The deadlift. One of the central "slow lifts" and a mainstay in powerlifting and strongman competitions. You're probably already familiar with this movement, but we're going to break it down in a little more detail, pointing out some common mistakes, and get you pulling more than you ever imagined.

The deadlift varies from most other movements in that it begins concentrically - that is, you pull the weight "dead" from the ground, without creating a stretch reflex by passing through the eccentric (or negative) portion of the movement, thus it's popularity as a brute strength movement.

It is one of the most taxing lifts, recruiting multiple muscle groups and putting a high level of stress on the central nervous system. Due to its difficulty and impact on the body, the deadlift is an essential part of everyone's program - regardless of goals. You can't get big without getting strong, and the deadlift will make you very, very strong. It has a number of uses, variations and modifications, but we will begin today with the basic barbell deadlift.

OK, so let’s say you’ve followed my advice and developed a solid base – that is, you’re inury-free, have decent alignment, motor co-ordination and balance – all the components of a good fitness foundation. You’ve prepared the body through GPP (General Prepared-ness), addressed muscular weaknesses and imbalances, and are for all intents and purposes, physiologically sound. For some, this set of circumstances is a given, due to a history of athletics, structured fitness programming or plain old genetic luck. It’s possible that you may fall into this category, but even more likely that you have over-estimated your foundation and are in need of some corrections (a common mistake of the ego that we’ve addressed in previous columns). I urge all trainees seeking strength and conditioning improvement to meet with a competent, knowledgeable coach in order to have their abilities assessed with a skillful, critical eye.