Power play

The days when it was thought that women could only do light exercises are long gone. Now, most people realise that women can also lift weights and outdo anyone with their deadlift tricks.

The deadlift is a weight and strength training exercise in which a loaded barbell or a bar is lifted from the ground to the level of the hips, and then lowered to the ground again.

Time and again, celebrities like Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma and Samantha Ruth Prabhu have been seen including deadlifts in their fitness regimes. According to celebrity fitness trainer Rasheed Khan, “The body can really be tightened by building muscle mass and breaking down fat mass. And for that, strength and weight training is necessary. One of the best exercises in weight training is deadlifting, because an enormous proportion of the muscles can be worked on, right from the neck muscles to the lower glutes.”

Not surprisingly, deadlifts are considered to be one of the most effective weight training exercises which anyone can do with a few precautions in mind.

Good morning exercise
(Beginner's deadlift) :
It is very important for beginners to work out under the able guidance of a professional trainer. In deadlifts, it is weights that  are being dealt with, so it is important to keep in mind how much weight one should start with and what posture to take.

1. Stand with legs shoulder-distance apart and bend down.
2. Place a stick on your back vertically and hold for a few seconds.
3. Come back to the starting position and repeat.

Conventional barbell deadlift
1. Hold the barbell down in front of your thighs at arm’s length.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
3. Lift the barbell with your hand in an alternate grip and brace your core, bend your knees, and hinge at your hips.
4. Go down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor and inhale.
5. Raise your torso back to the starting position and exhale. That’s one rep.

Weight deadlift
1. Place your barbell on the floor.
2. Put weight plates on the bar. With the plates on, the bar should be a few inches above the floor.
3. Stand with your feet under your hips.
4. Stick your hips back, look forward and bend forward to grab the bar with both hands (either normal grip or alternate grip). Breathe in.
5. Bend your hips down, flatten your back and pull the bar off the ground until you’re standing straight up. Remember to breathe out.
6. Lower it back down to the ground under control with your back flat. That’s one rep.
— The writer is a celebrity fitness trainer and ACE Master trainer