How To Deadlift With Proper Form - The Definitive Guide

10/3/2016
HowtoDeadliftwithProperForm:TheDefinitiveGuide
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How to Deadli with Proper Form: The

Definitive Guide
How to Deadli with proper form: pull the bar from the floor until youve locked your hips and knees. Keep your lower back
neutral.
ProperDeadli form starts with the weighton the floor. Pull the bar until youve locked your hips and
knees. Return it to the floor by moving your hips back first and then bending your knees. Rest a second
between reps and repeat. Do five reps total on the StrongLi s 55 program.
To Deadli with proper form means with your lower back neutral. Rounding your lower spineduring
heavy Deadli sis dangerousfor your back. It squeezes your spinal discs and can cause injuries like
herniated discs. Deadli with your lower back neutral toavoid injury.
Proper Deadli form increases eectiveness. Movingthe bar in a verticalline shortens the distance the
weighttravels from floor to top. This increases how much youDeadli . Youll get stronger and build more
muscle if you Deadli with proper form.
This is the definitive guide to proper form on the conventional Deadli
Contents [hide]
1 Introduction
1.1 How to Deadli
1.2 Deadli Form 101
1.3 Lower Back Safety
http://stronglifts.com/deadlift/
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1.4 First-time Fear

1.5 Deadli Videos
2 Deadli Technique
2.1 Deadli Stance
2.2 Foot Position
2.3 Deadli Grip
2.4 Arm Position
2.5 Bar Position
2.6 HipPosition
2.7 HeadPosition
2.8 ShoulderPosition
2.9 BackPosition
2.10 Deadli Setup
2.11 The Pull
2.12 BarPath
2.13 Lowering The Bar
2.14 Lockout
2.15 Breathing
2.16 Between Reps
3 Common Issues
3.1 Lower Back Pain
3.2 Lower Back Rounding
3.3 Hips RaiseTooFast
3.4 Hitting The Knees
3.5 Scraped Shins
3.6 Weak Grip
3.7 Torn Calluses
3.8 Bar Wont Move
4 Individualization
4.1 TallGuys
4.2 BigGuys
4.3 Small Hands
4.4 Women
5 Deadli Tip Sheet
6 See Also
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Introduction
How to Deadli
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How to Deadli with proper form in5 simple steps: walk to the bar, grab it, bend your legs until they touch the bar, li your chest
and pull.
The Deadli starts with the barbell on the floor. Pulling from safety pins in the Power Rack is not a
Deadli but a Rack Pull. Starting at the top and thenlowering the bar isnt a Deadli either. Its a
Romanian Deadli . The dead in Deadli stands for deadweight. Putthe bar on the floor. Then follow
these five simple steps to Deadli with proper form
1. Walk to the bar. Stand withyour mid-footunder the bar. Dont touch it with your shins yet. Hipwidth stance, toes out 15.
2. Grab the bar.Narrow, about shoulder-width apart.Arms vertical from the front-view, hangingjust
outside your legs.
3. Bend your knees.Keep going untilyour shins touch the bar. Dont move the bar. Keep it over your
mid-foot.
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4. Li your chest. Straighten your back.Dontmove the bar. Dont drop your hips. Dont squeeze your
shoulders-blades.
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5. Pull.Take a big breath, hold it andstand up. Keep the bar against your legs. Dont shrug or lean
back at the top.
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Youve finished your Deadli when youve locked yourhip and knees. Returnthe weight to the floor by
pushing your hips back first. Bend your legs once the bar reaches your knees.Dont bend your knees first
or youll hit themwith the bar. Rest a second then do your next rep. Dont bounce the weight o the floor,
pull each repfrom a dead stop. Deadli sets of fivereps every workout B onStrongLi s 55.
If youd like a print version of these tips, download myDeadli Tip Sheet. Its a simple onepage
documentthat covers the most important tips to Deadli with proper form. Print it, take it with you to
the gym and review the tipsbetween sets. This way youre sure youre Deadli ing with proper form so
you dont get hurt. To download myDeadli tip sheet, click the link below
DOWNLOADMYFREEDEADLIFTTIPSHEET
SharethisDeadliftarticletodaytogainfreeaccesstomyDeadlifttipsheet.Justclickthelike
buttonbelowtounlockthedownloadlink
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Deadli Form 101
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How to Deadli : hip-width stance, narrow grip with vertical arms, drag the bar over your legs youve locked your hips and knees.
Your build determines how your Deadli will look like when you use proper form. Peoplewith short limbs
and a long torso usually Deadli with lower hips than guys like me with longerlimbs and a shorttorso.
Dont mimic someones Deadli form unless you have the same build. Follow these generaltechnique
guidelines instead. Then individualizeyour Deadli form as you gain experience
Bar Path: verticalline 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 outabout 15
Grip: narrow, about shoulder-width apart, with the bar close to fingers
Arms: vertical when looking from the front,slightly incline from the side
Elbows: locked before andduring the pull, until lockout. Never bent.
Chest: up to avoid back rounding, do NOTsqueeze your shoulder-blades
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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, dont squeeze them!
Head: inline with the rest of your spine, dont look up, dont look at your feet either
Lower Back: neutral, with aslight natural arch. But no rounding or excessarching
55hips higher
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Hips: setup looks like a half Squat,
than parallel. Dont
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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 then inhale at the bottom
Pulling: dont jerk the bar o the floor, pull slowly while dragging the bar over your legs
Lowering: hips back first, bend your legs oncethe bar reaches your knees
Between Reps: dont bounce, rest a second, li your chest,breathe, pullagain
Traps: let them hang, relaxed. Do not shrug or roll your trap muscles at the top
Lockout: lock your hips and knees. Dont lean back at the top
