TOPIC: Deadlifting = king of aesthetic exercises?

hits posture and muscles that show in a shirt- forearms, neck/traps...

Am I just stating the obvious? I know a lot of guys who do gym routines but leave out deadlifts (i cant squat due to knee issues)

Id say it really does not matter. You find exercises you like and works for you and stick to them.
We all know dudes that do DLs and got good back and there are guys that hate deadlifts but also got good backs.

Deadlifts sure are a great way to add mass, but they made me look "square" instead of V-shaped. I mean, a strong core is healthy, but it didn't look too good on me. Since I had to leave them out due to various problems my shape looks much better, even though I feel a bit weaker.

I think people leave them out mainly because... well, who the hell enjoys deadlifting hard? Let's be honest, it sucks. Whether you're doing heavy weight low reps and the pressure burst blood vessels in your eyes and face not to mention the risk of injury, or doing high reps where it feels like you're about to pass out from the lack of oxygen. But it's a great overall mass builder and I use it to build my hamstrings. I don't think it's a particularly efficient way to build forearms/traps though.

Terminator wrote: I think people leave them out mainly because... well, who the hell enjoys deadlifting hard? Let's be honest, it sucks. Whether you're doing heavy weight low reps and the pressure burst blood vessels in your eyes and face not to mention the risk of injury, or doing high reps where it feels like you're about to pass out from the lack of oxygen. But it's a great overall mass builder and I use it to build my hamstrings. I don't think it's a particularly efficient way to build forearms/traps though.

Deadlifting hard is one of the most satisfying things to do in the gym. Well, is one of the most dreaded things to do too lol. For me is love/hate.

Anyway, for me DL has contributed to a good development of the density of all my back and glutes.

DL is really a great exercise. The only thing I tell ppl from the get-go is just make sure your form is correct and you lift smart. I F'd my back up probably for life DL'n. I recently started again after not pulling for 4-5 years.

The deadlift, done correctly*, is the best overall back exercise bar none.
When I herniated a lumbar disc a few years ago i followed advice to get into the gym and get back to deadlifting ASAP using light weight/high reps and working slowly back to heavy sets as pain allowed. For a while the only time my back was pain free was in the middle of my deadlift sets.
Eight months later I was far stronger than when I got injured and my back was 100% pain free. Not bad for a 40-something guy.

Oh yeah and traps. And lats. And big fucking battleship cables running down my back where before you could see my spine sticking out...

*A correct deadlift will always have a back locked flat in extension and the bar in contact with the legs all the way up and down. Best to start setup with heels about 6-8" apart and shins an inch away from the bar (visually; bar directly over the knot in your shoelaces). Then bend over and grab the bar without moving the knees. Then bend knees until shins touch the bar. Then deep breath and 'lift the chest' to straighten out the back. Then drag the bar up your legs, finish at the top by 'pushing your tits out'. Back down the way you came up and reset your back at the bottom each time--no bouncing.

6 plate deadlift crew checking in

Deadlift is overrated. I haven't included deadlifts in my program for over a year and my back is growing fine.

We are BODYBUILDING not POWER LIFTING.

No single exercise is mandatory. You can do whatever you want. The goal is to train body parts not movements. If you train consistently you will grow.

Also deadlift is not even close to the king of back exercises it works glutes and hams more than anything while sort of hitting traps and forearms. Pull ups are the king of back exercises.

Black Phoenix wrote: Deadlift is overrated. I haven't included deadlifts in my program for over a year and my back is growing fine.

We are BODYBUILDING not POWER LIFTING.

No single exercise is mandatory. You can do whatever you want. The goal is to train body parts not movements. If you train consistently you will grow.

Also deadlift is not even close to the king of back exercises it works glutes and hams more than anything while sort of hitting traps and forearms. Pull ups are the king of back exercises.

While I disagree with just about everything BP says here the post brings up a good point; different people have different goals here. BP is definitely into bodybuilding, I am solely focused on strength training, even though I am very happy with how I look now that I am stronger. So take any advice I post on lifting in that context.

BUT, even you bodybuilding guys should remember that everyone's bodybuilding hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was a powerlifter pulling 700lb. deadlifts in competition before he decided to train for aesthetics. He maintained that the compound lifts like the deadlift were necessary to build a good foundation and that the judges liked his look because the compounds gave him a powerful look that could not be replicated with isolation exercises alone. He also used the isolation work to target specific areas and to maintain mass while losing weight (Arnold was 250lbs. as a powerlifter, he slimmed down to ~200 as a bodybuilder).

Now I'll get out of this thread before it turns into another big bro-lifting argument/shitshow

ctrl_alt_delete wrote: hits posture and muscles that show in a shirt- forearms, neck/traps...

Am I just stating the obvious? I know a lot of guys who do gym routines but leave out deadlifts (i cant squat due to knee issues)

Deadlift is king (or just after/equal to squat or bench) for testing pure fast twitch (athletic) power. It's not so much an 'Aesthetic' exercise in my opinion.

My bodybuilder friend never did them and neither did I in my 'prime'.

I think they are a great power exercise overall though, I do stiff leg dead lifts with dumbells (hamstrings) these days

Like many others said....

Dead lift's are a good exercise if done with proper form for OVERALL just sheer strength/size. Now I'm sure someone will have a different opinion but from trial and error I think doing dead lift's, clean and jerks, snatches, or whatever "Olympic type lifts" will make you strong as shit sure... but will give you more of a "Linebacker" wide, boxy, and overall just mass machine....

If your looking for a pussy slaying physique broad shoulders with a wide back that gives you a crazy "V taper" down to a tiny wasp like waist and please if your going to lift do workout your legs or AT MIN your calves! Do LOTS of side and rear lateral raises to make your shoulders more wide, close grip pull ups weighted if you can or work on that as a goal (huge debate on "close grip vs. wide grip pull-ups" I'm not going to argue but from my experience along with one of the few things I paid attention to in college in my exercise kinesiology class was how MUCH more range of motion a close grip pull up is required than a "wide grip" therefore taxing the lats more making a WIDER back along with blowing up your biceps/forearms)... Just saying....

That physique with nicely visible abs and keeping fresh (no matter how sexy or ugly your face invest in a electric body hair groomer/beard shaver to line up clean up your "lines" around your face, neck, ears, etc). Being "tan" makes anyone look "sexier" in my opinion... Don't be ashamed to go to a tanning salon because the fact your a "dude"... it's actually a PERFECT place to get noticed and picked slay some pussy from hot tanned chicks.... If your you burn easy or just don't want to ruin your skin I would recommend "St. Tropez" brand tanning lotion, no bullshit orange troll looking results but a legit real looking tan without going outside or the pain in the ass of going to the tanning salon. You could also try a research shop online for injectable melatonin to make you tan from just pinning it occasionally, although honestly I have never tried.

Lastly- When I first started lifted long long ago I did a lot of WEIGHTED ab exercises and noticed that my stomach actually was more lean from my dieting HOWEVER my abs were "big/blocky" which ruined the tiny WASP like waistline... I tried bodyweight exercise with abs for awhile but came to the conclusion that if your doing legit lifts such as pull-ups, dips, squats, etc. with heavy weight your "core/ab's" WILL be worked plenty so spend your ab time on calves since most of us lack or have trouble building. Abs are made in the kitchen...

Good lucks my friends