Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift

Who Should Do?

Strength And Power Athletes

As a strength and power athlete, your main training focus should be using progressive overload for compound, functional movement patterns. This means that your exercises should use a large number of muscle groups and be performed at a high intensity. Alongside this, they should also help to develop other movements outside of the gym.

The barbell stiff leg deadlift requires a large number of muscle groups to perform correctly. 

It also helps to develop your hip hinge. This is a movement used in many daily activities such as bending over and walking. This makes it a perfect foundational exercise for these types of athletes.

Bodybuilders

To successfully build muscle, your training should focus on two main things; training volume and training intensity. Compound movements are great for two things. They are easy to increase the intensity as you engage more muscles. They also provide decent volume for several muscle groups at once. 

As a bodybuilder, the barbell stiff leg deadlift should be one of your foundational training exercises. If you’re wanting to build a strong posterior chain, this ticks all the boxes.

Who Should Not Do?

Those With Lower Back Issues

When performed correctly, the deadlift and its variations can help to strengthen your lower back and improve injury symptoms. However, as someone who already has lower back issues, your focus should be on a specific rehabilitation program first. Speak to a physiotherapist or other professional who can assess your readiness to deadlift. 

The barbell stiff leg deadlift uses a fixed knee position and a large hip hinge. This means that it requires a big amount of lower back strength. Any form deviations will place unneeded stress on your lower back and possibly make injuries worse. Deadlifts can be included as part of a rehabilitation plan, but only when appropriate. 

Total Beginners

As a total beginner, your aim should be to develop a solid training base from which to work. During this phase of training, you should focus on using the correct form in the main foundational movements. 

Look to perfect the traditional deadlift first before moving on to more complicated variations. Once you’ve done this, variations can be added to your program with the help of a personal trainer.

Benefits Of The Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift

Strengthened Posterior Chain

The posterior chain refers to the muscles located on the backside of your body. These run from your neck all the way down to your ankles. Your hamstrings, glutes, and erector spinae make up three big components.

Everything we do in daily life involves our posterior chain to some extent. Daily movements such as walking, bending down, and changing direction use it. With a large amount of posterior chain activation, the barbell stiff leg deadlift is a perfect exercise to strengthen it.

Functional Injury Prevention

The barbell stiff leg deadlift primarily uses a hip hinge. This is where you bend forward at your hip joints while maintaining a neutral spine position.

A proper hip hinge is a vital part of developing functional movement patterns. It helps to increase the mobility and performance of other movements that involve it. A good functional example would be the squat.

The barbell straight-leg deadlift often uses less weight compared to the traditional deadlift with a larger range of motion. Therefore, it’s an excellent exercise to develop a proper hip hinge. 

Regular performance can give you a better awareness of your body position during everyday tasks. It also helps to reduce stress on your lumbar spine by strengthening the muscles around it. Improvements in pain, mobility, and strength can be seen with regular posterior chain exercises such as the barbell stiff leg deadlift.

Better Grip Strength

When we think about the barbell stiff leg deadlift, we mainly associate it with our lower body. However, to perform it correctly, we need to use a large amount of grip strength to hold onto the bar. If the bar slips, the movement is finished.

In a traditional deadlift, poor grip strength can often be a limiting factor. Even if your posterior chain is strong enough, a lack of grip means you need to drop the weight. 

Because of the lighter load used, the barbell stiff leg deadlift is a great way to train your grip strength. Better grip strength can benefit performance in other pulling movements and be a key indicator of health. 

Improved Athletic Performance

Movements such as sprinting, jumping, and lifting each require strong hip muscles for efficient performance. By developing the hip hinge, the stiff leg barbell deadlift is perfect for improving sport-specific performance.

Frequently Asked Questions