Exercises · Hamstrings, glutes · Barbell

Deadlift

How to do it

1. Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet.
2. Hinge at the hips and grip the bar just outside your legs.
3. Brace your core and keep your back flat.
4. Stand up by driving your feet through the floor.
5. Lower the bar the same way, hinging back and bringing it down along your legs.

Form cues that help

• Take a big breath and brace before the bar leaves the floor.
• Think of pushing the floor away rather than pulling the bar up.
• Keep the bar close to your body from start to finish.

Common mistakes

• Rounding your back. Keep your back flat and stop the set if you cannot.
• Starting with the bar too far from you. It should sit over mid-foot.
• Jerking the bar off the floor. Build tension first, then lift smoothly.
• Dropping the bar on the way down. Lower it with control the same way you lifted it.

Alternatives

If the conventional deadlift does not suit your body or your gym, try the trap bar deadlift, the sumo deadlift or the kettlebell deadlift. To focus on the hamstrings, learn the Romanian deadlift.

How to progress it

Deadlifts are tiring, so most people keep the rep range low and add weight in small steps. Record the weight and reps every session and use progressive overload to move forward. Take an easier week if your numbers drop for a couple of weeks.

See it moving in FollowSet

FollowSet shows this lift in a 3D demo with the working muscles highlighted, then logs each set and shows your last session. Download it on the App Store.

General information, not medical advice. Stop if you feel sharp pain, and ask a qualified coach or clinician if you have a back injury.