Rack Pulls vs Dead Lifts
I have a very out of shape friend who goes to Planet Fitness. I go there with him to help him work out. He is too disgusted with his own body to go to Gold's Gym of LA Fitness, so Planet Fitness it is. I know many of you hate the place, but for a beginner it really is a good place to start. He will eventually outgrow it and will gain enough confidence to move on, but for now it is his home.
So, with that in mind, the only free weights are dumbbells. A dead lift has to be done in a Smith Machine. If you have ever tried it, you will know how clumsy it is. I was thinking of just changing him to rack pulls in the smith machine - or at least a derivation of them that works in it. What do you all think?
Is he losing something by not doing the full range of motion of the dead lift, keeping in mind he is in a Smith Machine at Planet Fitness?
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With regards to only the title - Deadlifts all the way for me. Although rack pulls have their time and place (there is a reason why famous BBers do them) - i never do. Feels like an incomplete rep and also feels like ego lifting especially when your upward drive from mid to top position is usually easier than bottom to top.
When I see someone do like a 5/6 plate rack pull - in my head i say "good, now put the bar on the floor and deadlift 10 reps like you just did... with no straps".
Thank you all for your input. I will shift him to dumbbell deads and such rather than potentially injure him with the smith machine.
No shame in PF!
I started their and am grateful for them, $10 a month was all I could afford and it was right down the street... I was a slob then too.
Plenty of stuff to do there get him on a good diet with cheat meals once a weak so he doesn't get discouraged. Once he starts dropping the pounds and feels confident he can start onto the more complex movements
Like said below DB exercises, and machines to start and with a clean diet he will see results
I don't know if DL or RP are even good movements for someone that heavy.
Cheat meals will keep him happy.
Neither on a smith machine. Unnatural motion path for those two movements, asking for injury.
Time under tension.
your mate needs to get stronger and burn calories. best bang for your buck are barbell or dumbbell complexes.
clean into press into squat into press into front squat into high pull into shrug = 1 rep cycle.
Repeat.
Should build some muscle and burn that fat down too something a bit more managable.
if the gym has dumbbells farmers walks are also great.
They will strengthen the whole body and rapidly improve grip strength and posture the two requisites of building the foundation of a healthy body.
Thanks!!
I wouldn't do either in a smith, personally. I've seen those machines slide and almost flip and I feel like the bar being in a fixed movement on a heavy exercise like dls or rack pulls is a recipe for injury because you're fighting the natural bar pattern--I think they call it progressive pattern overload leading to injuries or imbalances. If he's really out of weight, I would get him on free weights, even if it means light dumbbell deadlifts, throw in a lot of dynamic lunges and cardio, fix his diet, complement his weight loss to provide positive reinforcement. Get him in acceptable shape for a real gym that's fully equipped. Oh btw, f planet fitness
The machines are bolted to the floor, no chance of flipping.
Yeah, he is 45% body fat - I shit you not. He is only now starting to care because his doctor told him he was on the cusp of needing to take insulin for the rest of his life if he did not change something.
I have already changed his diet to the best I can do - or rather, the best he is willing to do. At least I have him at a very slight caloric deficit and a lot of protein, even if it is not the cleanest of diets. It is MUCH better than the 1000 cals over TDEE he was on before. Small wins and better than big losses.
He has moved his belt two notches in a month - he is loving that. His doctor was shocked to see him as well, saying that if he keeps up this level of improvement he might actually get off his [insert problem requirement medicine to control it] medicine. He has high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.
So you recommend neither one and instead recommend dumbbell deadlifts too. I will certainly look into them...100% of posts have recommended them instead!
How heavy do the DB's go up to? Could always do DB deadlifts or DB squats.
90 pounds. I will look into DB deadlifts, have never heard of them.
Thanks!