Despite our best intentions, sometimes we get to the gym & realize that we don’t have enough time to do our full workout.  When time-crunched, what’s a person to do?  You might be tempted to skip it all together.  If you can’t do your full workout…why bother at all?!  WRONG answer! 

If you have 05-10 minutes you have enough time to get a great full body workout in.  You just need the right exercise…and that exercise is Deadlifts!

In my opinion, Deadlifts are the King (or Queen, as the case may be) of All Exercises!  This one lift targets just about every muscle in your body AND teaches all those muscles how to work together in a coordinated fashion.  Doing a few sets of these gives you an efficiency double whammy of calorie burn + strength development.

Obviously, Deadlifts work lower body. The hip functionality developed from glutes, hamstrings, quads, abductors & adductors all working together is critical for injury prevention & athletic performance. And, if that’s not enough, the cherry-on-top is that learning how to do Deadlifts properly sets you up for safely doing practical movements like picking up groceries off the floor, lifting your child, moving heavy furniture & shoveling snow. 

How about upper body? Yep, Deadlifts do that too. Using proper deadlifting form will target your low back, middle back (lats, traps, rhomboids), upper back (traps, rhomboids), arms & forearms. If you’re giving me the skeptical eyebrow raise right now, we need to talk form. In order to work the lower, middle & upper back you need to:

• Lower Back – Keep that low back VERY straight & engaged. If your low back is rounding, lighten the weight and/or start the bar from a higher position.
• Middle/Upper Back – If your upper back rounds as you stand up (or is rounded even before you start), lighten the weight and/or start the bar from a higher position.
• Upper Back – At the top of the lift (when you are fully standing) make sure to squeeze those shoulder blades back & down to activate those upper back muscles.

You want core work?? Well, Deadlifts do that too! All the core muscles (the abs, low back & the little muscles that support the spine) work extremely hard to hold your torso straight & solid while you deadlift the weight. And a more engaged core means you’ll be able to lift heavier weight.

So, you only have 05 min to lift? No excuses!! Get your Deadlifts going & you have the perfect workout!  Happy lifting!!

Take a watch for some Deadlift ideas.