Deadlift: how to perform it.
The deadlift is strength in its purest form: you pick a dead weight off the floor using hamstrings, glutes and the entire posterior chain, with your grip and back acting as the bridge. No exercise builds as much "usable" strength, and none punishes technical sloppiness as hard.
Starting position
- Feet under the bar, hip-width apart, with the bar over the middle of your foot (1-2 inches from your shins).
- Hinge at the hips and grip the bar just outside your legs; lower your hips until your shins touch the bar.
- Chest up, spine neutral, shoulder blades over the bar: arms straight like ropes, not springs.
Proper form
- Get full-body tension BEFORE you pull: tug on the bar just enough to take out the slack, feel your lats "pack" your back.
- Push the floor away with your legs: the bar travels up close to your shins, hips and shoulders rise together.
- Once the bar passes your knees, drive your hips forward decisively: it's a glute drive, not a back pull.
- Finish standing tall and locked out: knees straight, glutes contracted, without hyperextending your lower back.
- Lower the bar by reversing the movie: hips back first, then knees bend once the bar has passed them.
- Set the weight down and reset everything before the next rep: every deadlift is a first rep.
When to inhale, when to exhale
Take a deep breath and brace before you pull off the floor: intra-abdominal pressure is your natural back brace. Only exhale once the rep is finished, standing or after setting the bar down.
Mistakes to avoid
A flexed lower back under load is the classic way to get hurt on the deadlift. If you can't keep it neutral, the weight is too heavy or your starting setup is off: chest up, hips lower.
Every inch of distance multiplies the leverage on your back. The bar should travel up close to your shins and thighs, almost grazing them: long socks aren't just a powerlifter quirk.
A "jerky" pull quickly takes up the slack in the bar and dumps the load onto your lower back. Get tight first, then accelerate: the start is a leg press, not a sprint.
Leaning back at the top isn't "finishing harder", it's compressing your discs. Lockout means standing tall, neutral, with your glutes driving your hips under your shoulders.
DAWT tip. Treat every rep like a single: set it down, reset your back, rebuild the pressure and go again. "Machine-gun" deadlift sets where your back caves on the third rep are the worst deal in the gym.
Variations and alternatives
Quick answers
Is the deadlift bad for your back?
No: performed with a neutral spine and sensible progression, it's one of the best exercises for strengthening it. It becomes harmful when you round your lower back under loads you can't handle.
Double overhand grip or mixed grip, which is better?
Learn with a double overhand grip and use chalk; once grip becomes the limiting factor, switch to mixed grip or straps for heavy sets. Alternate sides with a mixed grip to avoid creating imbalances.
How often should you train the deadlift?
For most people, 1-2 times a week is enough: it's the exercise that demands the most from your nervous system. Your DAWT coach dials in the frequency based on your actual recovery, not a fixed template.
Related exercises
How much should you load on this exercise?
DAWT's AI coach tells you, set by set: it builds your plan around your goals, auto-regulates the load from your real effort and corrects you while you train. Download the app and start free.
