Do Football Players Deadlift?

NFL, and football players in general, are much stronger than their basketball, hockey, soccer, and baseball counterparts. With much of the sport revolving around physical strength and toughness, football players must be able to both withstand and distribute hits where applicable.

However, one strength training not discussed often is the deadlift. And while we’ve all seen the videos of NFL players bench pressing several hundred pounds, few videos of NFL players deadlifting can be found online.

Below, we are going to review just whether or not football players deadlift. In addition, we will be looking at some of the overall benefits of the deadlift and how performing and incorporating deadlifts into your workout program and routine will help you become a better all-around football player.

What Are Deadlifts?

The deadlift, along with the squat and the bench press, is one of the big three lifts. A relatively simple weight training exercise, the deadlift is decidedly difficult to master. With a loaded barbell or bar, it will be lifted above the ground to the level of the hips, with your torso perpendicular to the floor, before being gently placed back down on the ground.

There are a number of different styles when it comes to deadlifting and, depending on the style chosen and performed, different muscle groups will be targeted and exercised. However, generally, expect to see results alongside the back, hamstring, quads, and glutes.

How to Perform a Deadlift?

With regards to the conventional deadlift, it can most easily be broken down into three separate steps. By breaking it down into three steps, the lift becomes easier to perform and form can be maintained throughout the exercise.

In addition, you can find a full video and photo breakdown of how to properly deadlift over at Ripped Body. They do a great job of explaining the exercise in detail and do so in an easy to understand and follow manner.

Deadlift – Setup

• Stand behind the bar from either side with the bar nearly touching your legs
• Set your weight predominantly on your heels while simultaneously maintaining flat feet
• Begin to hinge at your hips and knees
• Maintain a straight and long spine as the hips are hinged back
• With one hand facing forward and the other facing backwards, grip the bar

Deadlift – Drive

• Take a deep breath and hold it in during movement. This will create an outward pressure on the core and help to further stabilize your positioning.
• Simultaneously, keep the muscles of your back contracted tightly to maintain stabilization
• Utilizing your hips and legs, drive up and forward with the bar held and stand tall

Deadlift – Lockout

• Standing tall, slightly drive your hip into the bar
• Contract your glutes and abdominal muscles while holding the bar tall
• Begin to hinge at the hips and knees as you lower the bar back to its starting position

What Muscles do Deadlifts Work?

Deadlifts are a compound exercise wherein a weighted barbell or bar starts on the floor. Known colloquially as dead weight, the exercise is conducted with no momentum, giving the deadlift its name.

However, the main muscle group worked on via a deadlift are as follows:

• hamstrings
• glutes
• back
• hips
• core
• trapezius

Are Deadlifts Good for Football?

Generally, any strength and conditioning workout is ideal for football and football players. As football is a physical, full-contact sport, any exercise or training regimen which engages and builds muscle groups can be useful on the field.

However, deadlifts, alongside squats and the bench press, are classified as the big 3 workouts and should be focused on for increased strength, jumping performance, core strength, and an increased metabolism.

In addition, the deadlift is by far one of the best exercises for increased strength of the glutes, quads, and back, all three useful muscle groups for football.

Cautions When Doing a Deadlift

While deadlifts are one of the best exercises for football players, there should be increased caution when completing them.

Deadlifting creates a large amount of torque at both the hips and lower back and poor technique or form can create an imbalance in the distribution load between those areas. This increased imbalance can cause an increased load at the lumbar spine and increase the overall risk of injury.¹

What does that mean?

Quite simply, if you place too much weight or train without proper form and technique, you place yourself at a higher risk of injury. And while the bench press was the most common cause of injuries in powerlifters, the deadlift caused more injuries than squatting.²

As such, it is important to move slowly and carefully when you first start deadlifting. Don’t over-compete or over-exert past your limit. An injury could not only be life-threatening but it can also be a career-ending one.

Why Don’t More NFL Players Deadlift?

While we often don’t see NFL players deadlifting, many of them are capable of performing the exercise at higher weight levels. On average, an NFL player can deadlift near 550 pounds. Similarly, the average NFL kicker can deadlift closer to 350 pounds, with NFL linemen deadlifting closer to 660 pounds.³

However, due to the increased injury risk, you will rarely see NFL players performing the exercise to those capacities and weight levels. Rather, when completed, NFL players will reduce the overall weight of the lift or simply perform power cleans.