1. Setup

    • The deadlift starts with a loaded barbell on the floor. It’s important that the area where you are deadlifting has appropriate flooring that can withstand the impact of quickly lowering very heavy weights. Thick rubber mats or a dedicated weightlifting platform are ideal options. Deadlifting on bare concrete will damage the floor and your equipment. 

    • To perform a deadlift correctly, the barbell must be elevated to the level of your mid-shin. This means you will need to load the bar with plates that are the same diameter as a standard 45lb Olympic plate (17.5”). If 45lbs plates are too heavy for your first warmup set, you will need to use bumper plates with the same diameter but available in 10lb and 25lb increments, or set the safety pins in the squat rack just below the mid-shin and place the barbell across them.

    • Make sure to put collars on the bar so the plates don’t slide around during the lift.

  2. Stance

    • Approach the bar and place your shins about one inch away. Your heels should be about six to eight inches apart, and your toes should be pointed slightly out (about 15 degrees). Most people will find that the correct stance places their shins right in the middle of the smooth sections of the barbell. The bar should be directly over the bow in your shoelaces or the strap on your lifting shoes. 

  3. Grip

    • Keeping your legs as straight as possible (knees locked), reach down and grab the bar just outside your shins. Do not move the bar. The hands should end up at a width very similar to that of the press. Wrap your thumbs around the bar. 

  4. Execution

    • Bend your knees until your shins make contact with the bar. Do not move the bar. As soon as you feel your shins touch the bar, stop. Notice the position of your hips. They will be higher than you think they should be. 

    • Push your knees out so they lightly touch the insides of your elbows. 

    • Check that your weight is evenly balanced across the surface of the foot. If there is more weight on your toes, rock back onto your heels a little bit. 

    • Take a deep breath and hold it. You will hold your breath until the bar gets back to the floor. 

    • The next step is the most important: squeeze your chest up. The goal of this step is to produce a flat back. Do not lower your hips. Keep your hips high, and try to arch your back as hard as you can. As you do this, pull up on the barbell a little bit (not enough to pick it up off the ground) so the elbows are straight and there is tension on your arms. Done correctly, you will hear a subtle “click” as the outer diameter of the barbell sleeve makes contact with the inner diameter of the plate. You should hear this click before you try to pick up the bar, not as you initiate the lift. 

    • With a held breath, flat back, and tension on your arms, initiate the deadlift by extending your knees and pushing the floor away from the bar with your legs. The bar should drag up your legs, never losing contact with your skin or pants. When the bar approaches your knees, start extending the hips. Stand all the way up with the bar in your hands. At the top of the rep, your knees and hips should be locked, your chest is up, and your shoulders are back. Stand tall and proud.

    • To lower the bar, first, unlock your hips and slide the bar down your thighs. Once the bar crosses your knees, unlock your knees and slide the bar down your shins until it’s back on the floor. Then, exhale. 

    • To begin the next rep, reestablish the start position. Make sure the bar is in contact with your shins (directly over the middle of your foot), your weight is evenly balanced across the surface of your foot, and your hips are at the correct height. Take another deep breath and repeat the process. 

  5. Tips

    • The most common mistakes with the deadlift are: 1) dropping the hips too low and trying to “squat” the deadlift, 2) placing the bar too far in front of the mid-foot, 3) not fully setting and holding the back in proper extension, 4) having too much weight on the toes, and  4) extending the hips first (instead of the knees) to start the lift.  

    • A good way to know if your hips are at the correct height is to push them up until you feel tension in your hamstrings just behind your knees. If you don’t feel the hamstrings “bite,” your hips are probably too low. 

    • If you notice the bar swings off your shins when you deadlift, you are either starting with too much weight on your toes or trying to extend the hips before extending the knees.

    • Use a standard double-over hand grip (thumbs wrapped around the bar) for as long as you can. Eventually, when the weight gets heavy enough, the bar will start to slide out of your hands. At this point, you must make a grip adjustment by 1) using a mixed-grip (supinating one hand), 2) using a hook grip (wrapping your fingers around your thumbs), or 3) using straps. 

    • Do not bounce your deadlifts off the floor. Set each rep down completely so that you can reset the proper start position.

    • Do not drop your deadlifts. Keep your hands on the bar at all times and lower the weight under control.