Weightlifting is a great way to get stronger, more defined muscles and a leaner body. But, sometimes it can be hard to know what day is best for what exercise. Should you deadlift on back or leg day?
The deadlift is a compound exercise that strengthens the entire body. It is also great for improving your athletic performance and increasing the size of your back, arms, and legs.
This exercise can be performed using a barbell or dumbbells, but it is most popular when performed with a barbell.
Whether your goal is to build more muscle mass, improve athletic performance, or just look good in a tank top, this article will help you decide which day to perform this exercise.
Also, are you wondering whether you should do squats and deadlifts on the same day? We explore this issue in this article.
The Benefits of Deadlift Day
Deadlift day is an excellent option for people trying to build muscle and increase the size of their back, arms, and legs. It is also suitable for athletes because it can improve performance, and it is not as taxing on the body as squats.
Deadlift day is one of the best days to lift weights because your muscles are fresh. The rest period between sets will give your body time to recover from the high-intensity exercise you just performed.
This day also has a low risk of injury because you are not performing any other exercises that require coordination or balance before or after your deadlifts.
The Differences Between Back and Leg Days
A back day is an exercise that works the muscles in your back. On the other hand, leg day focuses on working the muscles in your legs. If you are looking for more muscle definition, a back day is a good choice. If you are looking to improve athletic performance, leg days are better.
Deadlifts are performed using a barbell, but the same principles apply to other weightlifting exercises. The main difference between back and leg days is that on back days, the focus is on higher reps (e.g., 10-20 reps) with heavier weights (e.g., 85% of your 1RM). On leg days, the focus is on lower reps (e.g., 5-10 reps) with lighter weights (e.g., 50-60% of your 1RM).
When you perform deadlifts, your back muscles (the erector spinae) contract isometrically to maintain the erect position and stabilize the spine. Your leg muscles (the quadriceps and gluteus maximus) contract concentrically to extend the hip joint. This is what enables you to stand up from a deadlift without your back rounding and causing injury.
The major difference between a squat and a deadlift is that during a squat, your legs move in an arc-like motion (i.e., front to back). In contrast, during a deadlift, they move straight up and down (i.e., vertical). This makes a deadlift much more difficult because your legs are moving in a single plane of motion while your back is moving in a multi-plane fashion.
What to Consider Before Picking a Day
First, consider your goals. If you are looking to build more muscle mass, the deadlift is an excellent exercise for that. On the other hand, if you are trying to improve athletic performance or try to look good in a tank top without bulging muscles, leg day might be best.
Next, consider your experience level and what you know about your body. For example, some people cannot do deadlifts on back day because they are so stiff that it puts too much pressure on their lower back and neck joints. This person would want to start with something easier like squats on back day before progressing to deadlifts on back day.
Another thing to consider is how much time you have to work out. If you’re short on time or trying to cram in multiple workouts in one day, then it would be better to deadlift on back or leg day. You will get more bang for your buck and have less recovery time between sets.
If you have an event coming up, such as a competition, then picking an exercise that matches your event would make sense. For example, if you are planning on competing in powerlifting, then it is likely that leg day would be best for deadlifting because of the speed of the lift and the positioning of the legs during lifting.
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How Much Weight Should You Lift on Specific Days?
This is a question that comes up often in weightlifting. To answer this question, you have to know your one-rep max (1RM) for each exercise. This is the maximum amount of weight you can lift in one single movement.
Deadlift day should be on the lower body days. On back days, you should lift more weight on your exercises like squats and deadlifts. This would allow your lower body to recover while your upper body works harder in back days and vice versa.
The most crucial factor to consider when deciding how much weight you should lift on a specific day is what muscle group you are focusing on that day. The muscles in your arms and legs grow more quickly than the muscles in your back. Therefore, you want to focus on training those muscles with heavy lifts during the week.
To decide which exercise you should do first, look at the muscle groups that are targeted by each exercise. If you are looking for a workout that primarily targets your back, deadlifting with a barbell would be appropriate for the day first. However, if your goal is to target your arms or legs, doing squats would be a better choice for that day.
Why Should You Deadlift on Back Day?
If you want to build more muscle mass, choosing a day to deadlift on back is best. This exercise will help you grow bigger muscles because it stresses the posterior chain of your body.
The deadlift does a great job of strengthening your lower body’s quadriceps and hamstrings, which are great for athletic performance. The compounding effect of it strengthens the muscles in your back and legs as well.
So if you are looking to build muscle or improve athletic performance, choose this day to perform the deadlift.
Why Should You Deadlift on Leg Day?
Performing deadlifts on leg day has the potential to help you improve your athletic performance. This is because your legs are a primary source of power. For example, in order to swing a golf club, you need to generate power from your back and arms for the initial movement and then transfer it through your legs for the final blow.
If you can improve your athletic performance by doing deadlifts on leg day, then go ahead and do them on that day.
