in terms of muscles worked, especially the quads. However, in one of the studies I referenced above, the SLDL produced significantly greater hamstring EMG activation than the back squat. So, if you want complete leg development, I would at least include the SLDL or RDL. 

Q: Are deadlifts necessary for athletes?

A: Again, I wouldn’t say they are necessary. But, deadlifts have been shown to improve rapid torque capability resulting in increased vertical jump height. These results indicate the deadlift likely has benefits for explosive, performance-related athletic endeavors. (6)

Q: Are heavy deadlifts necessary?

A: No. But, I do find it’s hard to maintain proper form when doing deadlifts above 5 reps. It’s just a really taxing exercise, and forcing yourself to do high(er) reps with it can lead to form breakdown. But, if you are keeping your technique in check, lighter deadlifts can be excellent to increase speed, technical proficiency, and hypertrophy.

References

1. McAllister, Matt J.; Hammond, Kelley G.; Schilling, Brian K.; Ferreria, Lucas C.; Reed, Jacob P.; Weiss, Lawrence W. Muscle Activation During Various Hamstring Exercises, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: June 2014 – Volume 28 – Issue 6 – p 1573-1580 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000302
2. WRIGHT, GLENN A.1; DELONG, THOMAS H.2; GEHLSEN, GALE2 Electromyographic Activity of the Hamstrings During Performance of the Leg Curl, Stiff-Leg Deadlift, and Back Squat Movements, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: May 1999 – Volume 13 – Issue 2 – p 168-174
3. Martín-Fuentes I, Oliva-Lozano JM, Muyor JM (2020) Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PLOS ONE 15(2): e0229507. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229507
4. Strömbäck E, Aasa U, Gilenstam K, Berglund L. Prevalence and Consequences of Injuries in Powerlifting: A Cross-sectional Study. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. May 2018. doi:10.1177/2325967118771016
5. Nigro, Federico and Bartolomei, Sandro. “A Comparison Between the Squat and the Deadlift for Lower Body Strength and Power Training” Journal of Human Kinetics, vol.73, no.1, 2020, pp.145-152. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0139
6. Thompson, Brennan J.; Stock, Matt S.; Shields, JoCarol E.; Luera, Micheal J.; Munayer, Ibrahim K.; Mota, Jacob A.; Carrillo, Elias C.; Olinghouse, Kendra D. Barbell Deadlift Training Increases the Rate of Torque Development and Vertical Jump Performance in Novices, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: January 2015 – Volume 29 – Issue 1 – p 1-10 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000691

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