How to do a deadlift with good form

The conventional barbell deadlift lifts a loaded bar from the floor to hip height and back down, using a hip hinge and a strong leg drive. It trains the glutes, hamstrings and lower back together, and it is a demanding lift that rewards patient technique over heavy weight. The start position matters as much as the pull, so it is worth setting up carefully before you lift.

How to do it

1. Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet, with your shins close to the bar.
2. Hinge at the hips and bend the knees until you can grip the bar just outside your legs.
3. Set your shoulders slightly ahead of the bar and lift your chest, then take the slack out of the bar.
4. Take a breath and brace your core before the bar leaves the floor.
5. Push the floor away with your legs while the bar stays close to your shins and thighs.
6. Stand tall at the top with hips and knees fully extended and shoulders back, without leaning back.
7. Lower the bar under control by sending the hips back first, then bending the knees, until it returns to the floor.

Take a breath and hold it while you brace, then breathe out at the top or after each rep. Reset your grip, back position and foot pressure before every rep rather than rushing the next one. Most people find the lift easier to learn with a light bar, a hip-width stance and a slow lowering, adding load only once the start position feels repeatable.

Form cues

• Keep a neutral spine from head to hips throughout the lift and do not round the lower back.
• Keep the bar in contact with your legs on the way up.
• Think about pushing the floor away rather than pulling with the back.
• Keep the arms straight and relaxed, acting as hooks for the bar.
• Set your grip and posture before each rep, and reset fully between reps.

Safety: Stop the set if you feel sharp or shooting pain in your back, and get it checked by a qualified professional rather than pushing through it. Start light to learn the setup.

Common mistakes

• Starting with the hips too high or too low, so the bar drifts away from the legs.
• Rounding the lower back under load.
• Jerking the bar off the floor instead of building tension first.
• Leaning back at the top and hyperextending the lower back.
• Dropping the bar at the bottom instead of lowering it under control.

Muscles worked

Primary: Glutes, hamstrings and the erector spinae (the muscles of the lower back).

Secondary: Quadriceps, lats, traps, and the forearms and grip that hold the bar.

Alternatives

• Romanian deadlift: a hip hinge that starts from the top and focuses on the hamstrings.
• Trap bar deadlift: a hex bar with the handles beside the body, often easier to learn with a more upright torso.
• Hip thrust: a glute-focused lift with the upper back supported on a bench.
• Back extension: a hinge on a bench at lighter loads, targeting the lower back and glutes.

Deadlift vs Romanian deadlift

The conventional deadlift starts from the floor, uses a full range of motion and a strong leg drive. The Romanian deadlift starts from the top, keeps the knees only softly bent and lowers the bar to around the knee, with more emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes.

If the floor start is hard to set up, learn the hinge in the Romanian version first. See the Romanian deadlift guide.

See how Pulselyf's AI workout planner can fit deadlifts into your weekly plan, built from your goals, equipment and schedule.

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• How to do a Romanian Deadlift correctly
• How to do a Goblet Squat correctly
• How to do a barbell row with good form
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