If youd like a print version of these tips, download myDeadli Tip Sheet. Its a simple onepage
documentthat covers the most important tips to Deadli with proper form. Print it, take it with you to
the gym and review the tipsbetween sets. This way youre sure youre Deadli ing with proper form so
you dont get hurt. To download myDeadli tip sheet, click the link below
Tweet
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Lower Back Safety
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Le : flexion, lower back rounding. Middle: hyper-extension, excess arching. Right: neutral lower back.
Bad Form Causes Injury. Allexercises have a higher risk of injury if you use bad form. If you Deadli with
your lower back rounded, youre more likely to hurt yourself. Rounding your back compresses thefront
part of your spinal discs. This can result in back pain and herniated discs. Deadli s dont cause lower
back injuries. Deadli s with bad form do. The safest way to li is always with a neutral lower back.
Belts Arent Bullet-proof.Beltsdont stopinjuries from bad form. Lower back rounding or excess arching
puts your spine at risk. Dont wear a belt because your back hurts from li ing withbad form. If you get
hurt with the belt, the injury will be worse because of the higher weights and the false sense of security.
Master proper form first. Deadli with belt to li more weight. But never wear one tomake up for bad
form.
The Key: Lower Back Neutral. Keepthenatural arch in your lower back when you Deadli . Dont let it
round oryoull compress the frontpart of your spinal discs. Dont hyper-extend your lower back either or
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youll squeeze the backpart. Excess rounding orarching during heavy Deadli s will result in spinal
injuries like herniated discs.Deadli with your lower back neutral to keepit safe from injuries.
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Good Form Is Strong Back. Gravity wants to bend your back when you Deadli heavy. To keep it neutral,
themuscles around your spine must work
heavier the weight
you Deadli
, the stronger
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yourcore muscles become.This gives your spine more protection and support. Add the vertical
compression which increases bone density. Deadli ing with good form turns a weak lower back strong.
Good Form Is Less injuries In Daily Life. Most back injuries happen outside the gym. Yardwork with
straight legs and a bent back isnt safe. You must bend through your knees withyour lower back neutral.
This becomes automatic if you Deadli with proper form eachweek. Italso becomes easier
becausestronger legs from Deadli s reduces the eort to bend them. Better form means less injuries in
daily life.
First-time Fear
Start Light. Learn to walk before you run. Dont try to Deadli 200kg from day one. Good form is harder
with heavy weights than light weights. Yet good form prevents injury. Start light, with 40 to 60kg on the
bar (135lb max). If it feels good, add weight next workout. Slow but steady wins. Its how thousands of
people achieved 180kg/400lb Deadli s within their first year of StrongLi s 55.
Focus on Form.Technique builds confidence. Confidence beats fear of injury. Wait with
theheavyDeadli s. First focus on li ing with proper form. Every time you Deadli without getting hurt,
your confidence grows. The fear of injury disappears because you were safe. PracticeDeadli s with light
weights and proper form during your first workouts. Increase the weight as your confidence grows.
Videotape Yourself.Use your phone to videotape yourself from the side while you Deadli . If your lower
back isntneutral, fix it on yournext set. If you cant fix it, lowertheweight, its too heavy. A skilled coach
to check your form is best for fast progress. But if youdont have one,videotape yourself to see what you
do and compare with the tips here. Dont look atmirrors or youll mess your Deadli form and hurt your
neck.
Keep Deadli ing.The best way to get better at Deadli s is to Deadli .First-time fear is normal, I had that
too when I started to Deadli .But doinganother exercise instead wont eliminate fear of Deadli s. It
wont make you better at Deadli s either. You dont learn to ride a bike by drivinga car. You learnby
doing. Deadli , Deadli more and keep Deadli ing. Thats the shortcut.
Deadli Videos
Heres a video of meDeadli ing 210kg/451lb. Notice I setup with the bar over my mid-foot and against
my shins. Shoulder-blades are over the bar, shoulders in front. The barbell drags over my legs from start
to finish. My lower back remains fairly neutral.I Deadli the first, lighter sets without belt and using the
normal grip. I add the belt and switch to the mixed grip on the heavier sets.
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Heres a second video in which I Deadli with proper form as part of theStrongLi s 55workout B. You
can hear me answercommon questions about the Deadli at the same time. Watch from 20:59 onwards
for the Deadli tips.
And heres a video of my friend Mike Tuchscherer Deadli ing about 300kg at the StrongLi s London 2014
seminar. Mike is a powerli ing champion who previously broke the world record Deadli . Hes Deadli ing
exactly as explained in this article: bar over mid-foot, shoulder-bladesover bar, shoulder in front of bar.
Hislower back stays neutral despite the heavy weights. Bar toucheshis legs at all times.
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Deadli Technique
Deadli Stance
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Le : shoulder-width stance is too wide for Deadli s, legs push against arms. Right: hip-width stance with vertical arms and plenty
of space for your legs.
No Squat Stance.Heels shoulder-width apart is too wide for Deadli s. Your legs will block your arms
when you grip the bar. Creating space using a wider grip is not eectivebecause it puts your arms at an
angle. Thisincreases the distance the bar moves and makes the weightharder. Put yourarmsvertical
from the front-view. Deadli with a narrower stance than on Squats so your legs dont block your arms.
Hip-width Stance.The distance between your heels must match thewidth of your hips. If you have wider
