How important are deadlifts

[DrWahoo]

How essential are deadlifts to a great leg workout ? I really hate them, they are kind of uncomfortable to do for my shoulders and I know this is dumb, but emberassed by the way my butt sticks out when I do them.

[Dins_PR]

The only reason I do deadlifts is to strengthen my lower back. When I want to work my hamstrings I do hamstring curls on whatever machines the gym has. Don't worry if you don't like doing deadlifts, I didn't do them for a long time till my back got so strong that my lower back couldn't support the weight I was lifting so I had to incorperate deadlifts.

[Gearloose]

Originally Posted by DrWahoo

How essential are deadlifts to a great leg workout ? I really hate them, they are kind of uncomfortable to do for my shoulders and I know this is dumb, but emberassed by the way my butt sticks out when I do them.

There are alternatives to deadlifts. Classic deadlifts work several major muscle groups and help build overall strength. Stiff Leg Deadlifts work primarily hamstrings and lower back.

Go here: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/WtFemale.html and click on the female body map for the muscle you wish to train for a list of exercises for that muscle.

AS for your butt, do the exercise with your butt pointed toward the gym wall instead of the rest of the room. Besides, it might keep someone from dropping a 45 lb plate on their foot!

[candyass]

I'll have to disagree with the two posts above. Deadlifts are the second best exercise you can do (bet you can guess what the first one is). They stimulate a lot of muscles; any time you can stimulate a lot of muscles in one movement you will see more benefits then doing isolation exercises.

Now, is the deadlift essential for a leg workout? No. You can do leg curls or some other machine movement. Will this be as good as doing a compound movement (like deadlifts) with free weights? Absolutely not.

So don't give up on the deadlift so easily. Talk to someone who knows his stuff and ask him to watch your form. If your form is good, then any uncomfortable feelings you experience will go away with time.