King of all exercises.

The dead-lift is the ultimate exercise for total body development. For years I avoided the dead-lift like it was the plague. I would do legs maybe once a week if I was in the mood. When I did lift my legs it was usually leg extensions, curls, calf raises, and if I was feeling crazy I would occasionally do squats. I think most people who lift weights on a regular basis probably feel the same way. In fact, a lot of my clients when asked to perform dead-lifts would rather go for a nice easy 8 mile run. The complete newbies who have never seen a dead-lift before think to themselves, “will this hurt my back.”
I recently began coming back to the dead-lift because I had a change in my mindset. I had always thought of the dead-lift as a knee dominant exercise that targeted the quads. As soon as I mentally made the switch and figured out that it was a hip dominant exercise that focused on the glutes I was hooked. The basis of all athletic movement is the glutes. Your glutes have to fire to push off while sprinting or to drive a golf ball 250 yards. The gutes are part of the “core” that everyone talks about. The core is not just your abs but your entire midsection, front and backside. All of the muscles that act on the spine to provide a basis for movement. When I was dead-lifting years ago I wasn’t doing them incorrectly. I just didn’t quite know how to complete the exercise. On the top of a well executed dead-lift you should squeeze your gutes. This is one of the keys that helps protect the lower back.
Another thing I have been doing recently is wearing my vibram five finger shoes on my leg days. The barefoot feel really gives the dead-lift an added dimension. Instead of your sneakers you can really feel your feet pushing into the ground evenly and forcefully. This recruits more muscle fibers and allows you to strengthen all of the muscles along your entire backside. The dead-lift doesn’t just work your glutes. It incorporates your fascia throughout your lower back which helps your entire back side feel like one unit. When you are in the top position you even use your scapula to pull down and engage the rotator cuff muscles and the lats.
Pound for pound there is no exercise that incorporates as many muscle fibers as the dead-lift. The more muscle fibers that are recruited to work the more energy your body will need. The dead-lift is great for people who want to add muscle and lose body fat. All athletes need to incorporate the dead-lift into their routine. However, it is not just an exercise for athletes. Any person who is interested in physical fitness and their appearance could greatly benefit from dead-lifting more frequently.