By What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work?
DAYS
HOURS
MINUTES
SECONDS
Evidence Based
The deadlift is a strange exercise.
It allows you to lift maximally heavy weights and leaves you feeling sore and spent, but it’s sometimes hard to tell exactly what muscles are doing the heavy lifting (literally). While your back and butt are obviously involved, what muscles do deadlifts work out, exactly?
Poke around online, and you’ll find many folks who say that deadlifts train nearly every major muscle group in your body; or that they’re good for building your “posterior chain;” or that they’re the best “back builder” you can do.
None of these answers are wrong, but they also aren’t helpful for deciding if or how you should include the deadlift in your workout routine.
In this article, you’ll learn exactly what muscles deadlifts work, and answers to several other questions, including:
- What muscles do sumo deadlifts work?
- What muscles do trap-bar deadlifts work?
- What muscles do Romanian deadlifts work?
- How do you deadlift with proper form?
- How do you include deadlifts in your weightlifting routine?
What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work?
Studies show that the deadlift trains all of the muscles of your posterior chain, (the muscles on the back of the body) including the . . .
. . . as well as the muscles on the front and sides of your body, including the . . .
That said, the deadlift doesn’t train all of these muscles equally. Instead, it’s best-suited for building your spinal erectors, glutes, traps, hamstrings, core, and forearms, and typically isn’t as effective for developing the other muscle groups listed above.
This may strike some folks as odd, seeing as so many people say the deadlift is great for building, say, the lats, but research backs this up—although the lats are trained by the deadlift, they aren’t stimulated enough to maximize growth. The same goes for the deltoids, calves, and quads.
Want a free custom meal planning tool?
Quickly calculate your calories, macros, and even micros for losing fat and building muscle.
What Muscles Do Sumo Deadlifts Work?
The sumo deadlift works the same way as the conventional deadlift, except you position your feet about twice as wide. This means your toes point outward more, your hands grip the bar closer together, and your hips are closer to the bar when you begin the pull.
Despite these differences, studies show that the conventional deadlift and sumo deadlift train more or less the same muscles to almost the same degree.
The only small difference is that the sumo deadlift trains your quads slightly more, while the conventional deadlift places more emphasis on your back muscles.
When it comes to putting together a workout program, then, you can think of the two exercises as more or less interchangeable.
What Muscles Do Trap-Bar Deadlifts Work?
The trap-bar—or hex-bar—deadlift is the same as the conventional deadlift except it’s performed with a trap bar.
The same muscle groups are used in both the conventional deadlift and the trap-bar deadlift, with two important differences . . .
- The conventional deadlift puts more stress on the lower-back and hamstrings, and the trap-bar deadlift puts more stress on the quads.
- Weightlifters are able to pull trap bars faster than barbells, which means trap-bar deadlifts are better if you want to train your muscles to generate power.
Again, these are minor differences, and you can look at the trap-bar deadlift as another viable variation to use in your workouts.
What Muscles Do Romanian Deadlifts Work?
The Romanian deadlift—or RDL—is similar to the conventional barbell deadlift, except your legs stay straighter, bending only slightly at the knees as you lower the bar. You also only lower the bar to just below your knees or about mid-shin before standing up again (not all the way to the ground).
This emphasizes your hamstrings and glutes rather than your back and quads. It’s also considerably less fatiguing than the conventional deadlift, which means you can do it more often without wearing yourself to a frazzle.
How to Deadlift with Proper Form
In order to wring the most muscle-gain out of your deadlift workouts, you need to perform this exercise with proper form. Here’s how:
- Position your feet so they’re a bit less than shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed slightly out. Move a loaded barbell over your midfoot so it’s about an inch from your shins.
- Move down toward the bar by pushing your hips back and grip the bar just outside your shins.
- Take a deep breath of air into your belly, flatten your back by pushing your hips up slightly, and then drive your body upward and slightly back by pushing through your heels until you’re standing up straight.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
How to Add Deadlifts to Your Workout Routine
Here are some general recommendations about how to include the deadlift, sumo deadlift, and trap-bar deadlift into your workout routine:
- Do 3 sets per week of 4-to-6 reps.
- If you follow a “bro split,” do deadlifts on your back day.
- If you follow an upper/lower split, do deadlifts on one of your lower-body days (preferably not the same lower-body day as you do squats).
- If you follow a full-body split, do deadlifts on your “pull emphasis” day.
- If you follow a PPL split, do deadlifts on your “pull” day.
Since the Romanian deadlift is significantly less taxing than other forms of deadlifting, you can include an additional three sets of RDLs on a separate day each week (on a leg, lower-body, or “squat emphasis” day, depending on your workout split).
