Deadlifts are the best exercise to build muscle mass. True or false?

[BradScott]

False. Hence why many dumped them.

 

[epoxy]

heavy rack pulls. stiffs for hammies. i don't do conventional anymore, got a inguinial hernia last year and it's been the bane of my existence since. surgery scheduled around the holidays thank god

 

[Tarasoft11]

Now that you found PM - you don't ever have to "google" anything BB - weight training - supplement etc etc related again!!

This site is LITERALLY an encyclopedia of both written and anecdotal data. Use the search feature and read away man.

Welcome to Promuscle University

Thanks alot!

 

[concreteguy]

I think deads build mass well...but its mostly in the mid and lower back. Id rather build the outer lats for that all important width that a bodybuilder or someone who desires a symmetrical physique needs. Id don't feel Deads accomplish this as well as, say, heavy pulldowns or low rows.
But it probably builds overall mass better, its just a matter of where that mass is.

Mike, I think it hits glutes, hams, thighs, erectors, compete upper back and some lats. Not to mention the core work it's doing as well. I'm not the final word on this but for building over all mass dead's have to be considered (one of) the major mass builders.

CG

 

[maldorf]

i love doing deadlifts and pretty much do them in some form every week..but I don't necessarily think they are the best muscle builder if you could only pick one exercise. I don't even think they are necessary to build a great back I just enjoy the feeling they give and I like doing them so I do them.

If I had to pick one overall exercise than muscle overall I would say the clean and press. I haven't done those in years but you are involving pretty much every muscle group with that lift.

Agreed. As far as picking an exercise that works the most large muscle groups the clean and jerk has to be about the best. Check out this lady doing 419 lbs!! WOW
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QnASEwOBT4"]UNBELIVABLE !!! Tatyana Kashirina New World Record 190 kg / 419 lbs Clean & Jerk, Poland 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

INCREDIBLE!

 

[kingjmack]

Agreed. As far as picking an exercise that works the most large muscle groups the clean and jerk has to be about the best. Check out this lady doing 419 lbs!! WOW
UNBELIVABLE !!! Tatyana Kashirina New World Record 190 kg / 419 lbs Clean & Jerk, Poland 2013 - YouTube

INCREDIBLE!

That was a impressive lift!

 

[maldorf]

That was a impressive lift!

Simply insane IMO. At my best I am sure I probably couldn't have even cleaned that much, yet alone press it. Those lifts are something you have to train the neruopathways though. Maybe after doing that lift for a year straight I might have been able to do that,lol!

 

[Dyr611]

I agree with nothuman.. Conventional deadlifts I prefer to stay in the 8-12 rep range, maybe every 3rd or 4th week I'll hit a 5x5, been working well for me so far

 

[big_rich]

Deadlifts are deff number one especially over squats. I do better with high reps and 5+ sets.

 

[Tarasoft11]

False. Hence why many dumped them.

Lots of people also dump training legs, doesnt mean they arent useful!
people avoid deadlifts for many reasons. Could hurt their back, be too lazy, have bad grip or weak forearms. They are very useful for gaining muscle

 

[GodOfHormones]

I like T bar rows more then deads for pure mass gains

 

[concreter]

T- bar rows are great AFTER Deads.
But bent over rows are even better...AFTER Deads!

 

[BradScott]

Lots of people also dump training legs, doesnt mean they arent useful!
people avoid deadlifts for many reasons. Could hurt their back, be too lazy, have bad grip or weak forearms. They are very useful for gaining muscle

I simply said they're not the best absolutely. That does not mean they don't build mass. I stick only to stiff leg deadlifts, with a bar or dumbbells, for a few reasons, not laziness or a weak grip, as I did deadlift variations and back exercises for a long time without straps.

 

[RealDonkeykong]

Lighter, controlled deadlifts for 10-12 reps per set is where it's at

Exactly... Don't know what the he; (Sir Anabolic )is talking about. To much risk of injury? ANY exercise has risks. Go walk on the treadmill if you don't want to lift heavy.

 

[PitbullTank]

if i hypothetically had to pick one exercise it would be deadlift... altho i can't do them anymore, got injured performing them , and they took me out for a long time recently...

i don't think ill ever deadlift again to be honest, imo they can be replaced just like every other exercise with other movements to build a specific muscle group...

 

[PitbullTank]

Exactly... Don't know what the he; (Sir Anabolic )is talking about. To much risk of injury? ANY exercise has risks. Go walk on the treadmill if you don't want to lift heavy.

have you ever seriously injured your back? is not like tearing a tricep, a pec, an knee, or having something that u can just train around... imo you have a MUCH greater chance of having a career ENDING injury on the DL then anything else IF something goes wrong.... if something happens, its always lumbar, disks, etc... there is no training anything after you rupture a disk... But I've seen guys tear ACLs and workout the opposite side leg, arms, etc days and weeks after... of course different exercises pose higher or lower risk levels...there is no comparison in my head of the risk of serious, career ending injury doing 600+lb DLs or squats/having a bench press bar crash onto your throat, then putting too much weight on a preacher curl, single arm row, or calf raise...

It was my Fav exercise

 

[Tarasoft11]

how many reps do you guys usually perform for deadlifts?

i usually do 12,10,10,8, 6
weight gets heavier each time

 

[11111]

have you ever seriously injured your back? is not like tearing a tricep, a pec, an knee, or having something that u can just train around... imo you have a MUCH greater chance of having a career ENDING injury on the DL then anything else IF something goes wrong.... if something happens, its always lumbar, disks, etc... there is no training anything after you rupture a disk... But I've seen guys tear ACLs and workout the opposite side leg, arms, etc days and weeks after... of course different exercises pose higher or lower risk levels...there is no comparison in my head of the risk of serious, career ending injury doing 600+lb DLs or squats/having a bench press bar crash onto your throat, then putting too much weight on a preacher curl, single arm row, or calf raise...

