Why the deadlift is losing its grip on fitness enthusiasts

As targeted training gains ground, experts debate if this compound exercise still deserves a place in workout routines

- Pulasta Dhar

Anyone who has fitness as part of their social media algorithm will remember the sheer number of deadlift videos people were posting once upon a time. One-rep maxes and first-time lifters finally nailing the form were some of the highlights of this trend. But over the years, the deadlift debate seems to have become more evident: does the tough-to-learn but five-star compound exercise have enough risk-to-reward ratio to continue doing it regularly?

It seems like the deadlift has shifted out of focus as exercises become more specific to the smallest of muscles, and the back is becoming more prone to injury due to lifestyle. The other problem with the deadlift is that it is a difficult exercise to get to grips with initially. One needs to learn the right technique to do the hip-hinge and pull the weight up while keeping a straight, engaged back and core.

Given that the deadlift is one of the foundational compound exercises, every gym regular would have gone through the process of learning a deadlift. Which ever route you take learning it, it's worth keeping in mind how deadlift training might differ from bench press or squat training. The latter two exercises, which are also compound movements, can be tweaked easily by adding some accessory lifts and finding the right weight to play around with. But the deadlift is even more taxing on the body than the barbell squat, and so, needs to be approached differently.