For the personal trainers and other experienced lifters in the room ...

I've been doing deadlifts as demonstrated by Kathy Smith in Lift Weights to Lose Weight. She just calls them "deadlifts." I see on ExRx and other places two distinct exercises: Straight-leg deadlifts (for hams) and stiff-leg deadlifts (for low back). Even reading the descriptions on ExRx I can't really tell the difference. Comments? Clarification?

Have you checked Krista's site? She has an excellent page on the wrong and right way to perform deadlifts:

http://www.stumptuous.com/baddl.html

Note that even on 'stiff-leg' or 'straight-leg' deadlifts (and I've always thought they were the same, perhaps someone can correct me on that) you DON'T straighten the legs! Don't lock out those knees, whatever you do!

When I do deads, I can feel them in my lower back AND my hammies.

The two kind of deadlifts that I know are classic deadlifts (which I've just heard referred to as "deadlifts") and "stiff-legged deadlifts" (which I've also heard called Romanian and straight-legged deadlifts). I'm the same as Karen -- as far as I know, stiff-legged and straight-legged are referring to the same exercise and classic deadlifts are a separate exercise.

My understanding is that the two exercises hit different muscle groups, so whichever you pick depends on what you're trying to work. The stiff/straight-legged ones are fantastic for hamstrings. Regular deadlifts (I think most people mean these when they say "deadlift") are a compound exercise that works most of your body -- legs, butt, arms, back etc. Because they start out like squats, I feel them in my legs like squats, more so than the stiff-legged deadlifts.

Like Karen says, Krista talks about both kinds of deadlifts on her site and has pictures that are very helpful in distinguishing the two. I think the big difference is the starting position -- in classic deadlifts, the bar (with plates) is resting on the floor and you bend your knees and start from a squat postion. In stiff/straight-legged deadlifts, the bar is resting on a rack or pins slightly below waist level and you lift it off at that point (you can use a squat rack). Your knees never bend as they would in squats or classic deadlifts. Karen's right that you never want to lock out your knees so you keep a slight bend in them, but it's nowhere near parallel like in a squat or regular deadlift.

I like both kinds of deadlifts and do both. The stiff-legged ones are strictly hamstrings, so I do those on Leg Day. Sometimes I'll do regular deadlifts on Leg Day and sometimes on Back Day, since they target both those muscle groups -- it depends on what else I'm doing for those workouts (I change exercises every week). I need to use lifting straps for regular deadlifts since my grip isn't strong enough to handle the weight that I can deadlift (my back and legs are stronger than my upper body).

Which kind does Kathy Smith do? -- I'm guessing straight-legged? I don't see many women doing regular deadlifts in my gym, which is a shame since they are one of the great classic compound exercises.

Hope that helps!

Hi Funniegrrl,
I have to concur with Mrs. Jim. I don't distinguish between 'Stiff' and 'Straight' leg. They are both a position of having the knee in an UN-locked position, but not heavily bent. I do deads all the time for hams and glutes and I love them but they heavily recruit the lower back as well. You could do them on Back or Leg day?? I have a very strong lower back so I get more out of it for my Hams and booty...
My 2 cents
XO
L2L

Hmmm ... veddy interesting ...

Looking at Krista's demos, what she calls "stiff-legged" is what I've been doing, a la Kathy Smith. I would not could not Sam I Am do the "conventional" deadlifts because my knees are so bad I can't squat.

I think I will continue with what I am doing -- I agree, I tend to feel it both in the hams and the glutes -- and just forget the confusion on ExRx LOL

And to answer the question, in my Newly Revised Routine, I'll be doing them on leg day.

Thanks guys!

I never can do deadlifts correctly. I know I'm not doing them right because I don't feel anything. Do you think it has anything to do with using dumbbells rather than a barbell?

I use dumbells for mine, and I can definitely feel it. But, the weight is significantly heavy compared to what I use for everything else -- 20 lb in each hand. To compare, I do 12-lb bicep curls. I find that making sure I do them slowly, and really thinking about the low back & hamstrings as I do them, help me "feel" them the best.

I love deadlifts, they are my favorite exercise! I do them straight leg style but the legs are never really straight. I use a barbel most of the time, I think the bar in front helps me with my form, but I use dumbells some too. There are some important form pointers for deadlifts, here are mine for straightleg):

Keep the shoulders retracted and back, don't let the shoulders round forward.

Slide the bar or bells slowly down the legs until you feel an easy stretch in your hams. The amount of bend in the knees depends on you hamstring flexability.

When you reach your end point engage your core and glutes and slide the weight back up your legs to the starting position.

I love them. I really feel it in my hamstrings, glutes and back. The only problem is I like to use pretty heavy weight and my shoulders get tired of staying retracted and back and I start to round forward... then it's time to quit.

Oh and hey funnygrrl, I told you I follow you all around the internet. Here you are here too. I'm ducky over at jc

Ducky! LOL Good to see you.

Thanks for the tips -- I think my form is pretty good, what you describe is exactly what Kathy Smith teaches. My fitness center is very small, doesn't have barbells. so we make do with dumbells!

I love using dumbells for my dead lifts because
1) I don't have to change the weights on a barbell, just change the weights of dumbells that I'm using (my method is increase weight as I go)
2) I have a big belly and I don't like how a barbell rubs against it (Ok i know that sounds attractive but... it is true)

Geoducky, I think that keeping my shoulders back is my biggest problem. When I lean over, it seems that my shoulders just automatically want to go forward. I’m going to use your directions and really concentrate on doing them correctly.

Vmelo - my trainer always told me to lead with my chest and thinking about that helps me keep my shoulders back.

Vmelo - my trainer always told me to lead with my chest - thinking about that helps me keep my shoulders back.

Thanks, Meg. I'm going to try that.

I've become a yoga devotee, and it has helped me a lot in my general stretching as well as in weight training, and well, everything else. One of the first important things I learned was that whenever you do a forward bend, lead with your chest -- or, in yoga parlance, with your heart. When we move forward the tendency is to lead with the head, but a good yoga instructor will emphasize leading with the chest, spreading the collar bones, keeping the spine and neck long, the shoulders down and back, etc. It really is a "better" way to move and carry yourself, and I find I get a better range of motion and a better stretch/work when I follow those principles.