hips than me, your Deadli stance will be wider as well. But dont Deadli with a shoulder-width stance
like on the Squat. If you do, your legs will block your arms when you setup.Or youll have to grip the bar
wider which increases the distance the bar travels. Hip-width stance is the most eectiveway to Deadli
heavy.
Foot Position
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Le : bar over forefoot, too far. Middle: bar against shins, too close. Right: bar over mid-foot, correct.
Bar over Mid-foot.Setup for Deadli swith the bar over your mid-foot. If the bar comes over your toes,
you can lose balance and get lower back pain. Bar too close to shins, youll hit them on the way up. Setup
with the bar over your balance point, your mid-foot. This is the middle of your whole foot, not just what
you see when looking down. Deadli every rep in a verticalline over your mid-foot.
Remember The Lace. Youll alwayssetup with the bar overyour mid-foot if you remember the lace
aboveit.Take your right Deadli shoe o. Draw a verticalline through its soles center. Remember which
lace is over your mid-shoe by counting them. Fi h lace in my case but it depends on your shoe
size/brand. Walk to the bar, look down and setup withthat shoelace abovethe bar.
Feet Flat on The Floor. Dont let your heels come o the floor or youll lose balance. Li ing your toes can
fix this short-term but isnt ideal. You have better balance ifyou keep your whole foot flat on the floor.
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The contactsurface is greater. More balance ismore safety, more bar control and more strength. Deadli
with yourwhole foot flat on the floor. This includes your heels, forefoot and toes.
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Toes out 15.If you have long thighs like me, this will help you push your knees out in the bottom
position of the Deadli . Knees out create
for the barbell to move
scraping your
shins.
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Toes out also letyou engage your groin muscles (adductors) on the way up. More muscles working is
more weight you can Deadli , and thus more strength and muscle gains.
Deadli Grip
The proper way to grip the bar is low hand, not mid-palm. This prevents hand pain and torn calluses.
Grip The Bar Narrow. Go about shoulder-width apart.The bar hangs lower if your arms are verticalto the
floor from the front. The weight moves a shorter distance and is easierto Deadli . Narrow yourstance to
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heels hip-width apart if your legs push against your arms.Dont grip the bar wide or it will hang higher at
the top and beharder to Deadli
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. Grip it narrow, just outsideyour legs.
Use Normal Grip First.Grip the bar with bothpalms facing you. Once the weight is too heavy to hold in
your hands, switch to the mixed grip 55
onepalm EXERCISES
facing you, the other
facing away.
Holding the CONTACT
bar likea
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baseball bat instantly boosts grip strength because it puts five fingers on both sides. Start withthe
normalgrip for your warmup sets. Switch to mixed gripon your last warmup set and work sets.
Hold The Bar Low. Gripit closeto your fingers.If you hold the bar higher, mid-palm, skin will fold under
the weight. Youll get excess calluses which can tear and prevent you from Deadli ing for days. Hold the
bar lower in your hands, close to your fingers This canfeel weird andweaker if you held it mid-palm so
far. But give it time andyour grip will get stronger without the excess calluses.
Dont Use Straps or Gloves. Straps will leave your grip weak instead of strengthening it. Gloves make the
bar harder to grip because it increases its diameter. Gloves alsodont prevent callusesif you Deadli
heavy. And serious li ers frown upon people who use gloves. Use white knuckling, chalk and the mixed
gripfor a stronger grip. Avoid callusesby gripping the bar correctly and shavingyour calluses ofeach
week.
Arm Position
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Le : elbows bent, high risk of elbow injury. Right: locked elbows with vertical arms. Safe and eective.
Lock Your Elbows. Never pull with bent arms. The Deadli is not a curl. If you Deadli with bent elbows,
the weight of the bar will straighten your arms. This canresult in elbow pain, elbow injuries, or worse,
biceps tears. Straight arms keep your elbows safe. It also shortens the distance the bar moves because it
hangs lower at the top. Pull with locked elbows. Its the safest,more eectiveway to Deadli heavy.
Think of Your Arms as Ropes.Any guy can Deadli 180kg/400lb if he trains right for a year. But try to curl
that same weight. Your arms will never be strong enough to li what you can Deadli using your stronger,
bigger legs and back muscles.Let your arms hang. Think of them as ropes, your hands are the hooks.
Tighten your triceps during your Deadli setup to keep your elbows locked. Dont try to curl the weight.
Arms Incline. Your arms must be slightly incline during your Deadli setup when looking from the side.
Verticalarms doesnt work because this puts your shoulders over the bar. Shoulders over bar puts your
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hips too low, turning your Deadli s into Squats. Youll hit your shins/kneeson the way up. Your shoulders
must be in front of the bar, shoulder-blades over the bar. This puts your arms slightly incline.
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Bar Position
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Bar over Mid-foot. Setup for Deadli s with the bar over the centerof your foot. Your whole foot. Bar over
toes doesnt work because it will pull you forward and cause back pain. Bar too close to heels, youll hit
yourshins. Pullthe bar in a vertical line over your mid-foot to the top. This is the shortest distance
between two points, and the most eectiveway to Deadli heavy.
HipPosition
Le : hips too low, bar will hit your knees. Middle: hips too high, lower back must work more. Right: shoulder-width over bar and
mid-foot, hip are where they should be.