+ Scientific References
- Lake, J., Duncan, F., Jackson, M., & Naworynsky, D. (2017). Effect of a Hexagonal Barbell on the Mechanical Demand of Deadlift Performance. Sports 2017, Vol. 5, Page 82, 5(4), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/SPORTS5040082
- PA, S., A, S., I, A., JW, K., & R, L. (2011). A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(7), 2000–2009. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0B013E3181E73F87
- J Cholewicki, S M McGill, & R W Norman. (n.d.). Lumbar spine loads during the lifting of extremely heavy weights – PubMed. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1758295/
- RF, E., AC, F., AV, K., KP, S., & CT, M. (2002). An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34(4), 682–688. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200204000-00019
- RF, E., AC, F., GS, F., SW, B., CM, W., AV, K., KP, S., & JR, A. (2000). A three-dimensional biomechanical analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32(7), 1265–1275. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200007000-00013
- Edington, C., Greening, C., Kmet, N., Philipenko, N., Purves, L., Stevens, J., Lanovaz, J., & Butcher, S. (2018). The Effect of Set Up Position on EMG Amplitude, Lumbar Spine Kinetics, and Total Force Output During Maximal Isometric Conventional-Stance Deadlifts. Sports, 6(3), 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/SPORTS6030090
- UKnowledge, Uk., & Allen Beggs, L. (n.d.). COMPARISON OF MUSCLE ACTIVATION AND KINEMATICS COMPARISON OF MUSCLE ACTIVATION AND KINEMATICS DURING THE DEADLIFT USING A DOUBLE-PRONATED AND DURING THE DEADLIFT USING A DOUBLE PRONATED AND OVERHAND/UNDERHAND GRIP OVERHAND/UNDERHAND GRIP. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/87
- N, H., DG, B., & WB, Y. (2007). Trunk muscle activation during dynamic weight-training exercises and isometric instability activities. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21(4), 1108–1112. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-20366.1
- BM, K., BD, S., JC, S., AJ, T., H, C., HS, W., MJ, M., AC, K., & JW, S. (2021). Impact of Fat Grip Attachments on Muscular Strength and Neuromuscular Activation During Resistance Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(Suppl 1), S152–S157. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002954
- KD, C., JW, C., DD, D., LE, B., AJ, G., & PB, C. (2016). An Examination of Muscle Activation and Power Characteristics While Performing the Deadlift Exercise With Straight and Hexagonal Barbells. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(5), 1183–1188. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001352
- Garceau, L., Lutsch, B., Gary, A., Szalkowski, C., Wurm, B., & Ebben, W. (2010). HAMSTRINGS, QUADRICEPS, AND GLUTEAL MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING RESISTANCE TRAINING EXERCISES. ISBS – Conference Proceedings Archive. https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/view/4415
- RF, E., AC, F., AV, K., KP, S., & CT, M. (2002). An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34(4), 682–688. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200204000-00019
- S, L., J, S., J, T., K, S., M, M., & Y, L. (2018). An electromyographic and kinetic comparison of conventional and Romanian deadlifts. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness, 16(3), 87–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JESF.2018.08.001
- Camara, K. D., Coburn, J. W., Dunnick, D. D., Brown, L. E., Galpin, A. J., & Costa, P. B. (2016). An examination of muscle activation and power characteristics while performing the deadlift exercise with straight and hexagonal barbells. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(5), 1183–1188. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001352
- Carbe, J., & Lind, A. (2014). A kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic analysis of 1-repetition maximum deadlifts. https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/36235
- DA, N., RA, M., ME, J., JA, P., & MJ, A. (1992). Myoelectric activity and sequencing of selected trunk muscles during isokinetic lifting. Spine, 17(2), 225–229. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-199202000-00018
If you enjoyed this article, get weekly updates. It’s free.
Sending…
Great! You’re subscribed.
100% Privacy. We don’t rent or share our email lists.
You May Also Like
Our Most Popular Evidence-Based Articles
Our “It’s On Us” 100% Money-Back Guarantee
No matter what you decide to buy, you’re always protected by our ironclad, 100% money-back guarantee that works like this:
If you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, you get a prompt and courteous refund. No forms to fill out or hoops to jump through.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits so our shipping is 100% free!
Okay, we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters.
So, if you live in the United States, your order ships free regardless of order size, and if you live anywhere else, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money.
That said, as most international customers spend about $200 with us each time they shop, this setup is a win-win.
And no matter what you decide to buy, you’re always protected by our ironclad, 100% money-back guarantee that works like this:
If you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, you get a prompt and courteous refund. No forms to fill out or hoops to jump through.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Clinically Effective Doses
Great ingredients aren’t enough to make a great product—you also need correct doses.
