The “dead” in Deadlift stands for dead weight. So every rep must start on the floor, from a dead stop. You don’t Deadlift top-down like on the Squat or Bench Press. You start at the bottom, pull the weight up and then return it to the floor. Here are the five steps to Deadlift with proper form…
- Walk to the bar. Stand with your mid-foot under the bar. Your shins shouldn’t touch it yet. Put your heels hip-width apart, narrower than on Squats. Point your toes out 15°.
- Grab the bar. Bend over without bending your legs. Grip the bar narrow, about shoulder-width apart like on the Overhead Press. Your arms must be vertical when looking from the front.
- Bend your knees. Drop into position by bending your knees until your shins touch the bar. Do NOT let the bar move away from your mid-foot. If it moves, start from scratch with step one.
- Lift your chest. Straighten your back by raising you chest. Do not change your position – keep the bar over your mid-foot, your shins against the bar, and your hips where they are.
- Pull. Take a big breath, hold it and stand up with the weight. Keep the bar in contact with your legs while you pull. Don’t shrug or lean back at the top. Lock your hips and knees.
Return the weight to the floor by unlocking your hips and knees first. Then lower the bar by moving your hips back while keeping your legs almost straight. Once the bar is past your knees, bend your legs more. The bar will land over your mid-foot, ready for your next rep.
Rest a second between reps. Stay in the setup position with your hands on the bar. Take a big breath, get tight, and pull again. Every rep must start from a dead stop. Don’t bounce the weight off the floor or you’ll pull with bad form. Deadlift sets of five reps every workout B on StrongLifts 5×5.
Main Deadlift Cues
Your build influences how proper Deadlift form looks like for you. If you have short thighs with a long torso, you’ll usually setup with lower hips than someone with long thighs and a short torso like me. So don’t mimic someone else’s Deadlift form (not even mine) unless you have the same build.
Use these cues instead and you’ll Deadlift with proper form. They work whether you’re young or old, beginner or advanced, short or tall, skinny or fat, weak or strong, male or female. Try them.
- Bar Path: vertical line over your mid-foot when looking from the side
- Barbell: on the floor, over your mid-foot, at the start of each rep
- Stance: heels hip-width apart, narrower than on the Squat
- Feet: whole foot flat on the floor, toes turned out about 15°
- Grip width: narrow, hands about shoulder-width apart
- Grip: thumbs around bar, bar close to fingers, both palms facing you
- Arms: vertical when looking from the front, slightly incline from the side
- Elbows: locked before and during the pull, until lockout. Never bent.
- Chest: up to avoid back rounding, do NOT squeeze your shoulder-blades
- Lower Back: neutral – the normal inward curve. No rounding or excess arch
- Shoulders: in front of the bar from the side view, relax your shoulders and traps
- Shoulder-blades: over your mid-foot when looking from the side, don’t squeeze them!
- Head: inline with the rest of your spine, don’t look up, don’t look at your feet either
- Hips: setup looks like a half Squat, hips higher than parallel. Don’t Squat your Deadlifts
- Setup: bar over mid-foot, shoulder-blades over bar, straight line from head to lower back
- Breathing: take a big breath at the bottom, hold it at the top, exhale at the bottom, repeat
- Way up: don’t jerk the bar off the floor, pull slowly while dragging the bar over your legs
- Way down: hips back first, bend your legs mostly once the bar reaches your knees
- Between Reps: don’t bounce, rest a second, lift your chest, breathe, pull again
- Traps: let them hang, relaxed. Don’t shrug or roll your shoulders at the top
- Knees: push them to the sides on the way up, lock them at the top
- Shins: touch the bar with your shins during your Deadlift setup
- Lockout: lock your hips and knees. Don’t lean back at the top
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