Please join us on for Night of The Living Pumpkin Deadlift/Open House on October 19, 2016. Britt McVicar of (Britt McVicar Fitness) and I will demonstrate safe pumpkin lifting and give you a chance to try it yourself with one-on-one coaching if you need it. 6:30-7:30 p.m. You can RSVP by calling 360-754-6499 (Costumes are welcome!!)
This month we thought we’d have a little fun with an exercise whose very name is quite scary: The DEADLIFT! October is just the right time to learn this exercise. Over the years, I’ve had many patients come in to the office after injuring themselves gathering pumpkins for Halloween. (No, really, it’s true!) Having the chance to observe these patients’ lifting, though, it’s really no surprise that they end up getting hurt. For most of them, it wasn’t their first time around the pumpkin patch, either. These patients often live in a cycle of getting injured while trying to lift or doing other activities that require bending or leaning forward. Most of these patients don’t possess the technical skills needed to safely lift heavy items, whether it’s a pumpkin, a container, groceries, a child… whatever it may be!
The deadlift is a very powerful lifting technique that is often only associated with gym-based exercise programs. In reality, though, this lifting pattern can be the cornerstone for your safe lifting skills outside the gym, as well. Proper form of this exercise will give you the power you need to move heavy objects (like a pumpkin) while providing safe alignment for the lower back. Now, here’s how you’re going to lift The Great Pumpkin:
The Setup: Straddle the pumpkin with your feet on either side of it. Push your hips back and lower them to the ground while keeping your back flat and holding your chest and head up slightly.
The Lift: Rock your hips slightly back until you feel your body weight shift onto your heels. Point your elbows back and stand up by driving your heels into the ground as you pull your hips up and forward. Stand tall at the top without leaning backwards. Now lower the pumpkin into a wheelbarrow or the trunk of your car by reversing the same pattern. You did it!
Now, why in the world is this called a “deadlift”? The simple answer is that it’s because you are lifting the object up from it’s resting spot… This does lead to my next question, though… what is an “un-deadlift”?
