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.

From Eugen Sandow's Strength and How to Obtain It (1897):

"'And what is physical culture?' is naturally the question which arises to the lips of those to whom the subject is still unfamiliar...it is to the body what culture, in the accepted sense of the word, is to the mind. To constantly and persistently cultivate the whole of the body so that at last it shall be capable of anything that sound organs and perfectly developed muscles can accomplish - that is physical culture...

To undo the evil for which civilization, and all the drawbacks it has brought in its train, have been responsible in making man regard his body lightly - that is the aim of physical culture."

Although Sandow was concerned with the aesthetics of the "perfectly formed" body, his intentions were true - to cultivate the body, to develop fitness, health and ability. Sandow is adamant that strength of the mind comes first, then the body, then the external. One quote I often use is "appearance is a consequence of fitness." If you are fit, your body will reflect that. If you are not of sound mind and body, it will manifest itself aesthetically.

Physical Culture is the pursuit of mastery of the self - not a vain quest to fulfill an external perception. Conquer yourself, master your mind, and seek out those physical activities that bring you joy, enlightenment and success and you've found Physical Culture.

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.