Why Deadlifting Is Way the Fuck Overrated
A few days ago, I sent an email that resulted in some response. I knew that it would, of course, since I was set to explode a sacred cow (the deadlift) with the dynamite of, well, what I thought was everyday knowledge. It wasn’t that I was proposing anything way the hell out there. Essentially, all I said was the deadlift was “not only not indispensable”, to use the words of Thoreau, but that life could go on, and that fitness could, in fact, even prosper without it. So I knew one thing, right off the bat: No response in retaliation to this could be a reasonable one.
The point of my email–or, how about this: I’ll go ahead and post the email, and then we’ll discuss.
Alright, here we go.
Subject: My beef with deadlifting
(Note; You can join my email list, HERE.)
Bravo, Pat. An airtight argument. That is, when not conflated or misconstrued. But people often have a way of getting something out of writing that was never actually said.
One person, for example, replied to say he didn’t agree, because he deadlifts *almost* 3x his bodyweight. (Sort of like how I *almost* have a PhD in quantum theory, having barely finished high school.) I said (and this was in all sincerity) that I was very happy for him, but that’s not an argument.
Another person replied to say he also didn’t agree, because if you do 5 x 5 linear progression deadlifts, you’ll put on a lot of muscle. I said that’s a bit simplistic, but OK. It’s still not an argument. At least not for any of the points I’ve made.
To make an argument for the points I made (just to help some of you out)–and not the points you think I made (because there is *technically* a difference)–you would need to provide evidence that a person COULDN’T add strength or muscle by NOT deadlifting. This, obviously, is not something any straight thinking person would ever advance. Because it’s so obviously not the case. So no surprise a lot of people decided to disagree.
So, let’s take a few more examples of what I didn’t say, just so we’re clear:
- Unlike what somebody thought I said, I didn’t actually say the deadlift, for many people, wasn’t a useful exercise. (“The deadlift is a fine exercise, a wonderful exercise, a lovely exercise…”). Again, I think in the context I’ve defined, it’s just way the fuck overrated. It is not only not indispensable, but often a hindrance when over-emphasized.
- Unlike what somebody else thought I said, I didn’t actually say the deadlift, for many people, doesn’t build strength or increase muscle size. It absolutely can, and very often does. But again, not indispensable. (Also, two things can be true at once: The deadlift can be a great exercise, on the one hand, and way the fuck overrated, on the other.)
- Unlike what somebody (a third person) thought I said, I didn’t actually say the deadlift couldn’t be, or often isn’t, seen in many effective training programs. Of course it is. It’s seen in many of my own, including Strong ON! But that’s not to say these programs rely on the deadlift, or wouldn’t work without the deadlift. They would. (All of this is assuming, of course, the goal isn’t just a bigger deadlift; a point I will soon address.).
- Unlike what somebody (a fourth person) thought I said, I didn’t actually say you should avoid deadlifting. I only said you don’t *need* to deadlift. By all means, deadlift, if you want to deadlift. Just don’t marry the deadlift; don’t submit your life to the deadlift.
- Unlike what somebody (a fifth person) thought I said, I didn’t actually say the idea of becoming religiously obsessed with an exercise was exclusive to deadlifting. In fact, I expressly stated that emotional attachments to exercise are “not exclusive to deadlifting, only common to it.”
So to propose a more formal (and, for sure, far less entertaining) statement of the argument: Deadlifting can help, but is not indispensable. Or, to offer one further piece of clarification around the argument: Deadlifting can help, but UNLESS YOUR GOAL IS TO BUILD A BIGGER DEADLIFT, it’s not indispensable.
But what if your goal IS to build a bigger deadlift? Very well. For that, the deadlift is no longer way the fuck overrated. And certainly I have no problem with people wanting to lift heavier loads in any capacity; I think it’s an honorable thing, just like eating a ham sandwich is an honorable thing. It’s even been my own goal, from time to time–that is, the ham sandwich. But to delude yourself into thinking the deadlift is some essential artifact, that it would be a sin akin to turning your back on God to dis-include it, is silly. Be reasonable. It’s only an exercise.
Strong ON!
– Pat
PS – You might be wondering why I even brought this up? Why is deadlifting being non-essential worth making a fuss about in the first place? And here’s what I would say to that, because it’s a fair point. I really do enjoy deadlifting, from a personal standpoint. (I even have a podcast episode on how to increase your deadlift.) But I also coach people and can tell you there’s a lot of folks who can’t or shouldn’t deadlift, either at all, or without modification. So it’s not only wrong, but irresponsible, to be an idiot about things when you aren’t an idiot in general. If you’re an idiot in general, then I have no reason to hold you accountable. But if you’re not an idiot in general, then all three of you need to do a better job.
A lot of people have to come me in a confession of negligence, having hurt themselves seriously badly, because somebody told them they *needed* to deadlift. So while saying “deadlift or die” may get you some likes on Facebook, that doesn’t make you worth listening to. You’re triggering a confirmation bias; not actually helping people. A coach–that is, a person who’s job is improving the lives of others–must be willing to say things that aren’t popular, because a coach is in the business of improving the lives of others, and ignorance and arrogance are not what does it.
I want people to feel included, even if they can’t deadlift, even if they don’t want to deadlift. And I want people to feel included, even if they can deadlift, even if they love to deadlift. It doesn’t have to be this way or that.
Matt says
To make sure I understand your point:
You are stating unequivocally that the deadlift isn’t a useful exercise for anyone, it cannot build strength or increase muscle size, it will never be in any effective training program (and never had been), it should be avoided by any virtuous human, and it is the documented source of most of the world’s current ethnic and political conflicts?
I kinda skimmed the article, so I may have gotten some details wrong; but I think I summed up your thoughts for the TL;DR crowd, right?
Pat Flynn says
Yes, that!
Yukon Cornelius says
Drugs are bad, mmmkay