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Hip Position Depends on Build. People with long thighs/short torso like me usually setup with higherhips
than guys with short limbs/long torso. Your hips might look too high/low to someoneelse but becorrect
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for your build. The proper way to check if you have proper hip position is by drawing a line from
shoulder-blade to bar to mid-foot during your Deadli setup. If this line is vertical, your hip position is
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correct.
Dont Squat YourDeadli s. Deadli s arent Squats. If youlower your hipbelow your knees, your shins
and knees will be in the way. Youll hit them with the bar on every rep and theyll bleed. Youll also get
back pain becausethe bar is too far from your center of mass. Setup withyourshoulder-blades over the
bar, bar over mid-foot. Your hips will be where they should,and youll stop hittingyour shins/knees.
Use Your Legs.Pulling with highhips andstraight legsturns Deadli s into Sti-legged Deadli s. Your
hips, glutes and lower back must doall the work because your knees cant help. Loweryour hips during
your Deadli setup so your shoulder-blades are over the bar, bar over mid-foot.This engages more
muscles, saves your lower back and increasesyour Deadli .
HeadPosition
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Le : looking up, bad for neck and can cause excess lower back arching. Middle: looking at feet, rounds the upper-back. Right:
head neutral, straight line head to hips.
Head Inline with Torso.Videotape yourself from the side when you Deadli . Your setup should show a
straight line from the top of your head to your lower back. Deadli ing with your head neutralprevents
neck injuries because theres no spinal disc compression. This technique canfeel weird at first, it did for
me years ago. But youll get used to it by doing it more. Dont look at your feet but keep your head
neutral.
Dont Look Up. Raising your headduring your Deadli setup (maybe to check your form in the mirror
facing you) lowers your hips. It turns your Deadli s into Squats. Youll hit your shins and knees with the
bar. Youll also get neck pain because looking upstresses the spinal discs in your neck. This can lead to
neck injuries like herniated discs. Deadli withyourhead neutral, not up.
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Ignore Mirrors.Checking your form in the mirror forces you to look up. This causes bad form and neck
pain.Especially if you Deadli aside from the mirror and turn your head.Deadli facing the mirror away.
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If you cant, fix a point at the bottom ofthe mirror and look through it. The best way to check your form
is to videotape yourself from the side. Unlike mirrors, youll see the bar path and without hurting your
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neck.
ShoulderPosition
Le : shoulders over the bar, hips are too low, youll hit your shins and knees. Right: shoulders in front of bar, shoulder-blades over
the bar, correct position.
Shoulders in Front of The Bar.Setup with yourshoulders in front of the bar when looking from the side.
Shoulders over bar doesnt work. Your hips will be too low, as if doing Squats. This put your knees too far
forward, and your shins incline. Youll hit your shins and kneeswhen you pull. Scraped, bloody shins will
follow. Proper Deadli setup formis shoulders in front of the bar, shoulder-blades over the bar.
BackPosition
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BackPosition
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Le : flexion, lower back rounding. Middle: hyper-extension, excess arching. Right: neutral lower back.
Lower BackNeutral.Keep your lower back neutral from start to finish.Neutral means natural curve in
your lower back. Excessive rounding or arching of your lower back compresses your spinal discs and can
results in injury. Especially when Deadli ing heavy. Some advancedDeadli ers pull with their lower back
rounded. But you may not get away with it. Always keep your lower back neutral.
Li Your Chest.Easierto keep your lower back neutral when your upper-back doesnt round. Easier to
keep your upper-back from rounding when you li your chest. Some advancedDeadli ers round their
upper-back to lower their shoulders, decrease the distance the bar moves and Deadli heavier weights.
You might struggleto keep your lower back neutral when your upper-back rounds. So li your chest.
Deadli Setup
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Deadli Setup
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Le : bar over mid-foot. Middle: verticalline shoulder-blades to bar to mid-foot. Right: straight line head to hips, no rounding or
excess arching.
Bar over Mid-foot. Walk to the bar and put the middle of your feet under it. Use the lace over the center of
your shoe as a reference point. Dont pullthe bar from your forefoot or youll lose balance and hurt your
lower back. Dont stand with the bar against your shins or youll scrape them on the way up. Setup
withthe bar over your balance point, your mid-foot. Pull from here in a verticalline to the top.
Shoulder-blades over Bar. Setup with your shoulder-blades over the bar. Shoulder-blades further in front
puts your hips too high and turns Deadli s into Sti-legged Deadli s. Shoulder-blades lower drops your
hips, turns Deadli s into Squats and results in scraped shins. Videotape yourself from the side. If you
have a verticalline from shoulder-blades to bar to mid-foot, youve setup correctly for the Deadli .
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Shoulders in Front of Bar. If shoulder-blades over bar is proper Deadli setup form, your shoulders must
be in front of bar.Shoulders over bar doesnt work because it drops your hips. It turns your Deadli
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s
intoSquats. It puts your shins and knees in the way of the bar. Youll hit and scrape them on the way up.
Youll get back pain because the bar is further from your center of mass. Setup withyour shoulders in
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front of the bar.
