deadlift

Pluraldeadlifts

Formsdeadlifts, deadlifting, deadlifted

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell is lifted off the ground from a stabilized bent-over position.

   The deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for building overall strength.

   He set a personal record in the deadlift at last weekend's meet.

   Note

   The name is simply dead plus lift. In the gym it means one of the core barbell movements, often paired with the squat. Lou Schuler, in his foreword to Nate Green's Built for Show (2008), names the two as the best exercises for building a bigger, stronger body and sets them against leg-extension machines. In powerlifting it is the third of three contested lifts. As a noun, you do a deadlift.

2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To raise a loaded barbell from the floor to a standing position by straightening the hips and knees.

   Few gym-goers can deadlift that much weight without a lifting belt.

   She deadlifted the loaded bar smoothly on her final attempt.

   Note

   Gym talk turns the noun straight into a verb, and it is written solid in every form: deadlifts, deadlifting, deadlifted. It is transitive, so its object is the weight itself. You deadlift a loaded bar or a number of pounds, and the past tense is the regular deadlifted.

3. 3
   nouncountable

   A raising of a heavy object by direct force alone, without mechanical help or leverage.

   Without any tackle on hand, hauling the engine block up was a sheer deadlift.

   They managed the deadlift of the fallen log through sheer muscle.

   Similarheave

4. 4
   nounfigurativelycountable

   A strenuous effort carried on under discouraging or unfavorable conditions.

   Rebuilding the team after so many injuries was a season-long deadlift.

   Passing the bill became a deadlift against a hostile committee.

   Similarslog, struggle, grind, ordeal

   Note

   Here the lift has left the body entirely. This use stretches the unaided lift, raising a weight with no help or leverage, to any hard push against discouraging odds. That image is the key to using it well. A deadlift in this sense is heavy work done without help, not simply a large task, so it suits campaigns, rebuilding efforts and long, grinding projects.

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