3 Tips for Performing the Dead Lift

The dead lift is an essential lift that must be included as part of any strength training regimen. The reason for this is the fact that it incorporates more muscles than just about any other lift, enabling you to lift a greater amount of weight than with most other lifts. Because the dead lift allows you to lift a considerable amount of weight, it is important that you understand the proper way to perform this lift.

I want to provide you with three simple tips that will help to guarantee you're using proper form so you can get the full muscle and strength building benefits of dead lifting, without compromising your personal safety by risking injury.

Tip #1: Start with the Bar Close to Your Shins

The number one cause of dead lifting injuries is the rounding of the back while lifting the bar from the ground. Many times this could be avoided by simply understanding the proper placement of the bar before initiating the lift. The bar should be an inch or two away from your shins. Any more than than and you'll have to lean too far over to grip the bar, which will cause you to round your back and greatly increase your risk of injury.

Tip #2: Lift From Your Heels

While it can seem natural to use the balls of your feet to stabilize your body, the proper way to initiate the lifting movement is by pressing up from your heels using the hamstrings and posterior chain. This will allow you to lift heavier weights and also keep your back erect.

Tip #3: Lower the Bar in a Quick and Controlled Manner

Beginners to dead lifting are notorious for trying to lower the bar slowly. I don't know if they are worried about making too much noise or if they think slowly lowering the bar is beneficial in some manner, but this isn't the right way to lower the bar when dead lifting. The right way to lower the bar is in a quick and controlled manner. It should be lowered fast enough to not require much energy to support the load, but not so fast that you can't maintain control of the bar. Lowering the bar too slowly prematurely exhausts your muscles and prevents you from performing the maximum number of reps - and it can also hurt your lower back.

The dead lift can be an intimidating lift, but it doesn't have to be. These three tips will eliminate much of the risk with performing this exercise and give you good idea of how to properly perform this essential lift.

For more information to help you build muscle, lose fat and dead lift more weight, check out Craig's inspirational articles on RippedOut.com or get a copy of his book, Ripped Out.

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Tips for Properly Performing the Bench Press

The bench press is probably the most popular exercise among beginner weight lifters and bodybuilders. The lift seems fairly simple. I mean, you just bring the bar to your chest and push it back up, right? Actually, the bench press has several intricacies that can cause several problems if ignored:

Not targeting the pectoral muscles in the chest most effectivelyThe onset of shoulder painLacking strength and muscle gains

These are just a few examples, but I think you get the idea. Not performing the bench press correctly can slow your gains at best and cause bodily injury at worst. So let's look at a few of the most common aspects of bench pressing that go awry.

Keeping the Elbows Out

Nine times out of ten, when I'm coaching someone who complains about shoulder pain while bench pressing, it stems from them angling their elbows outward as they bring the bar to their chest. This puts an enormous amount of angular pressure on the shoulders. This not only leads to immediate pain, but can cause serious damage if left unchecked for an extended period of time.

The way to prevent this is by simply being intentional about turning your elbows inward after you've lifted the bar from the rack and before you begin lowering the bar towards your chest. This turning needn't be too pronounced. Just a slight turn in to keep your elbows near your torso as you bring the bar down and press it back upwards.

Not Expanding the Chest

The focus of the bench press should always be the pectoral muscles. Far too many lifters unintentionally shift their focus to the shoulders and triceps muscles by having their back completely flat against the bench while performing the bench press lift. Instead, what you want to do is bring your shoulder blades back and in, forcing your chest upwards and making a slight arch in your lower back. In other words, your butt and shoulder blades should be providing most of the base for this lift.

Your chest should be "barrel-chested" so it is maximally expanded upwards. This will ensure the focus of the lift is centered on the pectoral muscles and also allow you to lift heavier weight because it will shorten the distance the bar has to travel from start to finish.

Implementing these changes can take a little getting used to, but they will have a tremendous impact on your long-term muscle building results from using the bench press. Not to mention they will help ensure your immediate safety and prevent long-term injuries from using improper bench pressing form. These tips have been an enormous help to me and I hope they will be to you as well.

Craig Leonard is someone who understands the struggles the average person endures when trying to build muscle and shed unwanted body fat. His passion is inspiring others to transform their bodies and improve their lives.

For more information to help you build muscle, lose fat and bench press more weight, check out Craig's inspirational articles on RippedOut.com.

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