5 Exercises to Stay Strong Without Heavy Deadlifts | Dr Stuart McGill & Andrew Huberman

Summary

Dr. Stuart McGill and Andrew Huberman discuss whether deadlifts and squats are necessary for strength. They emphasize that exercise choices should depend on a person’s goals, capacity, injury history, age, and recovery. McGill describes the deadlift as valuable but demanding—not a universal choice—and recommends choosing exercises that provide useful training with manageable risk.

Key Training Strategies and Takeaways

• Choose exercises for the goal and the person. Someone returning from back pain or with limited capacity may benefit from different exercises than a healthy athlete training for a specific lifting goal.
• Consider uphill walking. McGill describes walking backward uphill to challenge the quadriceps, then walking forward uphill to place more demand on the glutes. He presents this as a possible option for someone who cannot tolerate deadlifts.
• Use squat variations to adjust the demands:
  • Rear-leg-elevated split squats can be done with body weight. Holding the chest up and placing the hands behind the head may also challenge the trunk and back stabilizers.
  • Goblet squats encourage a more upright position. McGill says they place relatively more load on the knees and less on the back and hips than a back squat.
  • Single-leg step-ups add a balance challenge, which McGill considers especially relevant with age, when falls can have serious consequences.
• Treat glute-ham raises as an accessory, not a deadlift substitute. Huberman favors them for training the hamstrings and glutes. McGill says they train part of the posterior chain but are not equivalent to a full deadlift.
• Use auxiliary exercises to manage fatigue. McGill notes that athletes pursuing maximal lifts may use alternatives such as belt squats to train the legs and hips without repeatedly exhausting or heavily loading the whole back and upper-body system.
• Progress heavy lifting gradually and learn sound technique. McGill warns against rushing from an untrained state to very heavy deadlifts. He stresses bracing the body and taking the slack out of the lift, and notes that progression—not simply the exercise itself—can contribute to problems.
• Account for recovery. Maximal deadlifts and squats are highly fatiguing, and McGill says frequent maximal training can require long recovery periods. Auxiliary work can help maintain training while managing that demand.
• Match training to broader athletic goals. McGill characterizes deadlifting as “grinding” strength and argues that it may not develop the quick, coordinated, twisting strength used in activities such as throwing or golf. His broader point is to consider whether a program supports the activities someone wants to continue doing.

These are discussion points, not a personalized exercise or rehabilitation plan.

Presenters and Sources

• Presenters: Dr. Stuart McGill and Andrew Huberman
• Source referenced: A conversation with Peter Attia about deadlifting. McGill also mentions powerlifter Brian Carroll as an example of someone who uses auxiliary exercises.