🏋️‍♂️ should you deadlift barefoot?

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Take a look at what we’ve got for you today:

• Should you deadlift with or without shoes on? We’re diving into this debate feetfirst.

• If you want a natural pre-workout alternative, these eight ingredients are key.

• Strongwoman Lucy Underdown hits a massive deadlift PR that you’ve gotta see.

Exercise Tips

Athlete’s Foot

On its face, there is so much that’s plainly wrong about the idea of deadlifting without shoes on. There is an inherent (and logical) presumption that your shoes are designed specifically to protect your feet. So going without that protection invites the opportunity for hundreds of pounds of loose weight to crash down upon your bare digits at the end of a tough set.

Then again, if all of the muscles doing the heavy lifting during a deadlift are situated north of your ankles, how much damage could shoeless or sockless deadlifting really do? And, more importantly, what do you stand to gain?

We reached out to two fitness experts — both of whom work with pro football players — to get their takes on the merits (and a few drawbacks) of deadlifting barefoot.

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Nutrition

All-Natural Energy

Your weightlifting shoes are in your bag, and you’re crossing your fingers that nobody will be doing biceps curls in the squat rack when you get to the gym. You’re amped up and ready to go — and you want to make sure nothing gets in the way of you and your weight plates for a solid training session.

Or maybe you’re completely lacking energy and motivation today and want to help get yourself into the right gear. Whatever your situation, you’ve probably wondered at some point or another about pre-workout. To the uninitiated, taking pre-workout to fuel your sessions may seem like the line in the sand between the weekend warriors and the competitive athletes.

If you’re focused on fitness enough to want to try pre-workout, you’re probably thoughtful about what you put in your body. If you’re looking for a more natural alternative for your pre-workout energy boost, we’ve rounded up eight simple ingredients that fit the bill.

PR Alert!

Underdown’s Mighty Pull

On July 19, strongwoman Lucy Underdown shared an Instagram video of her deadlifting 300 kilograms (661.4 pounds) for three reps during a recent training session. The strength feat is notable because that weight is the current strongwoman World Record, which is a mark Underdown herself set back in 2021.

For assistive equipment on her latest feat of strength, the elite strongwoman wore a lifting belt and straps and completed her mind-boggling pulls from a conventional stance with a double-overhand grip.

Underdown will soon compete in the upcoming Europe’s Strongest Woman, Britain’s Strongest Woman (BSW), and England’s Strongest Woman contests. If she transfers over her training strength to any of her upcoming strongwoman appearances, another future milestone victory feels likely.

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Everything Else

Bicycle Burn

• Bicycle crunches are a fantastic way to engage your core muscles and sculpt those longed-for six-pack abs. Just be sure you’re doing them properly.

• A healthy diet and regular exercise are the most important factors in weight loss, though adding a weight loss supplement may help you reach your goals sooner. Here are 10 of our favorite supps.

• Mona Pretorius de Lacey is a Commonwealth Games medalist, CrossFit Games athlete, and six-time Karate World Champion. She recently joined us on the BarBend Podcast to talk about her experiences on the world stage.

Sound Off!

The Great Foot Debate