Can Deadlifts Help You Hit Harder For Football?

Deadlifts help build the strength of your legs, hips and back, all of which generate power when you hit someone. These muscles, plus your upper back, all help you absorb punishment when you find yourself on the receiving end of a hit from the opposing team. Deadlifts strengthen all the muscles that support your spinal column and help protect you from injury. Consult a health care practitioner or our athletics trainer before beginning any strength-training program.

Power

When you come up out of your three-point stance on the line to crash into your opposing teammate, much of the power comes from your hips. Your legs straighten and your arms rise, but the torque that straightens your torso and allows you to drive forward against resistance comes from your hips. This motion is similar to the deadlift, where your leg straighten and you drive your hips forward. According to a 1985 study in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise," the area of greatest torque in the deadlift is the hips.

Legs

The deadlift helps strengthen your legs, which directly translates into burst speed and striking power. The ability to accelerate quicker is partially dependent on the strength of your legs. While not as effective as the squat for leg development, the deadlift strengthens the muscles of your thighs and hips. By learning to accelerate a deadlift and by developing strength, you can accelerate your own body weight more rapidly, striking with more force.

Upper Back

Deadlifts strengthen your trapezius, or the large muscle that covers your upper back. While this does not contribute to the power of your strike, it maintains the posture of your upper back and keeps your neck from snapping back when you get hit from the front. According to a 2002 study published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise," the deadlift works your trapezius muscle from top to bottom. The degree of work depends on the position of your upper back, but when first learning the deadlift, keep your shoulders back as far as possible.

Lower Back

Your lower back provides stability and power in practically everything you do. Maintaining the position of your torso is critical for delivering a blow to your opponent. The stronger your lower back, the more you maintain the position of your torso when driving your shoulder into another player's chest or abdomen. The weaker your lower back, the more power you are going to lose as you struggle to keep yourself steady. A strong lower back also helps you maintain position when someone throws a block on you first.