6 Yoga Moves to Do before Your Deadlift Workout

Deadlift workouts exercise your core, back, glutes and hamstrings. The exercise is great for making the body stronger and more balanced. To do a perfect deadlift, you need joints that can move, muscles that work and your full attention.

By warming up your muscles before your deadlift workout, you can avoid getting hurt. All you need to do is take ten minutes out of your normal schedule to do different yoga poses. Especially before doing a weightlifting move like the deadlift, you have to warm up your muscles to get the most out of them.

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Yoga Moves before Deadlift Workout

Perform these six yoga asanas before your deadlift workout for an excellent session.

1) Downward Dog Pose

In this pose, the main muscles that are worked are in the lower body. Your hamstrings and calves will feel a deep stretch, which will help you get ready for a deadlift.

Here's how you perform this yoga asana:

• Get down on your hands and knees. Your knees should be right under your hips, and your hands should be in front of your shoulders.
• Turn your toes and put your hands wide apart. As you let your breath out, lift your feet off the floor.
• Your heels should be flat on the floor at this point. Push your tailbone up towards the ceiling.
• Exhale, and try not to lock your knees. Stay as straight as you can with your legs. Don't forget to use your quadriceps and core.
• Make sure you don't move your heels towards your hands to make a perfect inverted angle. If you feel your muscles are tight, bend your knees a bit.
• Breathe in a rhythmic way, and go back to where you started.

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2) Head to Knee Pose

This position helps you stretch your back, lengthen your hamstrings and warm up your hip mobility. This pose can be made harder or easier, so you can do it to warm up or to cool down after a session of deadlifts.

Here's how you do this asana:

• Sit down with your legs extended in front of you, your hands next to your glutes and toes flexed and your quads tightened.
• Lift your lower abs and the sides of your waist.
• Bend one knee, and put the foot on the inside of the opposite thigh, with the heel below the pubic bone.
• Move the knee away from the other foot.
• Don't arch your back as you fold forward over your leg.
• Reach out with your arm to grab the foot, and keep pushing deeper into the fold.
• Take eight to ten deep breaths; lift; change sides, and do it again.

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3) Half Bridge Pose

This position can tighten your back and give your back muscles isometric strength.

Here's how you perform this asana:

• Lay on your back, with your knees bent and your feet about as far apart as your hips.
• Move your feet toward your buttocks, and press down on the mat to lift your hips.
• Instead of your lower abs, lift with your pubic bone.
• Grab your hands under your back, and start moving your body so that you're on top of your shoulders.
• Roll your knees in towards you. Take a deep breath; let it out, and drop down. Repeat.

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4) Forward Fold

The forward fold is a great yoga pose that stretches your hip flexors, hamstrings, calves and lower back. These muscles get tight very easily, so relaxing them before your deadlift workout is important.

Here's how you perform this yoga asana:

• Stand with your back straight and core and glutes fully engaged. Bring your hands down from an overhead position, and fold from the hips.
• The tips of your fingers should be even with your toes. You should also try to touch your palms to the floor. Pull your quadriceps up to work them. Let your head hang down for a little while.
• Hold this pose for 20 to 30 seconds. As you rise, take a deep breath in, and use your core muscles.

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5) Sumo Squat

When you do a sumo squat, you work your hamstrings, glutes, calves and even the muscles on the inside of your thighs. Before doing a deadlift, this is a great way to warm up your muscles. In this position, your feet are a little bit wider, which makes it more difficult.

Here's how you perform this asana:

• Stand with your feet farther apart than your hips. Your toes should point outward at an angle of 45 degrees.
• To do a squat, breathe in; push your hips back, and lower your body till it's at knee level. At this point, you need to use your core and glutes.
• As you let your breath out, come back to the starting position, and put your weight evenly on your heels.

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6) Eagle Pose

This pose helps you build strength in your ankles, calves, thighs and glutes. The eagle pose also helps your digestion and improves blood flow to your joints and also build arm strength and focus.

Here's how you perform this yoga asana:

• To start the pose, shift your weight to your left leg. Raise your right foot off the ground, and cross it as high as you can over your left thigh.
• Wrap your right ankle around your left calf.
• Bend your arms at the elbows, and wrap your left arm around your right arm.
• Cross your right forearm over your left.
• Bring your elbows up to where your shoulders are. You should have a straight back and a strong core.
• Hold for a few seconds, and repeat five to six times.
• Do the same steps on the other side.

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Takeaway

Before you do a deadlift, make it a habit to perform the aforementioned yoga moves to warm up your muscles. That'ill help you get the most out of your deadlift workout.