The Blueprint For How To Warm Up For Deadlifts
A thorough warm-up is critical for deadlifting as it prepares the entire body for the demands of heavy training. You risk subpar performance and potential strains and injuries while training without an adequate warm-up. (1)
Over the last ten years working as a CrossFit coach and Physical Therapist, I have seen firsthand how significant a quality warm-up can be in improving the quality of training.
When you take the time to execute a good warm-up for the deadlift, in particular, you’ll get the joints of the lower body limber, move better, and fire up your nervous system to lift the most weight possible.
This ultimately leads to a larger increase in strength, muscle mass, and performance over time as training compounds itself.
This article will discuss the four phases of a deadlift warm-up, starting when you first walk into the gym and ending right before your first working set.
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How To Warm Up For Deadlifts
The warm-up sequence for the deadlift ultimately comes down to four phases.
These phases are progressive in nature and begin with cardiovascular exercise to increase your core temperature, followed by specific exercises to address mobility deficits and tight muscles, and then muscle activation drills for the posterior chain and core muscles.
Lastly, warm-up sets where you will move from an empty bar to a barbell with heavy weights in even jumps to prime your nervous system for the work ahead.
Four Phases of Your Deadlift Warm-Up.
Each time you walk into the gym to train deadlifts, follow some variation of the following four phases to ensure your system is primed and ready to go.
Phase 1: Cardiovascular Warm-Up
Before engaging in heavy lifting, elevating your heart rate and increasing blood flow to the muscles have several benefits:
Body Temperature
Raise body temperature, making muscles more pliable and less prone to injury. (1)
Oxygen Delivery
Enhance oxygen delivery to working muscles, improving efficiency and endurance.
Demands of Exercise
Prepare the cardiovascular system for the demands of intense physical activity.
Machines By Benefit
Aim for 3-5 minutes of light cardio with the following modalities:
Jogging
Good for hamstring and glute activation.
Rowing
Good for prepping the lower back and hamstrings in a hinging pattern similar to the deadlift.
Phase 2: Mobility Drills & Dynamic Stretches
Mobility drills and dynamic stretching involve active movements that take muscles through their full range of motion.
It is more effective than static stretching before lifting for several reasons:
Enhances Muscle Activation:
Prepares muscles for the specific movements they will perform during lifting.
Improves Flexibility and Mobility:
It helps to dynamically increase the range of motion, which is beneficial for exercises requiring full-body movements like deadlifts.
Boosts Athletic Performance:
Dynamic stretching has been shown to improve performance by enhancing muscle power and coordination.
Prevents Drops in Strength & Power
Dynamic stretching preserves the force-producing capabilities of muscles, whereas static stretches reduce it.
Mobility Drills By Joint:
Not all of these must be done before deadlifting, but they can serve as options for you based on what feels tight.
Lower Back:
Hips:
Knees:
Ankles:
Phase 3: Muscle Activation and Prep
Muscle activation before deadlifting is crucial as it enhances neuromuscular efficiency, ensuring that the key muscle groups, like the glutes, hamstrings, and core, are fully engaged and ready to perform. (2)
This preparation improves lifting performance by enabling better force production (2).
It can also significantly reduce the risk of injury by ensuring proper muscle coordination and stability.
Activation Exercises By Muscle
Again, not all of these need to be done each session, but they can serve as options for you in the future based on your specific needs.
Lower Back:
Glutes:
Hamstrings:
Core:
Phase 4: Warm Up Sets
The final phase involves getting on the barbell and progressively adding weight while maintaining proper form.
If you’re training for the day, you’ll add even increments at the same reps until you reach the heavier weights for your first work set.
Working sets are essentially the set amount of work in your training session that “counts” or is challenging enough to be considered strength training.
If you are testing your deadlift, I would like to start with a high number, like ten for your first set, and work down to a single rep or however many you are doing.
Warm-Up Sets By Goal
Training
50% x 5, 60% x 5, 70% x 5, 80% x 3 x 5
Testing
55% x 10, 65% x 8, 75% x 5 85% x 3, 95% x 1, 96-100% x 1, 103%+ x 1
Deadlifts 101
Anatomy of the Deadlift
The deadlift is a fundamental strength exercise that involves lifting a weight from the ground to the hip level.
The movement starts with the lifter in a hinge position, feet hip-width apart, gripping the barbell just outside the knees.
The lift begins by driving through the heels, engaging the legs and hips, and extending the knees and hips until the body is fully upright.
The barbell travels close to the body throughout the lift, and the hips and shoulders rise together.
Deadlift Technique Review
Follow these points of performance to optimize your technical proficiency in the deadlift as a part of your pre-workout warm-up routine.
1. Feet at a hip-width stance.
2. Hands just outside of the hips.
3. Keep the shoulders just slightly in front of the bar.
4. Maintain a flat foot with three contact points between your heel, big toe, and pinky toe.
5. Barbell begins, remains over the midfoot, and travels in a straight line until lockout.
6. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement pattern and avoid rounding the upper back.
