Deadlifts are the King Exercises, so everyone should do them, right?

Deadlifts are the King of Exercises... wait, don’t do them because they wreck your back!

Which one is true?
Well, they both can be true. The traditional deadlift exercise recruits so many muscles eg:

Gluteus Maximus: (Backside)
Quadriceps: (Upper Front legs)
Adductor Magnus: (Inner Thigh)
Soleus: (the Smaller part of your calf muscle)
Hamstrings: (Upper back of legs)
Gastrocnemius: (the bigger part of your calf muscle)
Erector Spinae: (lower back)
Trapezius, upper: (upper neck muscles)
Trapezius, middle: (middle neck muscles)
Levator Scapulae: (the muscle from your jaw to your shoulder)
Rhomboids: (upper inner back muscles right below your neck)
Rectus Abdominis: (abs)
Obliques: (side abs)

To make but a few.

So it seems to have a claim to being the king of exercises so everyone should do them, right?

Nope.

Everyone should progress towards doing them rather than jumping in and doing them straight away. A reason that they have a reputation for being bad for your lower back is that people go too heavy with poor form and/or mobility.

If you can’t get comfortable in the starting position of a deadlift, don’t do it. Putting the bar on plates to come up off the floor is an option to get in a more comfortable position.
But make sure you have perfect form using a kettlebell first. Then a trap bar before doing a full barbell deadlift.

Going straight from not doing deadlifts to a barbell, unless you have great strength, form and mobility is going to catch up with you. You might get away with it at first but the more you keep trying, the increase in your chances of injury.

If you’re unsure, seek out a coach for advice and try some other non-barbell variations that work similar muscles with less risk of injury. One of my favourites is the single leg deadlift with a pause at the bottom.

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