It was my Fav exercise

very true pitt... when you hurt your back deadlifting, how did it happen? did your lower back end up rounding while grinding out a final rep or something along those lines?

 

[PitbullTank]

very true pitt... when you hurt your back deadlifting, how did it happen? did your lower back end up rounding while grinding out a final rep or something along those lines?

i was stupid , bottomline.... ... ill say exactly how it happened... DL was my fav exercise, i have done them for many years even when not a BBer and doing kickboxing shit... i have always tho kept my reps over 5... well, the last time i was on a roll and getting to my biggest/strongest I've ever been i hadn't been DLing in a year or 2..... i started back and worked up todoing 405 for ~15, 495 for 7 ... but I had never tried 6 plates before... well the powerlifter i sponsor was posting those crazy deadlift powerlifting style videos with the crazy death metal shit , going nuts pulling big weight lol .... so i got it in my head, "todays the day i go for 6 plates" (i know thats mediocre in strength but it was pr for me lol) .... went in and hit it, super happy!

... when i did it, i got the shakes a little but i also lifted it a little odd off the start bc i was just thinking about it too much and felt like i had more in me if my form was tightened up... welllllllll, like a FUCKING IDIOT, i give myself NO time after hitting a new PR.... didn't go back to 585 and work on the form..... nope, I was doing every body part 2x a week, and the VERY NEXT back day, i say "fuck this shit" i want another 50 on it and make it 635, YAAAAAA .... i had just done legs like 2 days earlier, hit my PR like 4 days earlier, and here i was going for another PR single :headbang:, makes me mad just how stupid i was... it comes off the floor decently and right about knee level when i start to try to move my hips in i feel something that i can only describe as "explode" in my low back.... weight drops and i manage to grab onto a bench and am still standing... i tell my workout partner i have to go NOW and make it about 10 steps before it tightens to the point i can't walk and he basically carries me to car... I sat in my bed unable to get out taking percs for like 4 days pissing in a water bottle in bed bc i couldn't even stand up... finally got buddy to carry me to car and to hospital... got shot up w that (delotin?) stuff and given some other muscle relaxers.... still can't back squat or do any type of bent over rowing, etc that has to be supported by low back...

Was the worst mistake i ever made in training... and like i said, DL or squat is NOT the forgiving exercise where you load that shit up for a PR and can just always bail out.... sometimes a part breaks and that part is your back a lot of times on those 2 exercises...... i think about it every time i even bend over to tie my dam shoe now... wasn't at all worth the reward of what i would have got out of it (really absolutely nothing besides the ego of it in BBing terms)

 

[JustWannaBeHuge]

i was stupid , bottomline.... ... ill say exactly how it happened... DL was my fav exercise, i have done them for many years even when not a BBer and doing kickboxing shit... i have always tho kept my reps over 5... well, the last time i was on a roll and getting to my biggest/strongest I've ever been i hadn't been DLing in a year or 2..... i started back and worked up todoing 405 for ~15, 495 for 7 ... but I had never tried 6 plates before... well the powerlifter i sponsor was posting those crazy deadlift powerlifting style videos with the crazy death metal shit , going nuts pulling big weight lol .... so i got it in my head, "todays the day i go for 6 plates" (i know thats mediocre in strength but it was pr for me lol) .... went in and hit it, super happy!

... when i did it, i got the shakes a little but i also lifted it a little odd off the start bc i was just thinking about it too much and felt like i had more in me if my form was tightened up... welllllllll, like a FUCKING IDIOT, i give myself NO time after hitting a new PR.... didn't go back to 585 and work on the form..... nope, I was doing every body part 2x a week, and the VERY NEXT back day, i say "fuck this shit" i want another 50 on it and make it 635, YAAAAAA .... i had just done legs like 2 days earlier, hit my PR like 4 days earlier, and here i was going for another PR single :headbang:, makes me mad just how stupid i was... it comes off the floor decently and right about knee level when i start to try to move my hips in i feel something that i can only describe as "explode" in my low back.... weight drops and i manage to grab onto a bench and am still standing... i tell my workout partner i have to go NOW and make it about 10 steps before it tightens to the point i can't walk and he basically carries me to car... I sat in my bed unable to get out taking percs for like 4 days pissing in a water bottle in bed bc i couldn't even stand up... finally got buddy to carry me to car and to hospital... got shot up w that (delotin?) stuff and given some other muscle relaxers.... still can't back squat or do any type of bent over rowing, etc that has to be supported by low back...

Was the worst mistake i ever made in training... and like i said, DL or squat is NOT the forgiving exercise where you load that shit up for a PR and can just always bail out.... sometimes a part breaks and that part is your back a lot of times on those 2 exercises...... i think about it every time i even bend over to tie my dam shoe now... wasn't at all worth the reward of what i would have got out of it (really absolutely nothing besides the ego of it in BBing terms)

I wrote about something similiar like this to me years ago. Except I was working out at home, with me, i fell to the ground and my brother found me on the floor after laying there for an hour or so in extreme pain and unable to get up.

My back was shot for years, after that, I threw it out once when I bent over to pick up my daughter when she was a couple of months old. My father in law and brother in law had to help me to the couch and straigten my body out.

Hope you heal up man, it's a real bitch and takes forever. My back has never gone back to being 100% either.