7. The hips and the shoulders rise at the same rate.
8. Complete the repetition with the hips and knees at full extension without hyperextending through the lower back.
Muscles Involved
Below are the main muscle groups involved in the deadlift. However, it is important to note that the deadlift recruits several different muscle groups in the body, especially when done for maximal load. (3)
Hamstrings: These muscles at the back of your thighs are heavily involved in the initial pull and hip extension.
Glutes: The gluteus maximus is crucial for hip extension and power generation during the lift.
Lower Back: The erector spinae muscles help maintain spinal stability and posture throughout the lift.
Core: The abdominal muscles and obliques stabilize the torso and maintain intra-abdominal pressure.
Quadriceps: The front thigh muscles assist in knee extension, particularly at the beginning of the lift.
Trapezius and Lats: These upper and mid-back muscles help keep the bar close to the body and stabilize the shoulder blades.
Benefits of a Good Deadlift Warm-Up
These are the reasons everyone should be warming up before hitting their deadlifts for the day.
Improved Muscle Activation and Readiness
Activating the primary and secondary muscles helps improve neuromuscular efficiency, leading to better force production and more effective lifts. (2)
Enhanced Joint Mobility
Enhanced mobility allows for a more fluid movement pattern. It reduces the risk of compensatory movements that can lead to injury as you approach heavy sets.
Injury Prevention
A thorough warm-up prepares the body for the demands of heavy lifting, reducing the risk of strains, sprains, and other injuries. (1)
Additionally, a warm-up helps identify areas of tightness that need attention before lifting.
Deadlift Warm-Up FAQ
How long should my warm-up last?
Warm-ups should typically take between ten and fifteen minutes. The goals of your warm-up are to raise your core temperature, get the joints and muscles limber and activated, and build up to your first working weight as quickly as possible.
It’s common for warm-ups to last upwards of thirty minutes, but this usually means that you are either wasting time or your training program is not addressing your specific needs.
Do the warm-ups change if I deadlift sumo?
For the most part, any deadlift variation will have the same components of a warm-up as they all target the posterior chain and bending pattern. But if you are pulling sumo, then you may need some additional mobility drills that emphasize hip mobility.
The sumo variation requires a wide stance, and if your hips are tight from prior training or weak, you may find the starting position uncomfortable.
How do I know if I am warmed up enough?
You will know if you are warm enough prior to your first working set if you are beginning to sweat, no area on your body is restricted or feels discomfort, and you are lifting weights that are close to or at your working weight with good speed and effort.
If any of these components are not checked, you may have some more work to do before your first working set.
When should I not deadlift?
The deadlift is a foundational movement pattern for all humans, and therefore, everyone should do some sort of deadlift variation in their workouts. If you are a CrossFitter, then you should absolutely be deadlifting since it is one of the nine fundamental movement patterns and is tested regularly.
However, if you are recently injured or have some other sort of medical issue where deadlifting may put you at risk for further harm, then you should not deadlift.
This may be a recent lower back injury that needs time to heal, and overloading the tissues would cause more harm than good.
If you are recovering from injury, please book a free consultation for my 1:1 Pain-Free Performance Program so that I can help you get back to training pain-free in less than 12 weeks!
Wrapping Up On Deadlift Warm-Ups
There you have it. Those are the four phases of adequately warming up and prepping for your deadlift session. This may seem like a lot to do before starting your first working set. However, only some drills and exercises must be done during each session, and your warm-up should take at most 15 minutes to complete.
I would pick one cardio machine to get warm on, two mobility drills, and two activation exercises, pair them together and cycle through them in a circuit fashion. Then, get your hands on the barbell and start building up. Structuring your warm-up as such will keep you on task and provide just enough challenge for your system to begin heating up.
Before becoming a CrossFit coach and physical therapist, I had had my fair share of lower back injuries. But since incorporating these principles into my training, my lower back has never felt better, and I routinely set new personal bests every deadlift cycle.
This is the exact system I use to prep for my deadlifts, and despite having two herniated discs in my back, it continues to work for me and keeps me free in the gym. I am confident it will work for you, too!
If you’re struggling with lower back pain while deadlifting, I know how you feel. It can be frustrating to feel like you are doing everything right in training, only to be sidelined repeatedly by injury.
However, I have helped hundreds of clients bounce back from injury and use a targeted corrective exercise approach that blends with traditional training to prevent injuries from returning.
My 1:1 Pain-Free Performance Program helps lifters train pain-free in under twelve weeks while they continue training and building their fitness. I even guarantee my clients’ results, so if you are not pain-free in under twelve weeks, I will work with you for free until you are.
If this interests you, I invite you to a free consultation to learn more about you and your goals and how I can help you train pain-free.
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References:
1. Woods, K., Bishop, P., & Jones, E. (2007). Warm-up and stretching in the prevention of muscular injury. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 37(12), 1089–1099. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200737120-00006
2. Schaefer, L. V., & Bittmann, F. N. (2019). Muscular Pre-activation Can Boost the Maximal Explosive Eccentric Adaptive Force. Frontiers in physiology, 10, 910. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00910
3. Martín-Fuentes, I., Oliva-Lozano, J. M., & Muyor, J. M. (2020). Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PloS one, 15(2), e0229507. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229507
