Deadlifters Creed

[8 INCH not biceps]

Standard deadlift is a great exercise for a beginning bodybuilder helps you build a strong foundation but once you have been working out for a few years there is no reason to do them anymore, if you want a strong lower back do rack deadlifts, you want to focus on the hamstrings do stiff legged or romanian deadlifts.

[Al Doggity]

Life Fitness machine seated rows FTW

If you feel that way, that's great, but what I'm saying is that most other free weight back exercises and leg exercises are superior to deadlifts. Deadlift warriors love them because it is so easy get decent numbers on that lift. You don't see elderly women doing bent over barbell rows with 2+ plates.

[chaos]

If you feel that way, that's great, but what I'm saying is that most other free weight back exercises and leg exercises are superior to deadlifts. Deadlift warriors love them because it is so easy get decent numbers on that lift. You don't see elderly women doing bent over barbell rows with 2+ plates.

Bullshit

[8 INCH not biceps]

If you feel that way, that's great, but what I'm saying is that most other free weight back exercises and leg exercises are superior to deadlifts. Deadlift warriors love them because it is so easy get decent numbers on that lift. You don't see elderly women doing bent over barbell rows with 2+ plates.

Sorry to disappoint you.

[DanM]

deadlifts engage something like 80% of the entire skeletal muscle in your body and are the single best test of overall strength, that's why some pride themselves in the lift.

[SuperTed]

deadlifts engage something like 80% of the entire skeletal muscle in your body and are the single best test of overall strength, that's why some pride themselves in the lift.

x2

A strong deadlift is also a requirement for almost every strength activity. You will never see a strength athlete (who isn't a cripple) with a poor deadlift.

[mr.turbo]

al is still butthurt over the response to his last deadlift tirade

[Al Doggity]

Sorry to disappoint you.

How is this disappointing me? She IS  old and DEADLIFTING. She is not old and doing bentover rows. You can find many examples of old people deadlifting a lot of weight. You cannot find many examples of old people doing bentover rows or  most other free weight exercises with lot of weight. 

[Al Doggity]

Bullshit

No, it's completely accurate. 

[Al Doggity]

deadlifts engage something like 80% of the entire skeletal muscle in your body and are the single best test of overall strength, that's why some pride themselves in the lift.

They are a terrible gauge of strength. Having a decent deadlift is not reflective of your strength on any other exercise. As for how much they engage your structure, I posted this a little while ago in a thread about chin ups:

I have a theory about why deadlifting is overrated and it applies to chins to a certain degree, too. You engage so many muscles in deadlifting that you can compensate for a weak point in your lift without really gaining strength like you would on most compound exercises, back or otherwise.  Chins are a back and arm exercise, but they also engage abs, legs and chest in a way that seated lat pulls don't. (You're probably saying "if you use legs to do chins, you're doing them wrong", but even doing them strictly, there is a degree of body motion that you use to complete a rep. The more difficult the rep, the more you use. Check out the leg movement on the guys in the video posted upthread.) I think chins can do a lot for your strength and physique, but I think there's a limit to how close it will get you to a bodybuilder-type back, even with added weight.  

[dseiler]

CORRECT deadlifts engage something like 80% of the entire skeletal muscle in your body and are the single best test of overall strength, that's why some pride themselves in the lift.

[chaos]

No, it's completely accurate. 

Liar

[Al Doggity]

Liar

   Then where are these vids of old ladies doing bent over rows?
Here's another old post from me in which I posted vids of a bunch of "beasts"  deadlifting:

Disagree.  

Okay, I get that a powerlifting routine is different from a daily fitness/bodybuilding routine, but you don't typically see guys who look like this putting up impressive numbers on bp or squat.

This guy's physique isn't bad, but there is such a massive disparity between the impressiveness of his bench and deadlift that, IMO, it goes beyond  the  idea that some people are just stronger on certain lifts.
He can pull 600 lbs but never goes above 2 plates bench press.

[8 INCH not biceps]

How is this disappointing me? She IS  old and DEADLIFTING. She is not old and doing bentover rows. You can find many examples of old people deadlifting a lot of weight. You cannot find many examples of old people doing bentover rows or  most other free weight exercises with lot of weight. 

I am here to please.

[Al Doggity]

I am here to please.

The video says the guy is 64 years old. Do you realistically think that guy acquired most of his strength in his 60s? Because the deadlifting grandma you posted a video of said she was nearly an invalid before she started deadlifting 2 years prior. Do you realistically think that the guy in that benchpressing video isn't strong in other pressing movements?

Way to cherry pick an argument and completely miss the point.  

[Rudee]

Plenty of Deadlifters tearing biceps.

[OB1]

Hard to watch.