Discover effective deadlift alternatives to build strength and muscle.

Explore options like hip thrusts, leg curls, and more.

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Deadlifts are one of the best exercises for building full-body strength.

woman sweating in the gym

However, not everyone can (or should) perform this exercise.

Thankfully, there are plenty of effective deadlift alternatives.

So, which exercises replace the deadlift?

Woman walking on a treadmill at the gym.

This way, you know which muscles should be firing when you perform deadlift substitutes.

And, of course, you use your forearm flexors to help you hold on tight the bar.

They help you build full-body strength and especially improve leg, back, core, and grip strength.

Full body female athlete in sportswear using rowing machine during fitness workout in gym.

Anotherbenefit of deadliftsincludes building muscle.

However, deadlifts arent a good fit for many bodies.

The same is true for people with limited hip mobility or a history of lower-body injuries.

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Deadlifts are also technically complex, and they might be intimidating if youre new to the gym.

Thankfully, you donthaveto do deadlifts to enjoy the benefits of them.

Many people find that otherdeadlift variationsare a much better fit for their bodies.

Happy woman dancing and listening to music near a green empty wall outdoor in the city.

The best deadlift alternatives

1.

Good morning with sandbag

A good morning is a hip-hinging exercise that can be used in place of deadlifts.

Instead of holding the weight below you with straight arms, you hold the weight on your upper body.

Healthy female training in the gym, performing a hip thrust.

This forces your core and back to work extra hard to keep you from falling forward.

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Youll need to set the support pads below your hips and use a smaller range of motion.

Hip thrust

Hip thrustswork many of the same lower-body muscles as deadlifts.

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Leg curls target your hamstrings but in a different way than deadlifts.

Instead of using your hamstrings to extend your hips, you use them to bend your knees.

You could experiment with both options to see what works best for you.

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Straight-arm pulldown with hip hinge

Can you build back muscles without deadlifting?

One downside to swapping out alternative lower-body exercises for deadlifts is that you dont get as many back gains.

Its also a good idea to perform a warm-up before jumping into any of these moves.

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Then, perform a few ramp-up sets at lighter weights before you arrive at your heaviest working weight.

Finally, its important to recognize that pain and injuries are complex and rarely have just one cause.

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