Shins Against Bar.Setup with your shoulder-blades over the bar, the bar over your mid-foot and your
shins against the bar. Do not stand with your shins against the bar before you setup. If you do, the bar
wont be over your mid-foot. It will scrape your shins on the way up. Only put your shins against the bar
when you setup. Your shoulder-blades will be over the bar and your mid-foot. Your hip positionwill be
correct.
Straight Line Head to Hips.Proper Deadli setup form is head inline with your torso, chest up and lower
back neutral. Dont look up or at your feet. Keep your head neutral. Li your chest butdont squeeze your
shoulder-blades or youll increase the distance the bar moves. Pull with your lowerback neutral.
Maintain its natural arch. No excess rounding or arching or youll compress your spinal discs.
The Pull
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The pull: bar moves from the floor to the top in a verticalline. Bar drags over legs. Lower back stays neutral.
Push The Floor Away. Imagine youre doing the Leg Press. Li the bar o the ground by pushing your feet
through the floor. Once the bar reaches your knees, lockout the weight by thrustingyour hips
forward.Dont try to Deadli the weight using your lower back only. Dont try to pull it back. Use your
hips and glutes muscles. Stand up with the weight bypushing your feet through the floor.
Dont Jerk The Bar.Start slow.Take the slack out of the bar before the bar leaves the floor. Pull on the
bar untilit touches the top of the plate holes. Maintain tension while taking a big breath.Now push your
feet through the floor to Deadli the bar.Dont jerk it o the floor or you risk pulling with bent elbows
and get injured. Pull slowly in the bottom, with locked elbows. Once the bar reaches your knees,
accelerate!
Keep The Bar Close. Drag it over your shins, knees and thighs to lockout.If the bardoesnt touch your
legs during the Deadli , youll get back pain. If it doesnt stay over your mid-foot, youll lose balance.
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Hold the bar close to your center of mass, against your legs. Wear long pants or pull your socks up to
avoid shin scraping. Aim for a verticalbar path over your mid-foot when looking from the side. This is
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proper Deadli form.
BarPath
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Perpendicular Line. The shortest distance between two points is a straight vertical line.The bar will move
in a verticalline over your mid-foot if you Deadli with proper form. Any horizontal movement is stressful
on your lower back and ineective. If you li the weight in a J-curve, youve setup with the bar too far
away from your shins. Put it over your mid-foot before you Deadli any weight.
Lowering The Bar
Le : lowering the weight by bending the knees first, hitting them on the way down. Right: lowering the weight by moving the hips
first, bar doesnt hit knees.
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Move Your Hips First. Lower the bar by pushing your hips back first. This keeps your knees back so the bar
doesnthit themon the way down. If you bend your knees first, theyll come forward. The bar will hit and
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bruise your knee caps. Move your knees out of the way by pushing your hips back first whenyou lower
the bar.Do not hyper-extend your lower back. Keep it neutral by maintaining its natural arch.
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Bend Your Knees Next.Once the bar has passed your knees, bend them. The bar will land over your midfoot, ready for the next rep. If you bend your knees first, the bar will hit them and land on your forefoot.
Pulling from here is bad for your lower back because its further from your center of mass.Hips back first,
neutral lower back. Bend your knees once the bar passes them. Keep the bar close, over your mid-foot.
Lockout
From le to right: leaning back at the top, hyper-extension of the lower back (excess arching) and shrugging at the top. Far right:
standing tall with chest up, relaxed shoulders and neutral back.
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Dont Lean Back. Hyper-extendingyour lower back at the top is bad for your spine. It compresses the
back of your spinaldiscs. Thiscan cause injuries like herniated discs. Powerli
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ers o en lean back in
competition to show judges theyve locked the weight. You dont need to do this, and its safer for your
spine if you dont.Lock your hips and knees at the top, done. Dont hyper-extend your knees.
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Stand Tall. Youve finished your Deadli rep when youve locked yourhips and knees. Standing with a
heavy weight in your hands but unlocked hips and knees is not stable. You could collapse under the
weight, and the rep doesnt count. Stand tall with locked hips and knees. Li your chest but keep your
lower back neutral. Hold the bar overyour mid-foot and youll have proper balance.
Wait At The Top. Dropping the bar quickly can mess with your starting position foryour next rep. The bar
can land over your forefoot instead of mid-foot. Hold the bar for a second at the top before lowering it.
Hold it 5to 10 seconds on your last, heavy set of the day to build grip strength. Hold your breath at the
same time. Then lower the bar under control but not slow. Drop itover your mid-foot.
Relax Your Shoulders.Your legs move the weight when you Deadli , not your shoulders. Relax your
shoulders at the top. Let them hang. This lowers the distance bar to floor. Shorter distance results in a
more eectiveDeadli , more weight, more strength and more muscle. Do NOT shrug or roll your traps at
the top. This could injure your neck. Keep adding weight on the bar and your traps will grow bigger.
Breathing
Breathe atThe Bottom.Before you Deadli the weight,take a big breath and hold it. This protects
yourlower back by increasing pressure in your abdomen. Your blood pressure will increase. But it will
return to normal a er your set. And the stronger muscles you build by Deadli ing heavy will decrease