You should also consider performing deadlifts on leg day if your goals are more focused on building mass. The benefit of deadlifting on leg day is that it will help build muscle mass while also training other muscles in your body.
The negative side effect of doing deadlifts on leg day is that there is a greater risk of injury when compared with days when it’s performed on back day. If you are interested in avoiding an injury or looking good in a tank top, it might be best to choose back day as your weightlifting session.
Regular vs. Strongman Training
The most important thing to consider when you are planning your workout is whether or not you should be training for performance or just trying to build muscle. When it comes to the deadlift, this is a tough question. This is because they are both great exercises and have similar benefits.
If your goal is performance, then a strongman-style training routine would be best for you. Strongman training would include movements like cleans, snatches, pulls, and presses.
If your goal is building muscle mass, then regular weightlifting would be better for you. This type of strength training would mainly consist of compound movements, such as squats, bench presses, and overhead presses.
When Not to Deadlift
The deadlift is a compound exercise that can be done on either leg or back days. It is a good idea to avoid deadlifting on the day before you perform any other heavy lifting. If you have a hard time deciding which day to deadlift, it is wise to deadlift on back or leg day for now.
First, if you are just getting into weightlifting, it is best to avoid this exercise in the first few weeks of training. The deadlift is a large movement and, if performed improperly, can lead to injury. It is easy for beginners to get stuck in their hips when performing this movement. This could lead to pain and inflammation if not properly assessed and corrected early on in training.
Second, do not do the deadlift when your muscles are already sore from other exercises or workouts. When muscles are sore, they are more susceptible to injury because they are not as flexible or strong as they normally would be. Sticking with deadlift on back or leg days will help keep your muscles healthy during intense training periods that require lots of heavy lifting.
Third, do not do the deadlift when you are really tired after another workout or workout session. As previously mentioned, this is one of those exercises that should be avoided when you are exhausted. This is because it can cause pain in your joints and muscle tissue, making you less likely to want to work out again later that day.
Fourth, perform the deadlift at least once every 7-10 days, so your body has time to recover from the stress of the exercise. If you are training for a specific sport or activity, then you may want to space out your training days, so you do not overtrain.
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Fifth, make sure your form is perfect before adding weight to the bar. It is easy for beginners to get stuck in their hips when performing this movement. This could lead to pain and inflammation if not properly assessed and corrected early on in training.
Sixth, avoid excessive bending of your knees when performing a deadlift. Keep them slightly bent, so they follow the same curve as your back and spine when lifting weights off the ground. Seventh, make sure that you have proper footwear for deadlifts. You do not want to be wearing flip-flops or heels. They can cause your body to shift and place more strain on your back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which day is best for the deadlift?
The deadlift is a great compound exercise that strengthens your entire body. There are many days that you can perform this exercise, but it is most popular when performed with a barbell. When you are performing this movement, the muscle group working out is dependent on where the weight is being held. So, in general, if the weight is being held on your back, it is better to do it on back day. If you want to build more muscle mass or improve athletic performance, choose leg day to perform this exercise because it targets larger muscle groups like your quads and hamstrings.
Should I do my first deadlift on back or leg day?
Some people prefer to do their first deadlift on either back or leg day. This decision varies depending on how much time you have and what kind of workout plan you are following. Generally speaking, some people prefer to add 5-10 pounds onto their first pull so they can get used to heavier weights before moving onto higher intensity movements like squats and lunges. Others might prefer to start off with lighter weights to avoid getting hurt during their first few lifts.
When should I do my first deadlift session?
You should start with an easy day first. Start off with a lightweight and do 3 sets of 10-15 reps. If you’re not used to lifting weights, take it easy for a few weeks before you increase the weight and number of sets that you do.
Is the deadlift a back workout?
Yes. The deadlift is classified as a back exercise because you are primarily using your lower body muscles to perform this exercise. Still, it can also be performed with dumbbells or just your own body weight.
What are the difference between doing back and leg days?
Back days usually involve exercises that focus on improving muscle development in the lower body area. In contrast, leg days usually involve exercises that work on building up muscle mass in the same area as well as strengthening other areas of the body (like arms).
Conclusion
Deadlifting is an important part of everyday training, but how you choose to implement it is often overlooked. As with any other aspect of training, picking a day that works best for you and your goals is important.
That said, the biggest factor in which day you should deadlift is based on the type of training you are doing and your goals. If you’re doing regular training or strongman training, then you should deadlift on back day. If you are doing speed and endurance-based training, then you should deadlift on leg day.
Deadlifting on back day will help build a stronger back and improve lumbar stability. Deadlifting on leg day will help build strength in the posterior chain and improve hip mobility.
Keep in mind, however, that deadlifting on back day is more taxing on the CNS. Therefore, be sure to give it time to recover before jumping into a heavy back-day workout again.
