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Nick Nilsson's Books
One-Sided Barbell Deadlifts For Lower Body and
Core Strength
By Nick Nilsson
I love deadlifts...I don't deny it.
But sometimes, you just don't have the energy to blast out full-power sets with maximum weight even though you still WANT to do your deadlifts.
Well, have I got a variation for you!
It's definitely going to get you some strange looks in the gym but I can promise you, after the first set, it's going to feel so good, you really just won't care!
This one is not only going to target the lower back and legs, it's also going to hit the core (especially the side abdominal area) VERY strongly. The uneven load on the body forces an extremely strong contraction in the core to help counterbalance the load.
You'll see...
The first time you do this one, use a light weight, e.g. 1 plate. You're going to load just ONE side of the barbell (that's where the one-sided part of the name comes in).
You should be experienced with regular deadlifts before attempting this one - it's not a beginner exercise!
Step up to the bar, squat down and grip with your left hand (using an underhand grip) right beside the collar of the bar, as close as you can get it.
Your other hand should grip outside your leg (e.g. the right hand outside the right leg in this case) using an overhand grip. This gives you what's called a mixed grip, which gives you a stronger grip on the bar.
Stand up with the bar - standard deadlift technique applies. Keep an arch in your lower back and keep looking forward.
The difference here is that only one side of the bar is loaded so the majority of the load is on the left side on the body. Your right hand will actually be pushing down a bit to keep the other end from flying up!
So basically, it's a one arm deadlift using two arms...wrap your head around that one!
Because the bar is loaded just on one side and the weight is outside your center of balance, your abs are going to be contracting HARD to keep your torso vertical and stable as you come up with the bar.
This is going to tighten up and strengthen your abs EXTREMELY fast.
Do 3 to 5 reps on one side then step over the bar and do 3 to 5 reps on the other side to keep things balanced.
You'll feel how well this one works after the very first set! Once you get a feel for the exercise, you can bump up the weight a bit to see what you're capable of.
Bottom line, this will strengthen just about everything in your body. Naturally, you won't be able to use as much weight as you could with "normal" deadlifts, but it's a great alternative when you have deadlifts on your list but you're not feeling up for maximum weights.
You'll get plenty out of this one with much more moderate loads.
And believe me, you'll get a LOT of curious looks at the gym when you do these...my favorite thing is when I get those looks then the very next day see those very same people using that very same exercise they were eyeing up.
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About the Author:
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 17 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", and several others all available at ( http://www.fitness-ebooks.com ).