How to Do Barbell Deadlift

Form Cues

1. 1

   Bar over mid-foot, grip just outside legs, drive floor away

2. 2

   Keep bar close to body throughout

3. 3

   Set your hips at a height where shins are nearly vertical and shoulders sit just in front of the bar

4. 4

   Think 'push the floor away' rather than 'pull the bar up' — drive through your heels and mid-foot

Common Mistakes

• ●

  Jerking the bar off the floor — take the slack out slowly before applying full force to protect the lower back

• ●

  Rounding the lower back under load — a flat, neutral spine is non-negotiable on a heavy pull; drop the weight before form breaks down

• ●

  Letting the bar drift away from your shins — keep it in contact with your legs the whole way up, or it turns into a lower-back exercise