GymDroidThe deadlift from every angle
How to Deadlift With Proper Form
The deadlift is the simplest heavy lift there is: you pick a loaded barbell up from the floor and stand tall with it.
- Works
- Gluteus maximus, Hamstrings, Spinal erectors
- Also works
- Quadriceps, Lats, Trapezius, Forearms, Core
Step by step: setup, brace, pull, lockout
- Stand with your feet about hip width apart and the bar over the middle of your feet. From above, the bar should cut your shoelaces in half.
- Bend down and grip the bar just outside your legs, both palms facing you.
- Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar. Do not roll the bar toward you.
- Lift your chest and flatten your back. Your hips end up higher than your knees and lower than your shoulders.
- Brace: breathe into your belly, tighten your stomach and pull your shoulders down, as if you were trying to bend the bar around your legs.
- Take the slack out: pull up on the bar until it clicks against the plates, without lifting it off the floor yet.
- Pull: push the floor away with your legs and keep the bar dragging up your shins and thighs. Your hips and shoulders rise together.
- Lockout: once the bar passes your knees, drive your hips forward and stand tall. Do not lean back.
- Lower: push your hips back first and slide the bar down your thighs, then bend your knees once it passes them. Set it down and reset before the next rep.
Common deadlift mistakes
- Rounding the lower back. Brace harder and lower the weight. Start each rep with a flat back and keep it flat until you stand.
- Bar drifting away from the body. Keep it touching your legs the whole way up. Pull your shoulders down to keep the lats tight.
- Squatting the bar up. Start with your hips higher, shins close to vertical and shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
- Jerking the bar off the floor. Take the slack out first, then push the floor away smoothly.
- Hips shooting up first. Push with your legs and keep your chest up, so the hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.
- Leaning back at the top. Finish by squeezing your glutes and standing straight. Your body ends in a straight line, not a curve.
Conventional, sumo and Romanian deadlift
Same muscles, different equipment.
Good to know
The deadlift from every angle
It trains your whole back side, from your grip and upper back down to your glutes and hamstrings, and most people can lift more in the deadlift than in any other exercise. Proper deadlift form comes down to a good setup, a hard brace and keeping the bar close. Below you will find the conventional barbell deadlift step by step, the mistakes to avoid, whether deadlifts are bad for your back, and how the conventional, sumo and Romanian deadlift compare.
Muscles worked
The deadlift mainly works the glutes and hamstrings, which drive your hips forward, and the spinal erectors, which hold your back flat. The quads push the bar off the floor. The lats keep the bar close, the traps and upper back hold your shoulders in place, and your forearms work hard to hold on.
Are deadlifts bad for your back?
For most healthy people, no. The deadlift trains the muscles that support your spine, and strength training is not more injury prone than most sports when you build it up slowly. Trouble usually comes from too much weight too soon, letting the lower back round under heavy loads, or grinding out reps to failure when you are tired. Start with a light bar, add weight in small steps of 2.5 to 5 kg, and end most sets with one to three reps left. If you already have back pain, or deadlifts cause pain, stop and see a professional before you go on.
Conventional, sumo and Romanian deadlift
The conventional deadlift uses a hip width stance with your hands outside your legs. It works the back and hamstrings a lot. The sumo deadlift uses a wide stance with your hands inside your legs. Your torso stays more upright, so the quads and inner thighs do more, and the bar travels a shorter distance. Neither is better for everyone: pick the one that fits your build and feels strongest. The Romanian deadlift starts from standing, keeps the knees softly bent and lowers only as far as your hamstrings allow, without touching the floor between reps. It uses less weight and focuses on the hamstrings and glutes. A trap bar deadlift, standing inside a hex shaped bar, is another beginner friendly option.
Plans with the deadlift
The deadlift is not part of a GymDroid plan, but you can add it to any workout in the app and log every set. For a hinge inside a plan, Curves & Confidence has the Romanian deadlift on Day A. On iPhone and Android.
Full Body Foundation · Curves & Confidence · Dumbbell Home Essentials
What muscles does the deadlift work?
Mainly the glutes, hamstrings and the muscles along your spine. The quads, lats, traps, forearms and core all help, which makes the deadlift close to a full body lift.
Are deadlifts bad for your back?
Not for most people with good form and a sensible weight. They strengthen the muscles that support the spine. If you have back pain, stop and see a professional first.
Are deadlifts OK for beginners?
Yes. Start with a light bar or a trap bar, learn the hip hinge with the Romanian deadlift if needed, and add weight slowly. One heavy deadlift day a week is enough for most beginners.
Romanian deadlift vs deadlift: what is the difference?
The deadlift starts from the floor with bent knees and returns to the floor each rep. The Romanian deadlift starts from standing, keeps the knees soft and stops when your hamstrings are stretched. It is lighter and hits the hamstrings and glutes more.
Sumo vs conventional deadlift: which is better?
Neither for everyone. Sumo is more upright and uses more quads, conventional uses more back and hamstrings. Try both with light weight and keep the one that feels strongest.
How many sets and reps for deadlifts?
For strength, 2 to 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps with 3 minutes of rest. The deadlift is tiring, so fewer hard sets work better than many.
Plans with the deadlift
The deadlift is not part of a GymDroid plan, but you can add it to any workout in the app and log every set.
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