your blood pressure because they put less demand on your heart.Take a big breath at the bottom, hold
it, then pull.
Hold Your Breath at The Top.Dont exhale on the way up or at the top. If you do, youll lose pressure in
your abdomen. This is dangerous for your lower back duringheavy Deadli s. Hold the weight for a
second at the top while holding your breath. If you feel like passing out, youve waited too long at the
bottom before pulling. Taking a big breath is the go signal. Big breath, hold it, pull. Dont wait forever.
Between Reps
Get Tight.If you lowered the bar with proper form, the bar landed over your mid-foot. Wait a second to
get your body tight before doing the next rep. Keep your hands on the bar. Li your chest. Head neutral.
Take a big breath.Hold it. And pull. Repeat for five reps on StrongLi s 55. If youre more advanced, try to
break the bar and engage your lats at the bottom to increase tightness.
Dont Bounce.Deadli DEAD weight, froma DEAD stop. Dont drop the weight and bounce it back up. You
cantmaintain good form ifyou bounce and could hurt yourlower back. Thegoal is that you Deadli the
weight alone. Not get the bar from floor to mid-shin thanks to the rebound o the floor. Start each rep
from a dead stop.Rest the bar for a second on the floor between reps. Dont cheat your Deadli s.
Common Issues
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Common
Issues
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Lower Back Pain
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Deadli ing with your lower back rounded or hyper-extended can result in spinal disc injuries. Deadli with your lower back
neutral.
Straighten Your Lower Back. Deadli ing with a neutrallower back is safest for your spine. Pulling with a
round lower backis dangerous because it compresses the frontpart of your intervertebral discs. Excess
arching of your lower back is bad for the same reason it compresses your discs as well, but the
backpart.Deadli with your lower back neutral. Maintainits natural curve. No excess rounding or
arching.
Note that someadvanced Deadli ers pull withwith a rounded lower back. Thisshortens the distance the
bar travels, gets it closer to theirbody and increases how much they can Deadli . But round-back
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Deadli ingisntrecommended for less experienced li ers.Some lower back rounding is okay during PR
attempts. But 90% of yourDeadli
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reps should beneutral lower back to keep it safe from disc injuries.
Use Your Legs.Dont try to Deadli the weight using your lower back only.The Deadli is more than a
back exercise. Your lower backs main55
job is to stay
neutral while youAPPS
pull. Your hips
and knees liCONTACT
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weight by straightening. But you cant straighten them if you start with straight legs and high hips. Setup
with lowerhips so your shoulder-blades are over the bar and your mid-foot. This saves your lower back.
Dont Pull, Push!Instead of thinking of the Deadli as a pull exercise, try pushing. Get the bar moving by
pushing your feet through the floor. As if you were doing the Leg Press. Once the bar reaches your knees,
lockout the weight by thrusting your hips forward. Pushing through your feet can reduce back pain from
trying to pull the weight back. It can also fix Deadli ing with sti legs from raising your hips too soon.
Keep The Bar Close.The further the bar from your center of mass, the more lower back stress. Dont start
with the bar over your forefoot. Put it over your mid-foot and pull it in a verticalline to the top. Dont let
the bar dri from your legs. Pull it to your body and drag it over your shins, knees and thighs until
lockout.Wear long pants or pull your socks up to avoid shin scraping.
Dont Lean Back.Finish your Deadli by locking your hips and knees. Dont lean back at the top or hyperextend your lower back. This compresses the posterior part of your spinaldiscs which can result in back
injuries. Some competitive powerli ers lean back to show judges they locked out the weight. You dont
need to do this. Keep your lower back neutral at the top of your Deadli s.
Lower Back Rounding
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Dont let your lower back round like this or youll hurt your spine. Keep your lower back neutral.
Li Your Chest.People with less body awarenesso en cant keep their lower back neutral if their upperback rounds. Li your chest and notice how this straightens your upper-back and your lower back which
is connected. Setup for Deadli s by raising your chest before you pull. Restbetween reps by pausing for a
second at the bottom and li ing your chest again. Dont pull withyour chest collapsed.
Arch Harder.The general rule is no excess arching of your lower spine because it compresses your
spinaldiscs and can cause injury. But if your lower back has less natural arch and more rounding, try
arching it harder.Pull your lower back tothe ceiling while li ing your chest. This will help reduce lower
back rounding. WARNING: ignore this Deadli cueif you already have enough natural arch in your lower
back.
Hips RaiseTooFast
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Use Your Legs. Hips raising too fast means you dont use your legs. Youre straightening your kneesbefore
the weight leaves the floor. This puts you in a sti-legged Deadli
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position with your lower back doing all
the work. Its ineectivefor Deadli ing heavy because youre not using the mostamount of muscles to
li the weight. Use your legs by li ing your hips and chest at the same time.
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Think Pushing. Dont Deadli using your lower back only. Use your hips and knees. Startyour Deadli by
pushing your feet through the floor. Dont raiseyour hips beforethe bar leaves the ground. Lock your hips
by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings. Keep pushing throughthe floor until the bar reaches your
knees. Then thrust yourhips forward to lockout the weight. Keep the bar close, over your mid-foot, the
whole time.
Hitting The Knees
