Do you deadlift? Hopefully, the answer is yes! You can do this multi-joint exercise with dumbbells, barbells, and even kettlebells. Deadlifts are a beneficial total body exercise that can help you gain strength and muscle mass. Some women shy away from this “king of exercises”, but that’s a mistake! Performing a deadlift is a sure way to show how strong and capable you are. Plus, deadlifts are a compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups at the same time and that leads to greater functional strength and more calories burned.
I hope you’re convinced that you need to include them in your routine, but how much should you be able to deadlift once you’ve mastered the movement? The amount of resistance you can work with will be much less when you first start out. In the beginning, approach deadlifts like a beginner and master the movement using your own body weight or light weights. Over time, increase the challenge by working with heavier barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells. As with all exercises, you maximize the benefits by using progressive overload.
How Much Can You Deadlift?
You might wonder what is considered “strong” for a woman in terms of deadlifting? The amount of resistance you can handle when you deadlift depends on how long you’ve been deadlifting and on factors like your age. According to Dr. Lon Kilgore, who authored the book Practical Programming for Strength Training, an untrained female should be able to deadlift about 101% of their body weight. In contrast, a novice guy should be able to deadlift about 133% of their body weight.
Over time, you’ll progress beyond the beginner stage. After training for a while, the amount of resistance you can handle should increase. That’s your goal, right? At an intermediate level, a female, on average, can expect to lift about 118% of their body weight and at an advanced level 160% of body weight. At the elite level, some females can deadlift twice their body weight. So, 150-pound women can deadlift 300 pounds. At the Olympic level, women can deadlift as much as 2.75 times their body weight. That takes a lot of strength combined with motivation and lots of training!
Factors That Impact How Much You Can Deadlift
The values listed above Apply to people under the age of 40. Since we lose strength with age, you may struggle to deadlift in your 60s as much as you did in your 30s. A general guideline is a person over 50 will deadlift around 20% less than they could in their 20s and 30s and over 60 between 25 and 40% less. However, we shouldn’t allow our age to limit us or expect to experience a significant decline in strength. You may notice less drop off in deadlift performance if you have trained consistently throughout your life and kept your body fit and strong.
How you’re built also impacts how easy a deadlift is for you, irrespective of age. The ideal body type for deadlifting is a physique marked by long humeri, the long bones in the upper arm and a short torso and tibia. In contrast, a person with a long torso, a long tibia, and short humeri, will have a harder time lifting heavy on a deadlift. That’s why Olympic level deadlifters often have a certain body type. You don’t see a lot of tall guys and gals with short arms at the elite level! At the elite level, physique and body type plays a bigger role in how successful one is.
Modify Deadlifts Based on Your Physique
How easy is a deadlift for you? If you’re taller, you might find a classic deadlift harder to do and doing one may place excess strain on your back. A more comfortable alternative is to use a hex bar in place of a standard barbell. If you haven’t seen a hex bar, it’s a metal bar with a space in the middle you step in to. Then, grasp the handles on each side. In fact, using a hex bar is a safer alternative for anyone with lower back pain, regardless of height as it distributes the weight on each side of you rather than out in front of your body. So, consider adding a hex bar to your arsenal if you’re tall or have a history of lower back pain.
Likewise, if you have long arms and short legs, you may find sumo deadlifts more comfortable. With a sumo deadlift, you place your feet a little wider than hip-width with your toes turned away from your body slightly. As a bonus, sumo deadlifts work your glutes harder than conventional deadlifts because your feet are spaced further apart and our toes turn outward. Like the hex bar deadlift, sumo deadlifts place less stress on your lower back and are a good choice if you have lower back pain. Sumo is also a good variation when you’re first starting out.
The Bottom Line
Even if you can’t deadlift double your body weight, and few women can, you’ll get substantial benefits from doing this “king of exercises.” Deadlifts are a compound movement that improves functionality and works almost every muscle group functionally.
What about wear and tear on your body? Despite what you may have heard, they can strengthen your back and lower your risk of back pain if you do them with good form. Doing deadlifts can also improve your posture, not to mention the physique and strength benefits you get when you do this exercise consistently. Few exercises work as many muscle groups at the same time as the deadlift. Here’s the good news. You don’t have to deadlift double your body weight to get benefits from the exercise. You only need to challenge yourself and be consistent with your training. That’s true with any worthwhile endeavor!
References:
· PhysicalLiving.com. “How Much Should I Be Able To Deadlift?”
· Practical Programming for Strength Training. 3rd edition. (2014)
· Men’s Health. “The Best Deadlift for Your Body Type”
· Simon Frazier University. “Biomechanical Analysis of the Deadlift”
Related Articles By Cathe:
How Effective Are Deadlifts for Glute Development?
Are Squats and Deadlifts Enough for Your Ab Definition?
5 Powerful Reasons to Include Deadlifts in Your Fitness Routine
Why Deadlifts are Good for You
Strength Training: Why You Need to Focus More on Your Posterior Chain
Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:
STS Strength 90 Day Workout Program
All of Cathe’s Strength & Toning Workout DVDs
Total Body Workouts
Lower Body Workouts