That’s why we use the exact doses of every ingredient that have safely produced the desired benefits in peer-reviewed studies.
Made in USA
Where your supplements are made matters, because rules and regulations regarding quality and purity differ from country to country.
And if you want to ensure the supplements you’re swallowing every day are safe and effective, you want products produced in the USA.
That’s why all of our supplements are made in America in NSF-certified and FDA-inspected facilities that operate in accordance with the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations.
We pay a premium to work with the best manufacturers in the country, but it’s the only way we can also produce the best all-natural sports supplements.
Lab Tested
Did you know that studies have shown that many supplements contain dangerously high levels of toxins like lead, arsenic, and cadmium?
Not ours.
Every ingredient of every supplement we produce is tested for heavy metals, microbes, allergens, and other contaminants to ensure they meet the strict purity standards set by the FDA.
Naturally Sweetened & Flavored
While artificial sweeteners may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of these chemicals may indeed be harmful to our health and that more research is needed.
That’s why all of our supplements are naturally sweetened and flavored and contain no artificial food dyes, fillers, or other unnecessary junk.
Science-Backed Ingredients & Doses
Unlike some supplement companies, we don’t sell dubious white labeled or off-the-shelf formulations.
Instead, our custom and unique formulations are the result of extensive reviews of the scientific literature to discover the most effective ingredients for each.
Split your entire online purchase into 4 interest-free payments, over 6 weeks with no impact to your credit.
25%
today
25%
2 weeks
25%
4 weeks
25%
6 weeks
Shop and add items to your cart as normal!
Choose Sezzle at Checkout! You’ll be redirected to Sezzle to Sign Up or Log In
to complete your order.
Your order will be shipped out right away* and your payments will be split up
over 6 weeks.
*shipping times subject to merchant shipping policy
Shop directory. Reschedule payments. Plus more!
Waiver and Release of Liability
In consideration of the services and/or products offered by Legion Athletics, Inc. (“Legion”) including, but not limited to, nutrition plans, exercise routines and coaching, and in addition to the payment of any fee or charge:
I knowingly and voluntarily enter into this waiver and release of liability and hereby waive any and all rights, claims or causes of action of any kind whatsoever arising out of my use of Legion’s services and/or products, and I hereby release and hold harmless Legion and its consultants, officers, contractors, agents, owners and employees from any and all responsibility, liability, cost and expenses, including for injuries, damages or disorders (physical, metabolic, or otherwise), resulting from my use of Legion’s services and/or products.
I understand that fitness activities including, but not limited to, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise, with or without the use of equipment, are potentially hazardous activities that involve a risk of injury and even death, and I am voluntarily participating in these activities and using equipment and machinery with knowledge of the risks involved. I hereby agree to assume and accept any and all risks of injury or death related to said fitness activities.
I understand Legion’s services and products are not meant to treat or manage any health conditions or circumstances, and I acknowledge that Legion has recommended I obtain a healthcare provider’s approval for my use of Legion’s services and/or products, through regular physical examination(s) and/or consultation. I acknowledge that I have obtained my healthcare provider’s approval or have decided to use Legion’s services and/or products without such approval and hereby assume all responsibility for my use of said services and/or products.
I understand that results from using Legion’s products and/or services are not guaranteed, and I agree to not hold Legion liable for any outcomes or lack thereof.
OUT OF STOCK
Security Check
Please click the checkbox below. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Fact Checked
Our scientific review board of nutritionists, dietitians, molecular biologists, doctors, and other accredited experts is responsible for reviewing every article, podcast, and video we produce to ensure they’re evidence based, accurate, trustworthy, and current.
Thanks to their connections, credentials, and academic experience, this team of MDs, PhDs, and other professionals has access to a wealth of research published in the largest and most prestigious journals in the world.
This allows them to not only review individual studies but also analyze the overall weight of the evidence on any and all topics related to diet, exercise, supplementation, and more.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, misleading, out-of-date, or anything less than factual, please let us know in the comments section of the article in question.
Evidence Based
We follow a detailed, rigorous, multi-step process to create content that meets the highest standards of clarity, practicality, and scientific integrity.
First, our research associates provide our editorial team with accurate, up-to-date, proven scientific evidence.
Then, our editorial team uses this research to draft articles and outlines for podcasts and videos.
Finally, our scientific review board reviews the content to ensure all key information and claims are backed by high-quality scientific research and explained simply and precisely.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, misleading, out-of-date, or anything less than factual, please let us know in the comments section of the article in question.