How to stop hitting your knees: dont bend your knees first on the way down. Move your hips back first. Only bend your knees
once the bar reaches them.
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Way Down: Hips Back First.Lower the bar by moving your hips back first. Dont bend your knees first or
youll hit them on the way down. Create space for the bar by keeping your knees back. Do this by moving
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your hips back first until the bar reaches your knees. Do not hyper-extend your lower back, keep it
neutral. Once the bar reaches your knees, bend them so the bar goes back to the floor.
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Way Up: Bar Over Mid-foot. Setup for the Deadli with the bar over your mid-foot. If the bar is too close to
your shins, theyll block the bar and youll hit your shins/knees when you pull. Same if you turn your
Deadli s into Squats by starting with your hips too low.Low hips puts your knees more forward, shins
more incline. Keep them back by setting up withyour shoulder-blades over the bar and your mid-foot.
Scraped Shins
Le : low hips put your shins more incline, youll hit them on the way up. Raise your hips until your shoulder-blades over the bar.
Right: bar over mid-foot or youll scrape your shins.
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Dont Squat YourDeadli s.Proper Deadli setup looks like a half Squat. Dont lower your hips toyour
knees. If you do, your knees will come forward. This puts your shins incline and inthe way of the bar. The
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bar has no choice buthit your shins on the way up. Keep your shins back and out of the way by raising
your hips. Shoulder-blades over the bar, bar over mid-foot puts your hip where they should.
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Bar Over Mid-foot.If the bar is too close to your shins, youll hit them on the way up. Create space for the
barbell by putting itover your mid-foot. Check your gym shoes for the lace right above thecenter of your
soles. Put this lace under the bar when you setup for the Deadli . Dont setthe bar overyour forefoot or
close to your shins. Put it over the center of your whole foot, and pull from there to the top.
Wear Long Pants.If you Deadli in shorts, youll scrape your shins, pull the hair from your legs and keep it
at distance on the next rep because it hurts. But dragging the bar over your shins, knees and thighs is
more eectivefor Deadli ing heavy. Its also less stressful for your lower back. Protect your shins by
Deadli ing in long pants. Pull your socks up for even more protection. The bar must touch your legs.
Weak Grip
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Le : normal grip, both palms facing you. Right: mixed grip, one palm facing you, the other away. Switch to the mixed grip when
you cant hold the bar with the normal grip.
Use White Knuckling.Grip the bar hard until your knuckles turn white. The bar is less likely to move in
your hands if you grab it tight. Youll also recruit thesurrounding muscles more your forearms, biceps,
triceps and shoulders. This boosts grip strength (principle of hyper radiation). Wrap your thumbs around
the bar. Grip it as hard as you can. If youre knuckles turn white, youre doing it right.
Chalk Your Hands. Get gym chalk like gymnasts and rockclimbers use. Not baby powder or blackboard
chalk. Magnesium carbonate. Chalk your hands on your last warmup set and work sets. This absorbs
sweat, increases friction and boosts grip strength. Chalkalso fills up your skin folds so less get trapped
under the bar. This reduces calluses. If your gym forbids chalk, get liquid chalk (or join a realgym).
Switch to Mixed Grip.Grab the bar likea baseball bat. Face your dominant hand up, the other down. You
now havefiverfingers on both sides of the bar. The normal grip puts eight fingers one one side, two
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thumbs theother. Thats why your thumbs always fail to hold the weight first.Switch to the mixed grip on
your last warmup set and work sets to increase your grip strength.
STRONGLIFTS
Hold ThatLast Rep.Hold the bar for 5 to 10 seconds at the end of your last, heaviest Deadli rep for the
day. Thenreturn it to the floor. Holding
the weight
longer than neededincreases
timer under tension
in
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your grip. Deadli ing the same weight for five reps will become easier on your grip because youve
trained holding it fortwice thatlong. This is the simplest,most eectiveway to increase grip strength for
Deadlfits.
Torn Calluses
Le : gripping the bar mid-palm, skin folds under the bar and will cause more/torn calluses. Right: gripping the bar low, close to
the fingers. Less skin folding and calluses with this grip.
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Grip The Bar Lower.Deadli withthe bar low in your hands, close to your fingers. If you grip the bar midpalm, skin will fold under it because of the downward pull of the weight. This results in more and bigger
STRONGLIFTS
calluses.Big callusses tear and bleed.If you have big hands like me, you must grip the bar lower because
you have more palmskin that can fold. It will feel weird and weaker at first, but youll get used to it.
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Shave Your Calluses. Get a pumice stone. Shave your callusesevery week while you shower. Dont
beaggressive or theyll tear. Shave the bulk o, done. If you dont take care of your calluses, theyll grow
too big and tear. Or youll play with them when bored and tear them that way. You cant not have
calluses, its a byproduct of li ing. But you must shave them each week so they dont turn into
giantsand tear.
Treat The Wound.If you tear a callus, cut the flap and trim it close to the wound. Smooth the edges to
level it with the rest of your hand. Dont cut deep or youll weaken the skin around the wound and risk
tearing that later. Soak your hand in warm, salty for ten minutes. Wait five days before Deadli ing heavy
again. When you do, cover the calluswith athletic tape for extra protection while it continues to heal.
Bar Wont Move

Use TheMixed Grip. If your grip cant hold it, you cant li it. Switch from normalto mixed grip. What you
cant Deadli with the normalgrip youll be able to Deadli with the mixed grip. Rest five minutes a er
failing your last set. Then try again with your dominant hand facing up, other hand facing down. Like
grabbing a baseball bat. Use chalkif you arent yet. Try to Deadli the weight now.
Push Harder!The hardest part is o en getting the bar moving o the floor. Once the bar has le the floor,
the rest of the movement can be easier. Dont give up to quickly if the bar doesnt move. Keep pushing.
First get tight when you setup for Deadli . Bar over mid-foot. Shoulder-blades over bar. Shins against bar.
Take the slack out of the bar. Big breath. Hold it. Now push your feet through the floor as hard as you can.
Keep pushing!
Drop The Weight. If nothing works, the weight is too heavy for today. Lower the weight and try again
later. Dont take big jumps but slowly work your way up. Adding 2.5kg on the bar four weeks in a row is
better than trying to hit a 10kg PR in one workout. Be the turtle not the hare. Go for small consistent
wins, not big wins with greater risk of failure. Creating momentum will boost your confidence in the gym.
Individualization
TallGuys
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The Mountain is 2,06m (69) and Deadli s 420kg/980lb. His form follows this guide: bar against legs, shoulders in front of bar,
narrow grip, vertical arms, chest up.
Many Strong Deadli ers Are Tall.Brian Shaw is 68 and Deadli ed 400kg (880lb). Terry Hollands is 66
and Deadli ed 435kg (959lb). Zydrunas Savickasis 63 and Deadli ed 410kg (900lb). The Mountain
fromGame of Thrones,Hafr Jlus Bjrnsson, is 69 tall and has Deadli ed 420kg/925,9lb. Notice on
the above picture how his Deadli techniquefollows the tips in this guide.
Height DoesntMatter. The lengthof your limbs does. Deadli form looks dierent for people with long
legs/short torso than people with short legs/long torso. But your setup doesnt change regardless of how
tall or short you are. Bar over mid-foot, shoulder-blades over bar. If you hit your shins, the bar is too close
or youre Squatting your Deadli s. These are techniqueissue you can fix.Dont use height as an excuse.
BigGuys
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Andy Bolton and Benedikt Magnusson have Deadli ed 1000lb weighing +350lb. Their form follows this guide: shoulder-blades
over bar, bar over mid-foot, neutral lower back.
The Two Best Deadli ers Weigh+350lb.Andy Bolton was the first guy to Deadli 1000lb. He weighs 350lb.
Benedikt Magnussonhas broken Andys world record by Deadlifitng 1015lb. He weighs 172kg/379lb.
Being big didnt stop either of them to Deadli heavy. Notice in the above picture how their Deadli form
follows the tips in this guide: shoulder-blades over bar, bar over mid-foot, lower back neutral.
Stand Wider. Create space for your belly by standing with your heelswider apart. Shoulder-width apart
like on the Squat will betoo wide. But hip width will be too narrow because your belly will get in the way.
Stand with your heels inbetween hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Setup for Deadli s with your toes
out 15 out. Then get down and push your knees out. This will further create space for your belly.
Small Hands
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Dont Make Excuses. Small hands are a disadvantage forDeadli ing heavy. You cantoverlap your fingers
with your thumbs as much so theyll fail faster. And youllget more calluses because your hands arent
STRONGLIFTS
big enough to grip the bar low, close to your fingers. But this shouldnt stop you from
Deadli ing180kg/400lb. Use chalk, mixed grip, work your grip strength. Get a thinner womens bar if you
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must. But dont make excuses.
Women
Deadli Like Men. Proper Deadli form for women is same as for men. Stand with your heels hip-width
apart. Setup with the bar over your mid-foot. Bend your knees until your shins hit the bar. If your
shoulder-blades are over the bar and mid-foot before you pull, youve setup with proper form. Theres
nothing you should do dierently than men whenyou Deadli . StrongLi s 55 will work for you too.
Get a Womens Bar. Mens barbells weigh 20kg/45lb and have 28mm diameter.Womens hands are
smaller than men on average. This makes a mens bar harder to grip because less thumb overlaps your
fingers.Geta smaller 15kg womens with 25mm diameter. Youll be able to hold on the weight longer
when pulling heavy. And youll be able to hold the bar lower in your handswhich means less skin folding
and calluses.
Keep Your Lower Back Neutral.Women tend to hyper-extend their lower back more than men when they
Deadli . Dierent hip anatomy plus high heels results in more anterior pelvis tilt in women than men on
average. Theres more lordosis. But Deadli ing with your lower back hyper-extended compresses your
spinal discs. Avoid disc injuries by Deadli ing with your lower back neutral.Squeeze your abs.
Deadli Tip Sheet

Ive put together a Deadli Tip Sheet covering the most important tips to Deadli with proper form.Print
this one page document and take it with you to the gym so you can review these tips between sets. Its
important you Deadli with proper form so you li heavyweights without hurting yourself.To download
myDeadli tip sheet, click the link below
Tweet
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See Also
13 Deadli Mistakes That Make You Look Like a Gym Newbie
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How to Increase Grip Strength For Deadli s
Deadli s arent Squats: Low vs. High Hips

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7 Reasons Deadli Hurt Your Lower Back
How to Increase Your Deadli
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How to Deadli with Proper Form: The

1.4 First-time Fear

Deadli Form 101

Lower Back Safety

. Grip it narrow, just outsideyour legs.

Lowering The Bar

ers o en lean back in

Lower Back Rounding

position with your lower back doing all

Hitting The Knees

Bar Wont Move

Deadli Tip Sheet

How to Increase Grip Strength For Deadli s

Deadli s arent Squats: Low vs. High Hips

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